How to Get Cheap Etsy Shipping Labels: Rates, Tips & Tools

Being an eCommerce business owner on Etsy means you have your hands full with production, operations, crisis management and so much more. Shipping, if possible, should be easy and not to mention cheap. 

So how does one get cheap shipping labels on Etsy?

For starters, when you’re selling very light items (like stickers), using the “letter” option is the cheapest method, costing as low as ~$0.64–$1.12 and still includes tracking via Etsy. On the other hand, for heavier items, switching packaging (like using padded envelopes) can reduce costs compared to standard shipping methods.

A major tip is to use USPS flat-rate envelopes/boxes (which are free), they can be cheaper than regular shipping if your item fits inside.

When a customer places an order in your Etsy shop, with Etsy postage labels, the marketplace automatically generates shipping labels based on the order details. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and minimizes errors in shipping addresses.

Alternatively, you can self-fulfill your own orders using a shipping tool like Easyship. This can help your store benefit from automation while leveraging the cost savings available outside the current Etsy carrier assortment.

When a customer places an order in your Etsy shop, with Etsy postage labels, the marketplace automatically generates shipping labels based on the order details. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and minimizes errors in shipping addresses.

Alternatively, you can self-fulfill your own orders using a shipping tool like Easyship. This can help your store benefit from automation while leveraging the cost savings available outside the current Etsy carrier assortment.

Now let’s dive a little deeper into Etsy shipping and also see how Easyship can help your store.

Etsy Orders and Shipping

With Etsy, you have the flexibility to customize shipping options to suit your business needs. This means you can choose the most cost-effective shipping services for your products, a critical factor in keeping expenses down. 

Psst! Easyship can assist in finding these options, comparing rates, and even suggesting more budget-friendly carriers.

To manually add custom postage rates to your Etsy store, you can follow the flow detailed below:

1. Go to “Listings” in Shop Manager
2. Select the listing that you want to edit or add
3. Pick “Delivery options”
4. Choose “Enter custom delivery options”
5. Update postage cost to: “I’ll enter fixed costs manually”
6. Enter your customer's delivery details

How to Print Cheap Etsy Shipping Labels

With some strategic planning, ambitious eCommerce entrepreneurs of any size can keep shipping costs low and profits high. From comparing a wide range of shipping rates by yourself to integrating your Etsy store with a specially designed shipping app, there are different approaches available. Taking advantage of technology and automating crucial tasks will always be our top tip for any growing online store!

Printing your shipping labels can be simplified when you're using the platform. Easyship enhances this convenience by offering automated label creation and printing for various carriers. This streamlines your shipping process and minimizes the risk of costly errors. Currently, the marketplace only offers labels for three carriers in North America: FedEx, USPS, or Canada Post

While these carriers offer some popular shipping methods for Etsy sellers, a multi-carrier shipping strategy that leverages automated shipping tools can help you save money on shipping costs. Plus, you can sell on Etsy without having to worry about the most efficient shipping options for each order.

Comparing Shipping Rates

Looking to reduce processing time and find the best rates when you purchase shipping labels? A shipping rate calculator is essential, doing all the hard work for you. Compare shipping carriers, based on the factors that matter most for your online store, such as your most common package sizes and destinations. This tool alone can lead to significant cost savings.

One of the keys to finding cheap Etsy shipping labels is comparing rates across different carriers. Easyship's market-leading shipping tools are designed to let any ambitious eCommerce entrepreneur do just that, offering a vast network of shipping providers and their rates.

If you're sending items from US to UK, a 5 pound package with 5x5x5 inches dimension will have the following courier rates.

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The shipping rates displayed on the Easyship blog are for informational purposes only and may not be accurate at the time of shipping. Easyship does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any shipping rates displayed on the blog.

Shipping rates can vary depending on a number of factors, including the weight and size of the package, the shipping destination, and the shipping service that you choose.

Heavier items and large boxes can be more affordable with UPS Ground or FedEx Home Delivery.

Be sure to account for other carrier pricing factors as well. For example, USPS Cubic Pricing can offer big savings on bulkier, lightweight packages. Transit time can also impact costs, as we can see in the example rates above. A slower, ground-based option, may be considerably cheaper than a fast air service.

