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Background
When a back injury sidelined Keith Fournie, he never imagined it would spark the creation of Kelm Form Tools—a Canadian pottery tool company now shipping orders nationwide.
What began as a side project to build a better pottery wheel became designing and manufacturing specialized pottery tools for friends. But as orders grew beyond his local studio, Keith quickly discovered he needed a better way to sell and ship.
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The challenge: Selling and shipping without the right tools
At first, Keith accepted only cash or e-transfers for sales and used prepaid Canada Post boxes for shipping.
Physically visiting the post office for every order, handwriting addresses, and keeping paper receipts quickly became overwhelming. Prepaid shipping boxes also left too much empty space inside—meaning he paid for unused volume, used more filler than necessary, and delivered a less polished unboxing experience.
“I was overpaying for many shipments, and the packaging didn’t look professional,” he explains. “I run my business from home, so I needed something that would help me stay organized and efficient without taking up more time or space.”
The solution: Square + Shippo working together
Keith first moved to Square after a frustrating experience with another website provider. In just one day, he used Square’s step-by-step process to create a functioning website, set up an online store, and start accepting card payments—something that had felt out of reach with his previous provider.
“It felt as though I was indistinguishable from any other professional company. I was legitimate.”
Not long after, a friend recommended Shippo. Once he connected Shippo to his Square store, every order detail flowed automatically into Shippo’s dashboard.
“One of the biggest fears I had going into this was shipping. But Shippo linked to my Square store seamlessly; it took less than 10 minutes and it just worked. With Shippo and Square, I could easily allow customers to choose their shipping options, the timing and rate that best works for them. There is also an option for me to set a flat rate.”
With Square handling the selling side and Shippo streamlining shipping, Keith created a seamless, efficient workflow. His small, dedicated packing station is set up so he can pull products, label boxes, and double-check orders without flipping between apps or cluttering his workspace.
- Square: Online storefront, order management, sales trends, and analytics to track best-sellers.
- Shippo: Automatic order import, cost comparison across carriers, and discounted labels (up to 90% off retail rates).
- Canada Post Small Business account linked through Shippo for additional savings.
- Custom-stamped boxes from U-Line, branded tape, and eco-friendly paper or cardboard filler for a polished, sustainable unboxing.
“My favorite feature is that Shippo pulls over all of the data from my Square so I don’t have to flip back and forth when packing orders.”
The results: Lower costs, better organization
Because Shippo keeps all costs digital, Keith can monitor expenses in real time—right alongside his sales trends in Square. That combination helps him adjust pricing, track margins, and ensure customers from Edmonton to Nunavut have the same high-quality delivery experience.
On average, he saves $5–$7 per order compared to his old shipping method—crucial for his $10 flat-rate shipping offer anywhere in Canada. By setting that flat rate strategically—which is high enough to cover most shipments but still appeal to customers—he uses Shippo’s rate shopping to maintain profitability, even on remote deliveries.
“The biggest thing I would suggest is take the leap into using a shipping service. It seemed like it would be a steep learning curve and just something more on my plate, but it was the opposite. It was very intuitive and actually simplified my process by a significant margin.”
Linking Square and Shippo also means all his sales, order, and shipping data lives in one place, reducing steps and minimizing the chance for mistakes.
Ready to get started?
With Shippo: Sign up free and start shipping more efficiently—connect your store, compare rates, and print labels in minutes.
With Square: Get started and start selling online, in person, and everywhere your customers are.