All About Squarespace Shipping Labels

I love whenever I see Squarespace release commerce updates! It really reconfirms to me the platform’s commitment to supporting online sellers. One of the latest releases has been long awaited but should you dive in? Let’s explore… shipping labels!

But first, a quick reminder of how things work normally without this feature:

• If you don’t use a shipping extension: Once someone places an order, you can see the order details in Squarespace. It’s up to you to fulfill and ship that order on your own. This means that you can go to the post office or FedEx Office or the UPS store or whatever you like, pay for the shipment and then log back into Squarespace to enter the tracking information and mark the order as fulfilled in Squarespace.

• If you do use a shipping extension: The order details still show up on your Squarespace dashboard but they also automatically get sent over to your shipping extension of choice. The exact process from here varies by extension but the gist is this: the shipping extension will automatically find the shipping option that’s the best fit for the package and destination (based on shipping rules you set up), score you a discounted rate over paying retail, and then create the shipping label for you to print out. It will also automatically send the tracking info back to Squarespace, add it to the order details and mark the order as fulfilled for you.

How to Print Shipping Labels on Squarespace

In short, the new shipping label feature in Squarespace allows you to buy and print shipping labels right from within your orders panel so that you can streamline and simplify your order fulfillment workflow. You’re still going to need to drop packages off at the post office but you won’t have to wait in line to buy a label each time!

Sounds great, right? Yeah! But there are some drawbacks and this may not be a perfect solution (yet!) for everyone. Here are the ins and outs!

PROS

• This feature is completely free and included on all users business and commerce plans - no need to pay for a shipping extension!

• Keeps everything in one place - no need to log into another program

• Discounted rates for Priority Mail Express and First Class versus retail

• Saves you from having to manually enter customer addresses and tracking numbers

CONS

• Only available for shipments within the US and selling in USD

• USPS is currently the only option (no FedEx or UPS, etc.)

• You can only print one label at a time

• You cannot currently add shipping insurance to an order

• You still need to contact USPS to schedule a pickup

So, who do I think should try this and who should skip it for now?

Real talk: I LOVE this new feature but I don’t think it’s for everyone just yet. Here are the people I think should try it and who should look to another option until some more features are released:

Try this if you’re….

• A lower volume shipper

• Wanting to simplify and streamline your process by not adding yet another piece of software to your lineup

• Only shipping in the US, selling in USD, and want to ship via the US Postal Service

Skip this for now if you’re…

• Currently using a third party shipping extension and using rules or automations

• Needing to print labels in bulk

• Currently shipping with enough volume that you have your own discounted carrier rates

Interested in using Squarespace to print shipping labels? Here’s how!

Here are the exact steps you’ll need to take to print your first shipping label on Squarespace:

1. From the home menu on your Squarespace site > Commerce > Orders > click on a pending order that you’re ready to ship

2. In the order details window that pops up, click Purchase Label

3. Add your seller information (you only need to do this the first time, after that just make sure to check the box to save your address and label preferences as the default and it will reuse them every time)

4. Click on Shipping Label and enter the shipment info including the package dimensions and weight. The customer shipping address should automatically prefill but if you need to change it you can do that in this section as well.

5. The available USPS shipping options will be displayed as well as a reminder of the shipping option that your customer selected. You can compare options and select the best fit. Then click Review Order > Confirm and Purchase > Print Label.

6. The last step is to mark your order as fulfilled. The tracking information from the label you printed will automatically be copied in to the order details and be included in the shipment confirmation email that is sent to your customer. Done!