How to print your first label

Welcome aboard! This guide takes you from a brand-new account to a labeled package heading out the door. Set aside about ten minutes the first time. After that, most sellers can create and print a label in under a minute.

You don't need special equipment to get started. A regular printer and some packing tape will do. A kitchen or postal scale helps a lot, and a thermal label printer makes life easier once you're shipping regularly — but neither is required for your first label.

Before you start#

• Your package, packed and sealed. You'll need its real dimensions and weight, so pack it first.
• A scale. Any scale that reads ounces works. Guessing the weight is the most common cause of extra charges later.
• A tape measure or ruler for length, width and height.
• A printer. Thermal 4×6 printers and regular desktop printers both work.
• A payment method — a debit or credit card, or a bank account.

Set up your account#

1. 1
   Create your free account

   Sign up with your email and a password. There's no plan to choose and nothing to pay for the account itself — you only pay for postage you buy.

2. 2
   Add your ship-from address

   This is the return address printed on every label, and it's where returned or undeliverable packages come back to. Use an address where you can actually receive mail. See Setting up ship-from addresses if you ship from more than one place.

3. 3
   Add a payment method

   Add a card or bank account under Settings → Billing. You can fund a prepaid balance or let Octoship charge your card per label. See How payment works for the difference.

Create your shipment#

Click Ship in the sidebar. You can type an address by hand or pull orders in from a connected store. For your first label, typing it in is the quickest way to see how everything works.

1. 1
   Enter the recipient's address

   Start typing and pick the suggested match. Octoship checks the address against USPS records as you go. If we flag it, double-check the apartment or suite number — a missing unit number is the number one reason packages bounce back.

2. 2
   Choose a package type

   Pick Box or rigid packaging for most shipments, Soft envelope or poly mailer for flexible packages, or a carrier-provided option like a USPS Flat Rate box if you're using one.

3. 3
   Enter the dimensions

   Measure length, width and height in inches, rounding up to the nearest whole inch. Length is always the longest side. Poly mailers only need length and width.

4. 4
   Enter the weight

   Weigh the package with everything in it — product, packing material and the box. Enter pounds and ounces. A 1 lb 3 oz package is 1 lb 3 oz, not 1.3 lb.

Screenshot

Compare rates and buy#

Click Get rates. Octoship shows every service that fits your package across all our carriers, sorted cheapest first, along with the estimated delivery time. You can re-sort by fastest or best value. For most small domestic packages, the choice comes down to a handful of services:

Every service includes tracking, and most USPS, UPS and FedEx domestic services include up to $100 of carrier coverage at no extra charge. If your package is worth more, you can add coverage before you buy.

1. 1
   Pick a service

   Click the rate you want. Cheapest isn't always best — if your customer paid for faster shipping, choose a service that matches.

2. 2
   Review and buy

   Double-check the address, weight and service in the summary, then click Buy label. Postage is charged at this point.

Print your label#

Once the label is bought, click Print. Choose the format that matches your printer under Settings → Printing (you only need to set this once):

Attach the label#

• Put the label on the largest flat side of the package.
• Keep it away from seams and edges, where it can wrap around a corner and become unscannable.
• If you're taping a paper label, cover the edges but avoid putting shiny tape directly over the barcode.
• Cover or remove any old labels and barcodes if you're reusing a box.

Hand it to the carrier#

You've already paid for postage, so there's no need to wait in line. You can drop the package at any post office counter or blue collection box (if it fits), hand it to your mail carrier, or schedule a free USPS pickup from the shipment's page. For UPS, FedEx or DHL Express labels, drop off at one of that carrier's locations or schedule a pickup right from Octoship.

What happens next#

As soon as the carrier scans your package, tracking updates appear on the shipment in Octoship. If you entered your customer's email, they'll get shipping notifications too. That's it — your first package is under way.

When you're ready to speed things up, save your most common box as a package preset and try printing labels in batches.