How to print shipping labels at home, step by step

How to print shipping labels: the short version

A shipping label holds the postage, the tracking barcode and both addresses on one sheet. You buy it online, print it at home and attach it to the box. The barcode is the postage, so the package needs no stamps.

There are two places to buy one. If the order came through a marketplace such as Etsy or eBay, buy the label there: the marketplace fills in the buyer's address and adds the tracking number to the order for you. If the order came from your own store, a direct message or a market stall, buy the label from the carrier, for example on USPS Click-N-Ship, or from your store platform's shipping tool.

Whichever tool you use, the steps are the same.

1. Pack the item, then weigh the box with the packing inside.
2. Measure the length, width and height of the box.
3. Open the label tool and enter your return address and the buyer's address.
4. Pick a service, pay for the postage and download the label.
5. Print it, attach it flat on the largest side of the box, and drop the package off or book a pickup.

Weigh and measure carefully. Etsy notes that if the weight or size on a USPS label is wrong, the carrier will refund you the difference if you overestimated, or charge you if you underestimated.

How to create a shipping label on USPS Click-N-Ship

Click-N-Ship is the USPS tool for buying postage and printing labels on usps.com. According to USPS, you need a free USPS.com residential or business account, computer and standard printer. All users get discounted commercial pricing.

1. Sign in to usps.com

   Create or sign in to your free usps.com account and open Click-N-Ship.

2. Enter the addresses

   Add your return address and the buyer's address. USPS says domestic labels must include a domestic return address, so a seller abroad cannot use a foreign address on a domestic label.

3. Choose the ship date

   Pick the day you will hand the package over. Click-N-Ship lets you choose a date up to 3 days from today. A label mailed after its date may be returned to you, so pick the day you will really ship.

4. Enter the package details

   Add the weight and the box size, or choose a flat rate box if you are using one.

5. Compare services and pay

   Pick a mail service from the options shown for your package, add the label to the cart and pay.

6. Print the label

   Print the label right away, or later from Shipping History, which USPS keeps open until 11:59 PM CST of the shipping date.

How to create a shipping label on Etsy, eBay or Shopify

Marketplaces and store builders sell labels inside the order page. The label tool already has the buyer's address from the order, so you do not type it in again.

On Etsy, open the order and choose to buy a shipping label. Etsy says there are no additional membership fees for its labels and that you may receive discounted volume shipping rates. You can download a label as often as you need until its Ship Date arrives.

On eBay, buy the label from the sold item. eBay sells labels for FedEx, UPS, USPS, or eBay standard envelope, at what it calls negotiated rates. A label can be reprinted at no extra cost within 7 days of purchasing it.

On Shopify, buy the label from the order's fulfillment page. Shopify offers two print formats: thermal at 4 x 6 inch and letter at 8.5 x 11 inch.

How to print shipping labels on a regular printer

You do not need a special printer. USPS says you can use a laser printer or a high quality ink jet printer, and recommends 600 dots-per-inch (DPI) for inkjets. It also warns that its scanning equipment is not capable of reliably reading labels generated using low quality Inkjet or dot matrix printers, so print in normal or best quality, not draft.

Use plain white paper. USPS says only white paper should be used, or self-adhesive labels. Etsy gives the same rule: labels must be printed on 8.5" x 11" white paper or self-adhesive label sheets.

Cut along the outline and attach the label with clear tape or a plastic sleeve; Shopify suggests a plastic sleeve or packing tape.

If you ship often, half-sheet label paper saves cutting and tape. Click-N-Ship can print 4 inch by 6½ inch labels two to a sheet of 8½ inches by 11 inches self-adhesive paper. This only applies to labels that do not include a customs form.

Thermal vs inkjet: which printer to use for shipping labels

A thermal label printer saves time if you ship often. Direct thermal printers, as Zebra describes them, print without using a ribbon, toner, or ink, so you never buy ink or toner. Label printers use labels that have an adhesive backing, and Shopify notes you don't need to cut or trim labels from standard printer paper.

The trade-off is that direct thermal labels are sensitive to heat and light. Zebra says Images can fade over time. Store spare label rolls somewhere cool and dark.

How to print shipping labels at USPS without a printer

If you have no printer, USPS Label Broker lets the Post Office print the label. When you buy on Click-N-Ship, choose Print later at Post Office. USPS sends a QR code, and you can take it to a Post Office location with Label Broker at the counter or a self-service kiosk and get it printed free. At a kiosk you can also type the 8-10 character Label Broker ID shown under the QR code.

eBay offers the same: the QR code option where available. USPS also sells mailed paper labels: for a $1.65 fee per label, it delivers a physical label to you.

Attaching the label and getting the package to the carrier

A label that is folded, covered or blurred may not scan. Follow the USPS rules for where and how to attach it.

• Placement: labels must be fully placed on the address side of the package and not folded over package edges.
• Tape: Use clear shipping tape to securely affix labels on all four sides.
• Barcodes: Do not tape over the "Postal Use" area on labels or cover barcodes.
• One label per package: postage is tied to a label number that can be used only once. Photocopying a label does not buy a second shipment.
• Hand-off: you can drop packages at a Post Office or schedule a free package pickup from usps.com.

If you print a label you do not use

USPS, Etsy, eBay and Shopify all refund unused labels, but only within a set window. On Click-N-Ship, labels are eligible for refunds within 30 days of the label creation date, and USPS says requests are not granted after sixty (60) calendar days. Refund requests process 14 days from the date you ask.

On eBay you can cancel an unused label within 28 days, and it can take up to 21 days for the carrier to approve. Etsy refunds unused, unscanned labels within 30 days of purchase. Shopify lets you void labels that aren't older than 30 days from the purchase date. Do not mail a package with a label you have asked to refund.

Where Nation fits

Questions about printing shipping labels