Shipping Labels: How They Work and How to Print Your Own (2024)

Shipping labels may seem like a tiny piece of the ecommerce puzzle, but they are critical to both inbound and outbound logistics and are vital to your online store’s success and customer satisfaction. Shipping labels share important information with your supply chain, helping technology and people alike understand the origins and destination of your package.

Without clear shipping labels, your customers’ orders could be lost or mishandled, creating a bad customer experience, damaging brand loyalty, and ultimately losing sales.

This article will cover the information included on a shipping label, how to create shipping labels for self-fulfilled orders, and how a third-party logistics (3PL) provider can help take the hassle out of the shipping process.

What is a shipping label?

Shipping labels display important information about a package’s destination to a carrier during transportation. These labels help describe and specify where the package is going, and in the cases of international shipments, what’s inside a package.

Pertinent information on a shipping label includes postal code, country, tracking number, weight, destination address, return address, shipping method (expedited, standard, etc.), and more.

Why are shipping labels important?

Shipping labels are important because they clearly display the information carriers need to deliver packages from their start destination (either a warehouse or fulfillment center) to their end destination (customer’s doorstep).

If shipping labels are incorrect or not included on a parcel, packages can be:

• Delayed in transit
• Delivered to the wrong address
• Lost entirely

As a result, customers may have a negative experience with your brand and the following could occur:

• Negative customer reviews posted online
• Social media posts about their experience
• Turn to a competitor

Understanding shipping labels

Shipping labels contain a multitude of information, making them difficult to understand. We’ll break down the important information on different shipping labels so you know how to read them.

How to create a shipping label

In order to save time and money, you can create your own shipping labels. In doing this, you can take advantage of various discounts and even have the carrier pick up packages directly from your home or facility.

If you’re interested in creating your own labels but aren’t sure where to start, we’ve outlined the steps to walk you through the process.

Go through your local carrier website

First, you’ll want to go to your preferred carrier’s website to create the shipping label. You’ll want to fill out the shipping label template, download it, print it, and attach it to your parcel.

You can complete this entire process on the carrier’s website. Here’s a list of the most common carriers:

• USPS
• FedEx
• UPS
• DHL

Download a shipping label template

There are plenty of shipping label templates available online – many of them being a free resource for business owners. For example, Shopify has a free shipping label template tool.

You enter your relevant information such as sender information, receiver information, and shipping information (e.g., shipping date, package weight) and the template maker will create a shipping label for you.

Adopt a third party solution

Shipping can be challenging. There are many nuances that make shipping difficult, and if not done properly, it can result in customers not receiving their orders on time (or at all).

Using a shipping software like ShipStation would be a useful tool if you’re shipping more than 10 orders per week. A more robust label generation software can help you streamline the shipping process and save you money.

You can also partner with a third-party logistics provider like ShipBob to ship orders on your behalf.

Include every piece of required information

Shipping label errors can be common and sometimes relevant information is left off. Here are the most important fields to include:

• Sender name, street address, city, postal code, country, state
• Recipient name, street address, city, postal code, country, state
• Recipient phone number
• Shipping date, tracking number, and package weight

Securely attach your shipping label

Once you’ve created your shipping label, you’ll want to make sure it’s securely attached to your package so it will make it to its final destination. Place the adhesive label on the package so it sticks well to the box or mailer. If the label comes off during transit, the package may not make it to its final destination.

Additionally, make sure to adhere the sticker to the flat side of a package, so as to not fold or obscure the barcode, which can cause issues during sorting and transit.

Shipping label best practices

Consider these best practices when you’re creating shipping labels for your orders.

Understanding your shipping needs

Having a clear understanding of your shipping needs is an important step in the shipping label generation process. Prior to shipping goods, you should become familiar with the various rules and regulations associated with what you’re shipping. Fragility, perishability, hazardous materials, or special instructions should be taken into consideration.

For example, if you’re shipping items like perfume or hand sanitizer, you’ll need to research the shipping methods for hazardous materials and make sure all of the relevant information is displayed on the shipping label.

In the end, doing research to understand your shipping needs ahead of time will save you time and improve your customer’s shipping and delivery experience.

Double-checking the shipping information

As mentioned above, it’s incredibly important to have accurate information on your shipping labels. If any of the information is incorrect, the package may be held up at the carrier’s facility or delivered to the wrong address. As a result, your brand’s reputation could suffer.

A good way to prevent this is to double-check the information on the label before the package is sent out. Validating the street address, confirming the zip code, and verifying the weight of the package are measures you can take to make sure the package will arrive at the customer’s door.

Have the shipping capital ready

Shipping costs should be a part of every ecommerce business’s budget so they have the capital to send out the orders they receive.

Depending on package size, weight, and destination, shipping packages can be expensive. Businesses should budget a minimum of $8 USD per package for mailing expenses.

However, brands can work with a shipping platform like ShipStation or a 3PL like ShipBob to secure the best shipping rates possible.

Partner with a shipping carrier

Partnering with a shipping carrier has become easier than ever. Major carriers like USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL have made the shipping process very user-friendly since the step-by-step process can be completed online.

You can also compare carriers to see which one would be the best fit for your business. You can explore the benefits of USPS vs. UPS vs. FedEx to find the right carrier for your brand depending on the products offered, shipping destination, and more.

You can integrate your ecommerce platforms with shipping carriers to allow for efficient order processing, automated shipping label creation, and access to real-time tracking data. For example, ShipBob directly integrates with DHL, FedEx, USPS, and UPS.

Partner with a 3PL

Utilizing a third-party provider like ShipBob allows you to outsource your ecommerce fulfillment so you don’t have to create your own shipping labels, pack and ship orders, or make trips to the post office or carrier storefront. With order fulfillment off your plate, you can focus on scaling your business.

Perfect shipping labels every time with a 3PL (like ShipBob)

By partnering with a third-party logistics provider like ShipBob, you can take the guesswork out of shipping labels and ensure your packages have the right information every time.

Outsourcing order fulfillment to a 3PL that purchases and generates shipping labels for you takes the hassle and stress out of label creation. All you need to do is pay for shipping, and then ShipBob will make sure your customers’ orders are labeled and shipped properly.

ShipBob has negotiated volume discounts with major carriers such as DHL, USPS, and UPS, to ensure the low shipping prices are passed on to you and your customers.

Ecommerce businesses have plenty of obstacles to overcome, and shipping shouldn’t be one of them. For example, accessory brand Ocean & Co. knew they didn’t want to focus their time and resources into fulfillment, which is why they partnered with ShipBob.

“We looked into opening our own warehouses and hiring employees, but couldn’t come close with what 3PLs charge for picking, packing, and shipping. We’d also be worried about scheduling fulfillment shifts, ordering boxes and shipping labels, and dealing with the extra headaches of running logistics. Most of all, those are hours we’d spend on tasks that are not scaling our business when we could be using those resources for growth. You should spend time doing what you do best, and fulfillment is an easy task to take off your plate.”

– Gerard Ecker, Founder & CEO of

Have a warehouse and need a WMS?

If you already have a warehouse and need a warehouse management solution to help you manage orders, inventory, and shipping, ShipBob’s WMS solution might be the best fit for your brand. Our all-in-one platform makes it easy for you to manage your pick and pack processes, reporting and analytics, shipping, and more.

Whether you’re interested in outsourcing order fulfillment or using a warehouse management system to fulfill orders and create shipping labels in-house, ShipBob has fulfillment solutions for brands of all sizes.

Get started with ShipBob by connecting with our team and identifying the solution that’s the best fit for your business.

Shipping label FAQs

Here are answers to the most commonly asked questions about shipping labels.