Today let’s talk about how to create labels that you will use to mail out your books. You will want to start by going to https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/createbulk. If you do not have a PayPal account, go ahead and create one, and once you get it created, you'll be sent to this screen.
You will log in, create your account, and then you will have a few options. Ready to Ship-this is if you have your orders going straight through PayPal, which in this case we do not. Maybe you have your orders coming from your own personal website, or you had an order that you made in person and you need to ship it later. This is where PayPal ShipStation comes in!
What's nice about PayPal ShipStation is that you can create your own label, print it on your home computer, and ship your products. Click on “Create New Quick Label”. You're going to tell them where you are shipping the package from.
Make sure if you have a business address that your packages are shipping from your business address, not your personal one. Then add in the address that it ships to, scroll down, and select the custom package. These are different options for envelope and packaging sizes. I usually buy my mailers off of Amazon because you get ones that are close to your brand colors to reflect my brand, being brand consistent and intentional.
Select custom packaging and put the size of your mailers. Mine are 13 by 10 by 2. You can find this information on Amazon if you order your packaging there,, or wherever you order your packaging you'll be able to find the information on it’s size. Make sure you select measurements in inches.
Then there is the weight. I have a weight scale that I use that helps me to identify how much it is, and that's very helpful. It's something I recommend to all my clients. Put the weight in pounds (lbs) and ounces (oz) and click calculate. Once it calculates rates, look over to the right, and you will see many options for you to ship your books. I like to go with the cheapest option depending on how heavy the books are and what you're shipping.
The cheapest option is usually Media Mail. So with USPS, Media Mail allows you to ship all your books, journals, media, etc. for a fraction of the price. As an author, you only can do books and journals. You can't do mugs, pens, wristbands, etc. Just books and the journals. I say this because some offices will fill all over the package to make sure that there's only media in there (music like records, CDs, or books and journals, etc.).. If it isn't, then they're going to send it back to you and that delays your shipping to your client, and costs you more money..
Media Mail usually takes 2-9 business days, but it gets there pretty fast. I've seen it get there closer to the two days than the eight days, and it's only $3.49 to $4. That's nice. Once you click Media Mail, click purchase label. You then will be led to the next page where you will pay for the label, and print it.
After printing, fold it, then tape it right on top of your package. This is how you create labels that you can then use to ship out your books. And guess what! By creating your label online, you get a discount with USPS. It will be cheaper to print labels at home then going to the post office. Even if you are off on the weight of your package, USPS will charge your card the difference. Definitely take advantage of this opportunity.
There you have it, brilliant author! This is how you create labels to ship your best-selling books to those awesome customers!