4 Reasons Why Self-Storage Is Great For E-Commerce Businesses

Self Storage


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February 21st, 2023


Typically, most people think of self-storage facilities as places for storing miscellaneous household items. They’re not wrong. But… self-storage facilities are so, so much more than that. They’re also unique and excellent tools for entrepreneurs who run e-commerce businesses. Keep reading to find out how and why!

Mini Warehouses

Currently, business owners are wrestling with inflation and fierce competition in many desirable markets. So, a common thing you’ll hear is that the commercial rental market is CRAZY. Meaning it’s very expensive for them to rent office spaces or warehouse facilities. This is where self-storage facilities really shine. They’re significantly more affordable than office spaces or warehouses and ideal for storing and processing your products before shipping them out to customers. Plus, you’ll save money because you don’t have to pay certain taxes or utility bills for these units.

Flexibility

E-commerce businesses experience extreme ups and downs, profitable and unprofitable times. When business is booming, you might need a lot of storage space, but you’ll want less of it when things are slow. The awesome thing about self-storage is that you can quickly increase or decrease your business spending depending on how things are going. This is possible because most storage facilities don’t make you sign long-term contracts. So you can move in, move out, or transfer to another unit on short notice. Compare all that with renting a typical commercial space. If business were slow, you’d have to submit a notice that you want to vacate months before you could move out. Also, you would have to pay for the same amount of space every month whether or not you need it all.

Security

Self-storage facilities offer great security for your products! For one, you can’t enter these facilities without a digital key or code; Access is strictly limited to the tenants. Secondly, these facilities have cameras, which causes people up to no good to think twice about causing mischief. In the unlikely case something goes wrong, you should have video footage on your side. We say unlikely because you can find units with multiple layers of restricted access, like technologically secured doors and elevators leading to your unit!

You’ll Have A Clutter Free Life

Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, wrote a book titled Start Something That Matters. In one of the chapters, he tells his company’s origin story. He tells of how his home was filled with stacks and stacks of shoe boxes before TOMS had an office. It’s an inspiring story about entrepreneurship, but if you’ve ever seen the show “Tidying Up With Marie Condo,” you know that too much clutter around your house can be a great source of stress and frustration. So put those products in storage!

Tips To Do It Legally If you decide to take this route, be mindful of conducting your business in a way that doesn’t break the rules of your chosen facility. Here are a few things you can do to prevent any legal issues:
  • Only use your unit to store products and box up orders in preparation for shipping.
  • Don’t use power tools or any kind of heavy machinery inside or at your unit’s site.
  • Don’t hold meetings with your customers or make sales at your unit.
  • Don’t make any sort of electrical or superficial modifications to the unit.
If you’re an entrepreneur who runs an e-commerce business, take advantage of the low costs, flexibility, security, and freed-up space that a self-storage facility offers. Click here to find a FreeUp Storage facility near you.