Some parts of selling online can feel like “busy work” that takes time and isn’t very fun. For many of us, buying postage is one of those chores. That’s why Bonanza empowers US-based sellers to buy and print USPS shipping labels without ever leaving the site.
All you need is a standard computer printer to make postage-paid labels in minutes. Just pay for the postage inside Bonanza, print the USPS-approved label, and affix it to your package.
We’ve designed it to be super fast, and super easy - we even mark the order as shipped and set the tracking number for you. So you can spend less time waiting in line at the post office and more time growing your business.
"OMG! I've never been so excited about postage!"
Where can I find the Bonanza postage-printing feature?
Do I need a special printer to print postage?
Do I get a discount on the postage price?
Are there fees for printing postage on Bonanza?
How can I get the lowest fee, using my Bonanza shipping fund?
What happens when my Bonanza shipping fund runs out?
Can I configure my shipping labels to be paid for by the buyer?
Can I buy international shipping labels?
Do you support other carriers like UPS and FedEx?
Why does Bonanza charge a label printing fee when PayPal doesn't?
Can I change the shipping address on the label?
What happens if I pay too much or too little for a shipping label?
Can I cancel a shipping label I've purchased via Bonanza?
Packing like a pro
Where can I find the Bonanza postage-printing feature?
When you view an order in "Items Sold," you’ll see the option as “Buy shipping.” It’s located right next to the links you already use to mark items as shipped. (Screen shot below)
Do I need a special printer to print postage?
No - you can use any standard computer printer and plain paper. Print the label, put it in the upper-right corner of your parcel, then stick it on using packing tape or strong glue. Just make sure it's stuck on well enough that it won't scrape off or come loose during transit.
Do I get a discount on the postage price?
Yes. Thanks to a productive partnership with our postage provider, the rates offered are up to 15% below retail USPS pricing.
Are there fees for printing postage on Bonanza?
If you use a pre-paid shipping fund (see below) with a Bonanza membership (Gold or higher), you will be charged no printing fees whatsoever. This is our recommended option for sellers who want maximum convenience with minimum cost.
The majority of the cost for printing a shipping label goes to the credit card company, which charges us 3% + $0.35 to draw funds from your credit card. If you use a pre-funded account, we save money on card processing fees, which we pass on to you. Read more about that in the section below.
For users that are not Bonanza members, a few cents per shipping label transaction are added to support our shipping label development efforts (which is responsible for negotiating our USPS discount as mentioned above, as well as integrating & maintaining the label purchasing with our API provider). For Bonanza members, we waive this nominal fee.
We’ll always show you the exact total before you confirm your purchase.
How can I get the lowest fee, using my Bonanza shipping fund?
You want to avoid credit card fees, and so do we. Nobody benefits from those except the card companies. So if you print a lot of postage, you can avoid card fees and save money by pre-paying into a Bonanza shipping fund.
How does that work? When you purchase a shipping label, the final page of label purchase provides a checkbox to save on future labels by adding cash to your Bonanza shipping fund. If you check this box, you'll save money by not paying a card fee on every label.
And - bonus! - it also speeds your postage-buying experience because we won't ask for your card every time.
If you end up not using the money in your shipping fund, you can have the balance of the account refunded to you at any time (less the credit card processing fees we paid) via your "Bonanza Fees" page.
What happens when my Bonanza shipping fund runs out?
If you print postage often, you might enjoy our auto-funding service. When you turn on auto-funding, we’ll refill your shipping fund whenever the balance is low. There’s no fee for turning on the auto-funding service, and it ensures that you'll always get the best rates when you print postage on Bonanza.
You can find the auto-funding option on your Bonanza Fees statement ("Selling -> Billing statements"). It looks like this:
You can turn off auto-funding at any time by revisiting the same page.
If you wish to withdraw funds that have been deposited to your pre-funded shipping account, visit your "Selling > Billing statements" page and in the top-right corner is a box detailing your shipping fund balance. Click the link to "Withdraw funds" to receive a refund of the shipping fund balance. Please allow 3-7 business days for the funds to appear in your account. Withdrawing funds that have been deposited to your pre-funded shipping account will incur an 8% credit card processing fee. The refundable amount will be displayed prior to you confirming your withdrawal request.
