Guides
What Is a Shipping Label? A Complete Guide
Everything You Need to Know About Shipping Labels
Introduction
Shipping labels are a key part of the process for businesses that sell and ship products. These labels play a big part in the success of your business's operations by providing important information about your packages.
They ensure delivery to the right place and on time, making sure your customers are always satisfied. Such a process can be difficult to maintain, however, and this is where a company like Bezos can help.
If you are looking for a simple way to manage your shipping labels and fulfilment, you’ve come to the right place. We offer a comprehensive solution that includes product packing and picking, storage and delivery.
By partnering with us, you ensure your label creation process is smooth and effective, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
Get a free quote today to learn more about how we can help improve your shipping process and take your business to the next level.
Key Points
- Shipping labels are stickers or tags that provide carriers with useful information about the recipient, sender, and shipping method and play a crucial role in successful package delivery.
- There are various types of shipping labels, all with different uses. By using the appropriate labels for your deliveries, you ensure your packages are handled following guidelines to help your product arrive at its destination safely and securely.
- By using fulfilment platforms like Bezos, you can make the shipping labelling process smoother and quicker.
What Is a Shipping Label?
A shipping label is a sticker or a tag that provides information about the recipient, sender and shipping method. This information helps your carriers identify and route your package to its recipient. Here’s an example:
Alongside the basic details, you could also include extra information on the label, like weight or any other special handling instructions.
Types of Shipping Labels and Their Use
Did you know that there are different shipping labels depending on package contents and sender intention? Let's take a closer look at various shipping labels and their uses.
- International Shipping Labels
An international shipping label comes into play when shipping packages to other countries. They are similar to the basic shipping labels, but they come with additional information like an item description and its value, as well as a document confirming that no prohibited items are being shipped.
- Hazardous Materials Labels
Hazardous materials such as chemicals, batteries or fireworks require a hazardous materials label. The label will inform your carriers about the potential dangers of the contents within the package and provide information to ensure the safety of workers and the package during transport.
- Fragile Labels
You must use a fragile label when shipping fragile items such as glassware, electronics or ceramics. It'll ensure the safety of your package by notifying carriers about your package’s delicate contents and that it is handled with safety and precision.
Tip: Always print your fragile labels with eye-catching colours to increase visibility. Not only will you minimise the risk of your product being damaged during shipping, but you'll also protect your business against liability claims.
- Return Labels
Return labels are a convenient way to simplify the returns process for customers who are unhappy with their orders. If you want your company to stand out, ensure to include these labels for your customers’ convenience. Return labels can increase customer loyalty, retention and satisfaction rates.
How to Create a Shipping Label
There are many ways to create a shipping label for your business based on your needs and resources. These are the most common methods:
- Shipping Software
You can generate shipping labels and manage all your shipments from one location through specialised shipping software. Most shipping software solutions integrate with major carriers, provide automatic tracking delivery notifications and eliminate the need for manual data entry, resulting in a lower risk of error.
- Online Carrier Platforms
If you cannot access shipping software, a great alternative is a shipping carrier. Most offer online platforms that allow you to create and print shipping labels straight from their website. The process is a bit more time-consuming, as you'll have to manually sign up and fill out shipment information, like recipient address, shipping service and package weight. Then, you can print the label on any printer and put it onto the package.
- Shipping Label Templates
Using a shipping label template is a cost-effective solution when creating a small number of shipping labels. Such templates can be found anywhere online or in programs like Microsoft Word. The label sheets are available in any office supply store. You'll need to enter the shipping information onto the template and print the labels. This is an easy way to make quick and professional shipping labels without additional software, equipment or online platforms; however, it is inefficient for large-scale operations.
- Handwriting Labels
When shipping items internationally, you may be required to provide a customs declaration for fragile, hazardous or special-handling packaging. You'll have to handwrite it, and it's important that your writing is clear and provides all the necessary instructions and information, such as the address, tracking and reference number. The label will ensure that the shipment is properly handled and arrives at its destination without any issues.
- Partner with a Fulfilment Company
Partnering with a fulfilment provider can be the step that takes your shipping process (including labels) to the next level. A company like Bezos specialises in managing logistics operations like picking, packing, order fulfilment and more. How can your company benefit from our services? Let us explain.
Streamlining Shipping and Other Logistics with Bezos
At Bezos, we take pride in providing simple and cost-effective logistics. There are many benefits in working with us, such as saving yourself up to five hours a day on logistics tasks, as we value your time as much as you do.
Plus, we'll save you £1 to £2 per order and up to 80% on international orders, which you can track with full transparency. Forget worrying about shipping labels, as they're already included in the delivery fee, meaning you'll save time and money while shipping your products more efficiently.
Your logistics issues are handled by our AI technology, built to detect and resolve issues before they negatively impact your business. Our outstanding customer support service will ensure your customers receive clarity of communication with a guaranteed response time within two hours of an inquiry.
The Bezos Fulfilment Network gives you access to markets worldwide through our 63 fulfilment centres across 17 countries. And last but certainly not least, Bezos can increase your sales by up to 50% with multiple delivery options, ensuring your customers never abandon their cart due to unsatisfactory delivery services.
Now that you know what we can offer, let's take a closer look at our pricing.
Pricing
Our pricing structure is transparent and affordable, as we value providing high-quality services at great prices paired with flexible contracts that you can leave at the end of any month. To work with us, you'll have to pay four fees:
- A fulfilment fee
- A storage fee
- A value-added services fee
- A monthly software subscription fee.
You can get a free quote for an accurate cost calculation personalised to your business's needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, shipping labels are crucial for delivering your products successfully and enable businesses to identify and track each shipment accurately.
By having a label that accurately describes your product (whether it's fragile or hazardous), you ensure the safety of your product and the people shipping it and help it reach its destination on time.
What is even more important is ensuring that your shipping label process is done smoothly and accurately. At times, managing that process can be difficult, and this is where the help of Bezos can make all the difference.
Our fulfilment services guarantee that your entire shipping process will be completed with the utmost precision and quality.
Trust Bezos with your shipping label process and other fulfilment needs by getting a free quote today.
FAQs
How do I generate a shipping label?
Generating a shipping label is straightforward. You can either use a shipping or online carrier platform, a template or take advantage of the help of a fulfilment company like Bezos.
What are the different types of shipping labels?
There are many shipping labels to help identify your package and its contents, including a default label, labels for international shipping, hazardous materials, fragile items and returns.
What does a shipping label need to look like?
A shipping label must contain information such as the recipient’s address, package weight, shipping class and tracking number, and shipping barcode. Additional labels are required for international shipping or any fragile/hazardous shipments.
