TWP Docs

Address labels get purchased in groups. Each group has its own distinct workflow.

* Patronizers – these books are made out to individual supporters by name, regardless of destination – MWL hand-maintains this spreadsheet because there's so few of them.
* Domestic sponsors – books are signed with “Thanks for sponsoring, $NAME” so must be separate from ks backers.
* Overseas sponsors – buying postage requires filling out custom forms online – books are signed with “Thanks for sponsoring, $NAME” so need to be separate from ks backers.
* Domestic Kickstarter backers.
* Overseas Kickstarter backers.
* Domestic KS backers who chose bundles like The Full Michael.
* Possibly complicated by people who receive extra books or extra copies, which MWL isn't going to do in the future because it's way too confusing and his DAD won't let him.

Download the full backer report. Save as an .xl file.

Make two copies.
One is “I Ship” for books that MWL signs and ships.
One is “They Ship” for drop shipped books, which will be dealt with later.

On the “I Ship” copy of the spreadsheet:
* Sort by reward
* Delete any rows that are for ebook only
* Delete any rows that are for unsigned books
* Delete any rows for people who never completed their survey. (Shake your head and wonder what’s wrong with them, but delete their rows anyway.)
* Check for add-ons (but future you won’t have this problem!)
* Delete any columns that are not needed, i.e. rewards that nobody took
* Cut any other columns that aren’t necessary for shipping. For example: backing minimum, reward ID, backer number, backer user ID, pledged status, notes, bonus support, survey response, etc.
* Save this “clean” spreadsheet

Here is the list of tasks that fall under the category of “I Ship.” Each task has its own distinct workflow. They are arranged here in order of least complicated to most complicated.

Domestic Paperbacks
Domestic Hardcovers
Overseas Paperbacks
Overseas Hardcovers
Other small add-ons (thank you, future MWL, for not including these!)
Print Bundles
The Full Michael

You’ll deal with these one at a time. Our example is domestic paperbacks.
When you’re doing domestic paperbacks you will…
Make yet another copy of the “clean” spreadsheet.
Delete anything that isn’t US paperbacks
Delete duplicate columns
Check the phone number column to make sure the numbers are real numbers and not a formula (thanks, excel! /s)
Turn the spreadsheet back into a .csv file
Important! Make note of how many orders you have!

Log into goshippo.com shipping app. I use goshippo because they let us fill out customs forms online and print them for us.

Go to account→ profile→packages. See if there's a predefined package of the right weight. There probably is.

Set the default package to 6x9x1 and the weight.

Log out. Restart the browser window.

Log back into goshippo. When we order postage, the default package should now be assigned to every package. (It doesn't always work. It's supposed to.)

Go to Upload CSV. Load the CSV we're working on.

Choose the right import template. There's one for Kickstarter and one for sponsors.

Let goshippo map field names. Double-check to make sure they look sensible. Import the orders.

Wait a few minutes for goshippo to populate the orders page with the spreadsheet.

Now the ugly part. The addresses are in, but the customs info isn't. Check each package. Did goshippo choose the right default package? Did they set ANY package? Fix that. click on the customs information for every package. Manually enter the customs info. Over and over. Until every package has customs info or eternity, whichever comes first. Still better than filling out customs forms by hand.

Postage is ready for purchase.

Use US Priority Mail envelopes. They're the same weight as the poly mailers.

Set that to the default package. Log out, exit browser, log in.

Upload the domestic CSV.

Postage is ready for purchase.

Select and purchase everything you uploaded.

Shippers do not check addresses until you try to buy. If shippo can't identify an address, they complain now. Look for obvious typos. Don't assume you can figure it out via Google Maps or whatever; I lost many packages that way. Contact the recipient with the address and tell them USPS can't figure it out.

When you buy postage, goshippo offers the labels in PDFs for 4×6 stickers. Save those PDFs. We'll be printing them all en masse. Keep each order separate so we know what to put in the envelope.

At the end of the day, print goshippo manifest! Manifests are only available for a couple days, so this is vital to avoid angering the postal folks. (Do not anger the postal folks. They can crush you with a thought.)

Goshippo offers to transliterate addresses. Accept the offer.

Prepare an additional address label with the original address in the original language.

The US label gets the package out of the US. The original address gets it to the destination.

Yes, these packages get four address labels.

When the books arrive, MWL signs them all while watching Star Trek.

Shipping day, set up assembly line. Table. Envelopes. Tape gun.

Pack Patronizers first, then sponsors. MWL makes out each book as per the shipping label.

Last, KS backers. The books are signed so we can just seize & stuff.