Save Money on Supplies for Your Small Business

It seems like everything is more expensive when you’re running a small business, and office supplies are no exception.  Whereas large corporations can get additional discounts for buying in bulk, you don’t have the funds to purchase a thousand boxes of paperclips (nor the space to store them).  However, if you are smart about how and where you shop, you can find all kinds of deals geared towards the small-business owner.  Here are just a few ways that you can spend less on the items you use every day in an effort to maximize the profits of your labor.

1. Order online.  Many office supply stores (such as Staples, Office Depot, etc.) not only offer discounted prices online (especially if you’re buying a lot of a certain item), they also provide free shipping for orders that exceed a certain dollar amount.  So hold out on ordering products piecemeal and compile a large list of needed items so that you can get the best possible price when you order office supplies online.
2. Join clubs.  Some retailers offer clubs or reward programs that provide additional benefits to those who shop with them often.  You may be able to earn points or take advantage of additional savings simply because you need more office supplies than the average consumer.  You should also see if these retailers have credit card programs that will allow you to earn extra points or additional rewards.
3. Make friends.  So you can’t order in bulk like your corporate competitors.  But as a small business, you have the advantage of being part of an active community of like-minded entrepreneurs in your area.  So approach your local Chamber of Commerce to see if other business owners would be interested in joining you in bulk purchases (of paper and other commonly used supplies) as a way to cooperate and cut costs for everyone.
4. Recycle.  You’d be surprised how many items in your office can be reused to cut down on waste, or recycled for profit.  Cans, bottles, and many paper items can be taken to the recycling center for cash, or in the case of paper, scrap materials can be reused for inter-office purposes.  And empty ink cartridges can be returned to manufacturers, often for no cost, and sometimes with the added bonus of a credit or discount on future purchases.
5. Use discounts and rebates.  There are many ways to secure additional savings when it comes to purchasing office supplies.  Websites like Ebates can offer coupons or even a flat percentage of savings over shopping the official office supply website.  And joining rewards programs often means that you’ll receive special deals or coupons through mail (or email).  You can even find discounts on equipment if you don’t buy top-of-the-line (Dell has great deals on a variety of computers and components) and peripheral items like ink refills for your printer cartridges (if you want to reuse them yourself instead of sending them in to be recycled).  In short, there are tons of ways to save if you simply do your homework and get innovative when it comes to stretching every last dollar.

Sarah Danielson writes for Ink Factory, where you can find an incredible selection of HP ink cartridges and Epson ink cartridges along with a variety of other top brands.