Top tip: Remember to check and adjust your Etsy shipping profiles regularly, as carrier rates and discounts can change

Bulk Shipping Discounts

Etsy store owners often ship multiple orders at once. Easyship recognizes this and offers bulk shipping discounts. The more you ship, the more you save, making it an ideal solution for Etsy entrepreneurs with a growing customer base. There are also ways to leverage bulk discounts and promotions:

• Take advantage of discounted Commercial Plus Pricing from USPS when you ship 50+ packages per week.
• Negotiate custom rates with UPS and FedEx if you have frequent, high-volume shipments.
• Use USPS Regional Rate boxes for heavy items going to zones 1-4
• Check for coupons and limited promotions from carriers around major holidays
• Buy postage/labels in bulk quantities for small discounts
• Sign up for free USPS package pickups to save on drop-off fees

Easyship provides an extensive database of carrier discounts and automatically applies any available savings to your label rates. This helps eliminate the manual work of digging for promo codes and special pricing.

A Little about Etsy

Etsy is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing online marketplaces today, with over 95+ Million active buyers in 2024. This is over double the 46+ Million plus purchasers the site saw in 2019. With Etsy sellers predominantly offering handmade and vintage products, shipping and fulfillment for a fast-growing store can quickly become a hassle and even start eating into profits.

Etsy offers sellers several shipping options when listing items: calculated rates based on destination, flat rate shipping, and free shipping promotions. It's important to set up your Etsy shipping profile accurately, with rates for different locations.

Etsy will automatically calculate preview shipping costs for buyers based on the item weight and dimensions you provide. For the most accurate quotes, be careful about measuring and weighing your items. Any discrepancies between your listings and actual package weight can result in quickly losing money on orders.

Integrating Easyship with Etsy

Integrating Easyship with your Etsy store is a straightforward process. Easyship's user-friendly interface ensures a seamless connection, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of cost-effective shipping. Simply follow the steps below and enjoy the benefits of Easyship without any disruption to your growing Etsy store:

1. Sync Your Etsy Orders
2. Create Shipping Labels
3. Share the tracking numbers with your customers
4. Track Your Shipments
5. Grow Your Business

Case Study: How Gavinfuzzy Increased Etsy Sales by 20% with Shipping

Gavinfuzzy is a successful hobby shop that creates parts to modify and customize toy Nerf blasters. Owner Gavin Lim designs and manufactures the parts both in-house and on-demand through 3D printing.

As a hobbyist who operates solo, the hurdles of international shipping put a damper on Gavin’s hustle. Processing paperwork was very inefficient. Gavin had to print his own address labels, deal with courier-specific forms for important paperwork such as customs declarations, and manually update tracking numbers for all orders.

By using Easyship’s intuitive dashboard, Gavin automates his label generation and international shipping documents, which greatly reduces the administrative work needed to process his orders. He also takes advantage of the store sync, so all his orders from eBay and Etsy have shipping details automatically entered, so he doesn’t even have to type anything in.

Additionally, he uses a mix of hybrid and express solutions, which provide frequent tracking and shorter delivery times at affordable costs. This has greatly reduced his delivery times and customer complaints.

Before Easyship

Gavinfuzzy orininally struggled with delivery services that fell below customer expectations:

• Used one postal courier
• 25% of shipments were delayed
• Spent 2+ hours per week at the post office to drop off parcels

With Easyship

Connecting their store to Easyhip, Gavinfuzzy was now able to sustainably scale, while creating a delivery experience customers loved:

• 5x more couriers
• Reduced delivery times by 4-7 business days
• 0 hours spent dropping off parcels
• 0 complaints from customers about delayed shipments
• 20% Increase in Sales
• $3.5K Saved on Shipping
• 2.5x Efficiency in Operations
• 60% Increase in Satisfaction

Why Are Cheap Etsy Shipping Labels Crucial?

In the competitive world of selling on eCommerce marketplaces, finding cheap Etsy shipping labels can be essential for maintaining a healthy profit margin. By optimizing your Etsy shipping profile, comparing rates, and leveraging the power of Easyship, you can reduce your shipping costs significantly.

Easyship's key features such as cost savings, shipping options, automation, international shipping, and tracking and analytics, make it the top shipping platform for Etsy store owners. Don't miss out on the opportunity to streamline your shipping process, save money, and delight your customers. Explore Easyship's capabilities today and take your Etsy store to the next level!

Etsy Shipping Labels FAQs

1. How to avoid shipping costs on Etsy?
You can’t fully avoid shipping costs, but you can include them in your product price and offer “free shipping” to customers.

2. Do Etsy shipping labels cost money?
Yes. You pay for the shipping label, but Etsy often offers discounted carrier rates.

3. What shipping labels to use with Etsy?
You can use Etsy Shipping Labels (recommended) or third-party providers like Easyship, Shippo, or Pirate Ship.

4. What is the cheapest way to ship stickers?
Use standard mail (like envelopes/letters) instead of packages, as long as the stickers are flat and lightweight.