Can I configure my shipping labels to be paid for by the buyer?
Yes! If you use calculated shipping for your items, we offer the option to pass the cost of the shipping label on to the buyer. On our new item form, under the "Calculated Shipping" section, look for the checkbox "Let buyer select service and pay label cost." If you check this box, we will calculate the shipping cost during checkout such that the buyer pays you a sufficient amount to cover the cost of your shipping label.
Do note that since most Bonanza payments are handled by third parties such as Paypal and Amazon, you will still need to use a credit card to purchase your shipping label via Bonanza (since we do not have direct access to the funds that the buyer sent to you).
Can I buy international shipping labels?
Sellers who are shipping from the US to other countries can purchase international shipping labels from the USPS. When buying an international label, make sure to fill out the customs description at the bottom of the form, and that the description accurately describes the content of the box.
Bonanza uses Stamps.com to process shipping labels. Note that when your label prints, you will see a US address - this is the Postal Facility forwarder used by Stamps.com. Stamps.com will provide the buyer's address to the forwarder automatically. Once the forwarder receives your package, a new label will be applied with the buyer's shipping address. You can see the final destination summary in the lower-right corner of the label.
Do you support other carriers like UPS and FedEx?
At this time we only support shipping via the United States Postal Service (USPS). If you print labels often and the feature becomes wildly successful, we hope to add support for other carriers in the future.
Why does Bonanza charge a label printing fee when PayPal doesn't?
Firstly, as mentioned above, with a Bonanza membership and pre-paid shipping fund, you can print labels on Bonanza at no cost other than that of the label itself.
The main difference between PayPal and Bonanza is that PayPal doesn't need to charge your credit card to fund a shipping label purchase. Since they hold your funds in escrow when you sell an item, they can avoid the 3% + $0.35 that is charged to us when you purchase your shipping labels on an ad hoc basis with your credit card. To allow you that same benefit on Bonanza, we offer the pre-paid shipping fund.
Can I change the shipping address on the label?
A buyer's address cannot be edited once a purchase is complete. If the buyer requests that you ship the item to another address, we recommend canceling the order and having the buyer go through checkout again with the correct shipping address. Alternatively, you may wish to purchase a shipping label via a third-party provider, such as PayPal or the shipping provider directly (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc). We always recommend checking with the payment provider (PayPal, Amazon Payments, or Stripe) prior to changing the shipping address to ensure that you do not negate any protection eligibility.
What happens if I pay too much or too little for a shipping label?
Starting September 1, 2017, sellers who purchase shipping labels via Bonanza will participate in the new USPS system for Automated Package Verification ("APV"). In the event you pay too much or too little for a shipping label, the USPS will automatically issue an adjustment for the cost of the label which will be applied to your Bonanza account. The parcel will still be delivered to the buyer. Read more about the APV system.
Can I cancel a shipping label I've purchased via Bonanza?
If you need to cancel the shipping label you purchased via Bonanza, please contact our world-class support team with the order number so that we may assist you. Please note that Bonanza is unable to provide refunds for shipping labels that have been delivered to and processed by the USPS.
Packing like a pro
The process of packing and shipping is an unfortunate business reality (well, unless you’re selling digital goods).
There are a few things you need to consider when packaging up your item:
- Make sure you choose a box that is a cozy fit for your item. If you sell a leather wallet or a pair of sunglasses, it wouldn't make sense to use a box that would fit a guitar case or a 60-inch TV. On the other hand, you don't want your item to be squished into a box so tightly that it's impossible to remove or ends up damaging the item.
- Whether or not your item is breakable, it's usually a good idea to add some sort of insulation to your package, as it may get shaken up and tossed around in transit. If your item is fragile, you should take extra precautions like using bubble wrap and "Fragile" stickers to ensure its safety.
- Consider adding insurance to the package in the event that it is damaged in transit. You can also add a mandatory signature upon delivery to protect yourself from future liability once the package has been delivered.
- Follow shipping carrier regulations, such as USPS hazardous material requirements, to avoid disruption with delivery or additional fees.
Now shipping on Bonanza is a little faster and a lot easier. Give it a try, and see how much time you can save!