Ecommerce Shipping Blog

James Messer's posts

  • Recommended Thermal Label Printers For Printing Shipping Labels

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    ShipStation is all about efficiency. Which comes in handy as the holiday rush ramps up. This is the time of year to make order fulfillment as streamlined as possible. And one way to fulfill orders even more effortlessly is to invest in a shipping label printer such as a thermal label printer. If you are looking for a recommendations on a […]

  • Can I Use the DYMO 450 to Print 4″ x 6″ Shipping Labels?

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    The DYMO Label Writer 450 is a great printer that can print name tags, stamps, and address labels. However, for 4” x 6” labels, this printer WILL NOT work. The reasoning behind this is simple: The DYMO Labelwriter 450 doesn’t support 4” x 6” labels. The DYMO Label maximum supported width is 2.2”.  For printing […]

  • UPS Shipping Rates & Cost Estimates

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    United Parcel Service America, Inc. (or UPS for short) is an American parcel delivery service that delivers to almost every country on Earth with an average daily package count of 15,000,000. Because of their global network and good customer satisfaction rating, UPS is a go-to for many merchants and customers around the globe. UPS rates […]

  • 5 Ways to Stop Overpaying on Shipping Costs

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    “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” This may be a convenient expression for why you refuse to get rid of your 1994 Toyota Tercel, but it is not good for ecommerce sellers. Just because your workflow isn’t broken doesn’t mean it’s performing as it needs to. It’s easy to find discounts if you know […]

  • poly mailer padded envelope

    4 Reasons to Ship with Poly Mailers and Bubble Mailers

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    Shipping with boxes can be cumbersome and isn’t always necessary. If you ship non-fragile items, how important is it that you ship them in big bulky boxes? Ecommerce shipping requires you to cut costs wherever possible, not corners, and one way to do this is to cut back on high packaging costs. And poly mailers […]

  • Do USPS, UPS, and FedEx Offer Saturday and Sunday Delivery?

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    The global network of carriers is constantly moving, from trucks to planes to conveyor belts to homes. Despite this hectic pace, deliveries aren’t made around the clock. Most carriers offer Saturday delivery, however, it can be at a high-cost surcharge. Sunday delivery, on the other hand, is a lot less definite. Why Does It Cost […]

  • UPS® and ShipStation Offer Discounted Shipping Rates

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    UPS announced an adjustment to its UPS® Digital Access Program rates. Effective April 11, 2021, customers who sign up for a UPS account through ShipStation will now enjoy discounts of up to 50% off UPS® Ground shipments, up to 66% for UPS 2nd Day Air® service, up to 65% for UPS Next Day Air® service, […]

  • USPS Media Mail Rate Increase on August 29, 2021

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    While the new year brings the usual annual USPS rate increase, there can occasionally be additional rate increases that happen throughout the year. USPS’s financial woes have been an issue for them ever since the Postal Accountability and Enhancement bill in 2006. Even as ecommerce booms, the USPS continues to operate at a deficit. So […]

  • How the IOSS and Recent Changes to VAT Costs Impact Shipments to the EU

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    Effective July 1st, 2021, value-added taxes (VAT) will apply to orders valued at under €22. Because this additional fee can become a make-or-break deciding factor for customers placing orders with international merchants, the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) is now available. The IOSS allows merchants to pay the value-added taxes on orders valued at up to […]

  • USPS First Class vs Priority Mail

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    First Class vs Priority Mail is a common decision ecommerce merchants make. But it’s easy to get the hang of. Generally speaking, anything under 16 oz should use First Class Mail and anything over 16 oz should ship with Priority Mail. There are a few exceptions, of course. And we’ll cover those exceptions later. But […]

  • FedEx Peak Surcharge, July 2021: What to Expect

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    FedEx has announced three peak surcharges that will impact both FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services effective June 21st, 2021. Some of these surcharges are continuations of earlier surcharges. Others are new surcharges.  These rates are a result of the growing strain that increased parcel volume is putting on carriers. These surcharges allow FedEx to keep […]

  • Printing Return Labels and Creating a Returns Strategy

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    Returns are an unfortunate part of any ecommerce business. No one wants to do returns. Customers have an item that doesn’t fit their needs. They hurt a business’s bottom line. However, having a seamless strategy for printing return labels is a great way to cut down on processing time and find the most cost-effective ways […]

  • USPS Shipping Labels: USPS Shipping Services Explained

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    The USPS shipping services offer economical ways to ship lightweight parcels and envelopes domestically and internationally. Here, we go over which USPS shipping services are available and what their restrictions are. They range in price and delivery timeframe.  USPS First Class Mail USPS First Class Mail is an economical way to ship parcels, thick envelopes, […]

  • Shopify Shipping vs ShipStation: Which shipping software should I use?

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    Shipping Shopify orders requires some strategy but it can be quite simple and affordable once you have a plan in place. If you’re new to selling online with Shopify, this guide on ecommerce shipping is a great resource.  Shipping orders you ship from your own website don’t always have the same restrictions as marketplace orders […]

  • 2021 USPS Rates

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    The USPS has announced their annual rate increase for 2021. The following USPS rate increase is expected to go live on January 24th, 2021. Below you can find the rates available to ShipStation customers through our partnership with Stamps.com. Keep in mind that many package/thick envelopes can have varied prices depending on cubic rates or […]

  • ShipStation University is Your New 24/7 Shipping Resource

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    ShipStation is all about efficiency. We know that bringing every part of your ecommerce business together—from software to printers to choosing shipping services—eases workflow. Creating a singular, simplified shipping process makes shipping easier and faster. However, shipping is not a simple process. We’ve spent years fine-tuning our product to account for all the areas of […]

  • 2020 Last Posting Dates for Christmas in the UK

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    Jump to deadlines for: United States | Canada | Australia One of the most crucial parts of holiday shipping preparation is knowing which carrier services to use and when. Accommodating last-minute shoppers is vital, and knowing which services are available until which dates is crucial for cart conversions. We’ve gathered the most popular carriers and their […]