How to Unlock Cheap Shipping Labels

Like most merchants, you may not realize that there are only two ways to get cheap shipping labels. Personally, I sunk hours into comparing rates online only to be frustrated. My takeaway: you’re stuck paying full retail for shipping labels unless you use one of two approaches.

The first way to get cheap shipping labels (or cheaper) is to be a high-volume shipper. If you ship thousands of packages per year, couriers like USPS and FedEx will give you a discounted rate on shipping labels. For example, to qualify for the Priority shipping discount from USPS, you need to have shipped 5,000+ packages in the previous year. Yikes, that’s a big ask for a growing business.

The second way to get cheap shipping labels is using shipping software like Easyship. Shipping platforms act as the middleman for millions of shipments each month, connecting shippers to shipping companies via our all-in-one shipping dashboard.  

With so much shipping on the platform, it’s easy for Easyship to unlock the high-volume discounts from courier companies. We lock in pre-negotiated discount rates, then we then pass the savings on to you as thanks for using the platform. This means you'll save up to 91% off all shipping labels with Easyship.

Here’s how to get cheap shipping labels (with or without shipping software).

What is the Cheapest Way to Ship A Shipping Label in the US

If you are shipping to customers on the other side of the country, you might be expecting expensive shipping costs and slow delivery times, however with the right tools this isn't necessarily the case. To break down the cheapest shipping rates available, in this example we are going to ship a small package over 2,500+ miles from New York City to Los Angeles.

We will use the following dimensions and plug this into the Easyship Shipping Rate Calculator to compare pre-negotiated rates from the top shipping services:

• Weight of package: 1lb
• Box Dimensions: 10in x 1.5in x 10in
• Origin: New York City, NY
• Destination: Los Angeles, CA

To help you analyze the cheapest shipping label options available, we have ranked each service, based on the estimated prices from over 550 global courier services. While also focusing on the estimated number of business days it takes to arrive at the shipping address, plus the type and quality of tracking available.

Cheap Shipping Labels Are Negotiated For

A shipping label is just a fancy postage stamp. You buy it, you print it, it contains all the digital data needed for the courier to transport the package to the recipient. Just like stamps, you can only buy shipping labels at a discount if you’re buying in bulk.

You save money when you deal in large quantities of anything – be it shipping labels or beef jerky at Costco. This principle is called an economy of scale. It's why larger online merchants are able to negotiate cheap rates with their go-to couriers.

Cheaper negotiated rates, of course, come with certain requirements. Typically, you need to ship a minimum of a number of yearly orders to qualify for the cheapest shipping labels. For cheap USPS shipping labels, you need to ship 5,000 packages in one year. And if you ship 5,000+ packages per year for consecutive years, you can unlock even greater discounts.

Using the discounts also requires you create an account with that courier, then run your shipping activity through the courier website. If you process lots of orders, it can be mega-clunky to route your shipping ops through a courier. This is because your eCommerce platform doesn't share data with the courier company, making it impossible to seamlessly exchange order and shipment data like tracking information. You save money, yes, but you lose precious time to tedious data-entry.

Unfortunately, shipping companies won’t get out of their proverbial bed to talk with you unless you bring in hundreds of monthly shipments. This is unhelpful for new eCommerce or growing eCommerce merchants who need to save on cheap shipping labels.

Cheap Shipping Labels Are In Shipping Software

Shipping platforms like Easyship have locked in pre-negotiated discount rates for all shipping labels created with our software.

At Easyship, we’ve partnered with 250+ global shipping companies. This means all our users get instant access to cheap shipping labels for all courier services at up to 91% off listed retail prices.

USPS Flat Rate shipping labels? You save. DHL Express International? You save. FedEx Overnight? You save big.

Discounted shipping labels are instantly available to Easyship users whether you have a free or a paid account. Most merchants find that the savings they accrue over a month of shipments with Easyship more than pays for the monthly subscription. Of course, our discounts are always 100% free to access for merchants of any size.

Unlike with shipping companies, you don’t need to create an account or reach any minimum shipment thresholds to access cheap shipping labels. Shipping platforms integrate with both your eCommerce platform like Shopify or Magento, and with courier websites. This means you get the ability to manage shipment processes seamlessly, plus unlock real-time accurate rates on shipping labels.

Here’s a testimonial snippet from an Easyship client, Bone Daddy BladeWerx:

“Easyship saved us money while helping us to keep our backers happy as we continue to tackle the challenges presented to us during these unique times.” Our shipping expenses would’ve been off the wall had it not been for Easyship!” – Jacqueline Heumann, Bone Daddy BladeWerx

The main benefit of shipping software is cheap shipping labels. But when you centralize all shipping activity into an integrated shipping dashboard, you save money and time.

How to Get Cheap Shipping Labels with Easyship

Every shipment you create in Easyship comes with a pre-negotiated discounted shipping label.

You can get a sense of how much you’ll save on any shipment by using our free shipping rate calculator. This helpful tool lets you compare the cheapest rates from different couriers in seconds and see how much you'll save.

For example,  a shipping label example for sending a package from Denver, CO to Los Angeles, CA. The savings on each label appear in yellow in the upper right corner.

Many merchants use the shipping calculator to scope their costs when deciding on the cheapest way to ship a package. Next, you can create a cheap shipping label in your Easyship dashboard.

To start, you create a shipment. Simply select a shipment and you’ll be asked to pick your courier service. You'll get instant access the cheapest rates automatically. Or, you can use your own rates if you have them. Lastly, Easyship generates all your shipping documents automatically. You can pick which size label you need, then download and print your label whenever you like.

All told, this process takes four clicks and about 30 seconds. Cheap labels are fast and easy to get with Easyship because we’re a directly integrated, discounted partner with all top shipping companies.

How to Instantly Access Cheap Shipping Labels

Without shipping software, cheap shipping labels are like beef jerky at Costco – you only save if you buy a lot. One way to get a bulk discount on shipping labels is to ship thousands of packages per month.

Alternatively, you buy cheap shipping labels with Easyship’s pre-negotiated discount. With Easyship, you instantly access cheap shipping labels for any shipment to anywhere in the world. There’s no order minimum, no courier account required – just pick, print, and save.

Here are some of our most popular discounts:

But that's not all! We offer a suite of user-friendly shipping tools designed to simplify your shipping process and leave your customers delighted. Some of our most popular features include:

1. Shipping Rate Calculator: Easily compare shipping rates from various carriers to find the best deals.
2. Comparison Tool: With our courier comparison tool, you can compare the different shipping services offered by each courier, allowing you to choose your cheapest way to ship based on other factors, not just the cost
3. Insurance: To help keep your packages safe in transit, Easyship offers you insurance up to $10000
4. Tracking: From custom-branded tracking emails to automatic message alerts, Easyship helps you maintain package visibility with your buyers throughout the delivery process

If you want to try Easyship, create your free account. Easyship is 100% free for anyone shipping 50 or fewer packages per month.