How to Print Shipping Labels: eCommerce 101

In the competitive world of eCommerce, efficient shipping practices are the cornerstone of customer satisfaction and sustainable growth. Accurately printing shipping labels is not just a logistical task; it's always a crucial step in ensuring seamless order fulfillment and timely delivery.

Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just embarking on your online journey, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools to master the art of printing shipping labels.

The Importance of Accurately Printing Shipping Labels

Accurately creating shipping labels is the cornerstone of efficient order fulfillment and seamless customer experiences. They serve as the primary means of conveying crucial information about a package, ensuring its accurate and timely delivery.

Here's our list of the top 5 benefits of accurately printed shipping labels:

1. Streamlined Order Processing: Accurate labels eliminate the need for manual data entry, saving time and reducing the risk of errors. This streamlines the order processing workflow, allowing your team to focus on more value-added activities
2. Accurate Delivery: Properly printed labels ensure that packages reach their intended destinations without delays or misrouting. This contributes to customer satisfaction and builds trust in your brand's ability to deliver orders promptly
3. Enhanced Tracking: Accurately creating shipping labels can help you achieve operational efficiency and a seamless brand experience. Optimize your shipping workflow with dynamic rules that automatically connect your orders to the best courier and tracking level based on your specific needs
4. Reduced Returns and Claims: Clear and accurate labeling minimizes the likelihood of packages being returned due to address discrepancies or missing information. This helps you save on shipping costs and processing fees associated with returned items
5. Compliance with Shipping Regulations: Different couriers have specific labeling requirements. Accurate labels ensure compliance, avoiding fines and delays

In short, accurate shipping labels are not just physical identifiers; they are the foundation of a well-oiled order fulfillment process and a key driver of customer satisfaction. By prioritizing accurate label creation and utilization, you can elevate your shipping operations and contribute to a positive customer experience.

Types of Shipping Labels

The shipping label landscape encompasses a variety of options, catering to different shipping needs and preferences. Here are the most common types of shipping labels:

• U.S. Postal Service (USPS) labels: USPS labels are commonly used for domestic shipping and offer a range of service levels, including Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and Media Mail
• Commercial Carrier labels: Commercial carriers like FedEx, UPS, and DHL provide their own shipping labels, which are typically used for larger or time-sensitive shipments
• Third-party shipping labels: Third-party shipping platforms like Easyship offer consolidated shipping labels that can be used across multiple carriers, simplifying the shipping process for businesses that regularly ship with various carriers

Related Post: What's the Cheapest Way to Ship a Package?

Printing Shipping Labels with USPS

Printing USPS shipping labels is a straightforward process that can be accomplished using a few different methods:

1. USPS Click-N-Ship: Visit the USPS Click-N-Ship website and create an account to print USPS labels. This method provides access to a variety of USPS shipping services and offers a user-friendly interface
2. USPS Retail Services: Visit your local USPS post office and request shipping labels from a postal clerk
3. Shipping software: Integrate your eCommerce platform with shipping software that offers USPS discounted shipping rates, such as Easyship. This option provides seamless label generation and tracking capabilities from within your eCommerce platform

Printing Priority Mail Express Shipping Labels

Priority Mail Express is a premium USPS shipping service known for its exceptional speed and reliability. It's ideal for urgent and time-sensitive shipments that require expedited delivery.. Printing Priority Mail Express labels can be done through the same methods mentioned above, including USPS Click-N-Ship, USPS Retail Services, or an Easyship integration.

Unfortunately, just getting your Priority Mail Express package out the door via USPS Click-N-Ship, can feel like navigating a maze of accounts, forms, and clicks.

