Also if you don’t want to buy a label printer these work great! I use them with pirateship all the time.
MFLABEL Half Sheet Self Adhesive Shipping Labels for Laser & Inkjet Printers, 200 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016CV811U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4QNENX51FQH1S8XP75QX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
You can print it on copy paper and tape it to the mailer with packing tape. Or if you want to be more professional you can print it on sticker paper. You can find these half sheet labels on amazon, which is what I use, and they can just run through normal printers.
Edit: I originally forgot to put the link to the labels in
You're well vetted then. Dont spend so much on the avery labels. They're expensive af. Get these. They make full sheet address labels too. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B016CV811U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GaOxFbGPH2XYQ
I've had a HP m477fnw for years man. ive replaced the toner twice, and the off brands are like $30-40 for full color and black. I was printing like 50+ labels a day at one point. I got it at an auction for $60… and another m477fn for $60. I resold the other one. And got some extra $$$ and a SMB printer for free.
I used a dymo4xl I got at a thrift for a month and just sold it. Convenient but problematic.
I had a zebra for awhile too. That was well worth it. Sold it for cash later on when I sized down my business.
Go zebra if anything. If you do FBA make sure it's the one that can print on address labels too.
I have a Brother laser printer and half-sheet adhesive labels and that works really well (and cheap.) I bought the printer years ago and I'm only getting to the end of my first toner cartridge.
I debated purchasing a label printer for months. I kept adding one to my cart, then removing it, then adding it back. They're so expensive. I finally ordered one and I love it. It saves me so much time.
That said, you can also print shipping labels on a regular printer. All you need (besides the printer itself) is half sheet labels. I did this for a long time and it worked decently well.
They’re 8.5x11 and fit 2 labels per page. I haven’t had issues with just printing 1, you just have to know how your printer pulls in paper and what orientation it’s going to print the label at. These are the ones I use: sticky labels
A generic version from Amazon - MFLABEL half sheet from Amazon
If you buy 1000 labels ($35.99), cost comes to ~3.6 cents each. Saves time, looks more professional.
Thanks for the Info!
Could I ask what you do with the label? Do you do adhesive backed labels similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/MFLABEL-Adhesive-Shipping-Labels-Printers/dp/B016CV811U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1529961273&sr=8-5&keywords=self+adhesive+shipping+label
These are the labels I use, work amazingly. For a printer, I use Epson which works great with the ink on the labels https://www.amazon.com/MFLABEL-Adhesive-Shipping-Labels-Printers/dp/B016CV811U/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1519822279&sr=1-3&keywords=Shipping+labels
What about these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016CV811U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Those are the ones I ordered, 8.99 for 200 sheets and I think 400 labels. not too bad. these seem to be the ones everyone is recommending. Ill probably never use them all anyways, or maybe over the course of a few years
> I’m thinking bubble mailers/envelopes?
Bubble mailers are a good choice. They're lightweight, come in a wide variety of sizes, and offer good protection. Envelopes are meant to hold documents.
>Does anyone print the shipping label and just tape it on or does it have to be a sticker
You can tape shipping labels right onto your packaging. Half sheet shipping labels like these work well too. You print labels on them using a normal printer, but you can peel the back off of them and attach the labels to your package as if it were a big sticker.
> what sort of shipping do you use? Are you shipping from the US? If so, USPS First Class Parcel is usually the best choice. Check out https://www.pirateship.com/rates and experiment with different shipping options.
> And do you ship internationally as well? Yes, but I didn't at first. I think it's better to get a handle on domestic shipping before dealing with the complexities of international shipping
I buy the half-sheet labels from Amazon. (Like this one https://smile.amazon.com/MFLABEL-Adhesive-Shipping-Labels-Printers/dp/B016CV811U/)
And then I have to buy bigger envelopes (6x9) than I used to use so it'll fit and I just stick the label on and mail them. I used to cut/fold the label to fit smaller envelopes but it's such a pain.
The tracking is only sort of nice--you can only check the status on Etsy, and for some reason every buyer likes to copy/paste the tracking number to the USPS website and then they get an error message (because the tracking ONLY works on Etsy) and they send me an angry email that I must be scamming them because their tracking # doesn't work... and then the post office only randomly uses those tracking features... I'd say maybe half of my envelope labels get scanned as delivered. The other half either never register, or say "in transit" status forever and ever. I have hundreds of delivered sticker orders in my order history that still say "in transit" even though they arrived and the buyers left me 5 star reviews.
So it's really flawed, but it's easier than buying stamps and hand writing addresses on envelopes like I used to do.
I use These and they work great. Much cheaper than Avery as well.
Get a postage scale and an account with Stamps.com or something similar. You'll pay a monthly fee, but you get a small discount on postage. And IMO less time spent wandering a Post Office is worth the $15/mo or whatever. You print the USPS label and either schedule a pickup on their mobile app, or drop off at a USPS or UPS Store.
If packaging is an issue, I've had success with Uline. I was able to bulk order a few regularly used sizes, getting my cost per ship down to pennies. If you're not doing a large volume yet, lots of shipper sizes can be ordered by the dozen or 50 from amazon, etc.
I think you can even save certain shipping weight/package sizes in your profile. I also use these to make my life easier, they format perfectly to both Stamps.com and Etsy shipping profiles.
This is what I use. It’s 2 labels on 1 page and they’re sticky!! Labels
I found that up to 8 oz, First Class makes sense. Over 8 oz, an SFRB (small flat rate box - priority mail) offers better stability, and spacing.
An SFRB is also a great way to send something heavy, or with irregular shape. Just make sure you use tons of tape and padding, so things won't rattle inside the box, and tape the edges.
Not sure how this rule of thumb will hold with the new rates, and it always depends on distance. This days, I usually say "shipping at cost", calculate based on the buyer's zip code, and offer the 2 options to my buyer.
Get shipping stickers from Amazon (for example https://www.amazon.com/MFLABEL-Adhesive-Shipping-Labels-Printers/dp/B016CV811U ), and use PayPal or PirateShip to buy postage and print the labels.
I try to cover the label with tape, so ink won't get washed off. I also try to include a note inside the package with the destination address, so USPS won't have an excuse not to deliver, if the label gets torn, or the address washed off etc.
Hmmmm...
I picked up some 2-up 5.5x8.5 labels from amazon, those 2 per sheet labels. Anyway, I noticed that within a few hours of applying them to the box they're curling up in the corners, so I have been using extra tape and taping the labels down to be safe.
Can anyone recommend some better labels with better adhesive?
These are the ones I use now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016CV811U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
200 pages of sticker paper. Print the design on it and cut it out. I use this stuff all the time to sticker-bomb whatever.