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"Wow, I just printed my first mailing-postage label. I couldn't believe how easy it was. Am I the last person on earth to know about it? I just never had the time before to pursue it. I go into some details below. In short, the terrific thing is that you don't have to register for anything if you have the usual PayPal and eBay accounts (don't have to be a Power Seller or have a Business PayPal account). You can use a PC or a Mac. There are no extra fees at all, just the usual cost of postage. With your own home computer, you print parcel/package mailing labels and postage, including insurance up to $500! You can drop the packages in any outside mail box -- any package, any weight. The only negative is that it won't print labels for first class mail letters (which can't be over 3.5 ounces anyway) or flats (which must be bumped up to "parcels" if too rigid or uneven; and can't be over 13 ounces anyway).
I wrote this "guide" because I thought eBay and PayPal were doing a poor job explaining how great and easy printing postage-shipping labels are.
Don't be afraid to try this. Remember, you can print the labels on your current, average plain paper printer. If you mess up the printing of a label, you can reprint it many times (but of course, you can use it just once on a parcel). If worse comes to worse, you can tear up the label and cancel the PayPal payment. So jump in. It's a heady experience.
First of all, let me say:
1. They shouldn't call it just a "shipping label." It is much more -- it is a "POSTAGE-shipping label." It has a postage stamp (in effect), your return address, the recipient's address, the amount of postage (if you want it shown), bar codes for insurance and delivery confirmation, etc., if you want it.
2. If you already use eBay and PayPal (either Personal or Business/Premier PayPal accounts), there is nothing to register for -- not with them, not with the post office. You are already registered, in effect!
3. The whole thing costs no more than at the post office -- there is no sign-up fee, no special equipment to buy (you can use your current printer), no monthly charge, no minimum, etc.
4. You can pay for and print INSURANCE onto the label, up to $500 insurance, plus a host of other options including delivery confirmation. No more standing in lines at the post office.
5. One of the best features of this is that you can drop your package of ANY WEIGHT
into any U.S. Post Office street mail box. There is no 13 or 16 ounce limit because it is considered metered mail (it can be traced to you). No more standing in lines at the post office, or did I say that already?
6. You can do all this with a Mac or PC computer and a number of browsers. I use a Mac and Firefox.
7. In one way it is cheaper than the post office (or more expensive if you look at it another way). Seems that when you print the label for a thick envelope or parcel, you must also buy Delivery Confirmation, but for only $0.18 (it costs $0.75 at the post office). (I was coming to the conclusion --independent of all of this-- that Delivery Confirmation is smarter than insurance [which starts at $1.65] for inexpensive items. Delivery Confirmation also protects the seller with PayPal regarding the Seller Protection Plan)
8. You don't have to buy a special label printer (though it might be wise for high volume sellers). You can use your current 8-1/2' x 11" plain paper printer. If you do, you will have to cut out the shipping-postage label and then glue or tape it to the envelope/package. (Don't worry about your printer malfunctioning or labels getting ruined. You can reprint labels at no extra fee. And you can even cancel the label and the PayPal charge if you decide not to use the label!)
9. And is it easy and time saving! See below.
It is incredibly easy to print your own shipping-postage label. What I describe here is shipping an item sold in an eBay auction. You can also use it (I think) for any shipment, whether eBay or not.There are many ways to start off (including from your My Ebay page) . One way is to go to the page of the auction. Once there, the seller will see a button marked "print shipping label." Click it. That brings you to a PayPal log-in page. After you log-in, you are presented with a page that asks if you want the label for US Post Office or UPS. Say you select US Post Office. That brings you, finally, to this great page -- "U.S. Postal Service - Create Your Shipping Label." On that page you will see all this great stuff for the label: your name and address for the return address, the buyer's name and address, and loads of options to choose from: type of item (flats, parcels, priority mail, etc.), weight, amount of insurance or not, delivery or signature confirmation, etc., etc. Yours and the buyer's name and address can be edited. You click "continue," and end up on this page: "U.S. Postal Service - Confirm and Purchase Your Shipping Label." You look over the page, edit what you want, click "pay and continue." Your PayPal account is charged, and you print out the paid postage-shipping label and the receipt."
Robert
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