How to Print Shipping Labels

Navigating the process of printing shipping labels can seem complex, but it's a straightforward task with the right guidance. Print labels and ship, as easily as using your own boxes and envelopes. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to print shipping labels using various methods:

Method 1: Commercial Carriers

1. Visit the carrier website and create an account or sign in if you already have one
2. Provide the necessary shipping information, including the recipient's address, package dimensions, weight, and shipping method
3. Select the payment method and confirm the order
4. The shipping label will be displayed on the screen. You can either print it directly or save it as a PDF file

Method 2: Local Post Office

1. Visit your local post office
2. Provide the correct necessary shipping details to the post office clerk
3. The post office clerk will then weigh the package and evaluate the postage packaging
4. The postal clerk will generate a shipping label for a fee
5. Attach the purchased label to your package

Method 3: Easyship Integration

1. Sign Up for a free Easyship account and integrate your top sales channels, from eBay to Etsy
2. Set up dynamic shipping rules that automatically connect your exact order with the optimal shipping solution, from over 550+ courier services worldwide
3. Every shipping label for your store will then be accurately generated automatically

Advantages of Easyship Automation

While the manual process of creating labels for a range of couriers can be exhaustive, leading to inaccuracies that remove all the benefits discussed above. Sellers automating the process with Easyship can scale their business effectively, while creating a delivery experience customers love.Plus, Easyship stands out as a leading shipping platform for online businesses due to its comprehensive set of features and benefits:

• Market leading carrier selection: Easyship integrates shipping labels from over 250+ carriers, including USPS, FedEx, and DHL, eliminating the need to switch between platforms
• Automated label creation: Easyship's user-friendly interface streamlines the label creation process, allowing businesses to generate labels quickly and efficiently
• Real-time tracking: Easyship provides real-time tracking capabilities, enabling businesses to monitor package movements and provide updates to customers
• International shipping: Easyship supports both domestic and international shipping, making it ideal for businesses with a global reach

Outgoing and Return Addresses: Shipment Identification

The outgoing and return addresses serve as crucial components of shipping labels, providing essential information for the postal service and ensuring package traceability.

The outgoing address identifies the sender, while the return address serves as the destination for undeliverable packages. Accurately capturing and providing both outgoing and return addresses is essential for seamless shipping operations and customer satisfaction.

Outgoing Address

The outgoing address refers to the address from which the package is being shipped. It typically includes your business name, physical address, and contact information. This information is essential for the postal service to track the package and return it to you in case of any issues.

Return Address

The return address serves as the destination for the package if it cannot be delivered to the intended recipient. It's crucial to provide accurate return address information to ensure that the package can be returned to you for further handling.

When using Easyship for shipping label printing, you can automate both the outgoing and return addresses. Once you integrate your chosen sales channels, the outgoing address will automatically be populated. For the return address, you can either use your business address or set up a specific return address within your Easyship account.

Automate Label Generation With Easyship Today

In the competitive world of eCommerce, navigating accurate shipping practices can be a daunting task. But with Easyship, you can streamline all your shipping operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and boost sales. Some of our major discounts include:

• Save up to 65% on USPS First Class Package
• Save up to 89% on USPS Priority Mail
• Save up to 50% on UPS® Ground
• Save up to 76% on UPS Worldwide Saver®
• Save up to 91% on DHL eCommerce

Easyship's comprehensive shipping platform also offers a wide range of features, including:

• Shipping Rate Calculator: You can use our shipping rate calculator to compare shipping rates from different carriers
• Comparison Tool: With our courier comparison tool, you can compare the different shipping services offered by each courier, allowing you to choose your cheapest way to ship based on other factors, not just the cost
• Insurance: To help keep your packages safe in transit, Easyship offers you insurance up to $10000
• Tracking: From custom-branded tracking emails to automatic message alerts, Easyship helps you maintain package visibility with your buyers throughout the delivery process
• Automatic label creation: Generate shipping labels quickly and easily with our market-leading shipping tool

Empower your business with Easyship and unlock the potential for seamless shipping, enhanced customer satisfaction, and maximized profits. Sign up for a free today and experience the difference Easyship can make for your eCommerce journey.