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, UPS and FedEx shipping labels without ever leaving the site - all at the lowest available rates.
All you need is a standard computer printer or smartphone to make postage-paid labels and/or QR codes in minutes. Just pay for the postage inside Bonanza, print the USPS, UPS or FedEx-approved label (or bring the QR code to your local UPSP to have them print the label for you), 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. Bonanza is continuing to add features to the shipping program during Q4 of 2023. This means you will 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!"
Do I have to purchase shipping through Bonanza?
What sellers are exempt from using Bonanza's shipping labels?
I meet the exemption criteria. How do I opt out of the Bonanza Shipping program?
Where can I find the Bonanza postage-printing feature?
Do I need a special printer to print postage? What if I don't have a printer?
Do I get a discount on the postage price?
What if I find shipping at a lower rate somewhere else?
Are there any fees for printing postage on Bonanza?
How can I get a Bonanza shipping fund?
What happens when my Bonanza shipping fund runs out?
Can I purchase shipping insurance? How do I file an insurance claim?
Can I configure my shipping labels to be paid for by the buyer?
Can I buy international shipping labels?
What shipping services can I purchase through Bonanza?
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
Do I have to purchase shipping through Bonanza?
As of November 8, 2023, all sellers are required to purchase a shipping label through Bonanza for orders placed through the Bonanza platform*, unless they meet the exemption requirements and complete the opt-out steps. For each order that does not have a label purchased through Bonanza, a non-refundable $2 shipping assessment will be added to that month's billing statement unless the seller has met the exemption criteria and successfully opted out.
Note that if you purchase a label for the order after your monthly bill has been paid, the charged assessment will be added to your shipping fund for future label purchases.
*Orders placed through external platforms such as eBay are not subject to Bonanza's shipping label requirements.
What sellers are exempt from using Bonanza's shipping labels?
Exempt will be sellers who manage their order fulfillment through a third-party Bonanza approved API partner (for example, Shipstation), sellers who obtain and fullfill their inventory through a dropshipper service (for example, Doba), and sellers who ship from outside the United States.
If you export your Bonanza listings to eBay and a buyer places an order through the eBay platform, you are not required to purchase a shipping label on Bonanza to fulfill the eBay order.
I meet the exemption criteria. How do I opt out of the Bonanza Shipping program?
If you meet the exemption criteria outlined above, you can opt-out of Bonanza Shipping from your "Selling > Booth settings > Shipping & returns" page. Select whether you are using a dropshipping service or Shipping Label API partner, then enter the name of the service you are using. Be sure to save the changes before navigating away.
Note that sellers whose "Ships from" address is located outside of the United States will automatically be exempt from the $2-per-order shipping assessment.
Where can I find the Bonanza postage-printing feature?
When you view an order "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)
The "Shipping to" information will automatically populate based on the shipping address provided by the buyer at checkout. You are able to edit the "Shipping from" address if necessary.
Fill in the remaining fields based on the package type (e.g, "thick envelope" or "package") for the shipping service you wish to use for the order fulfillment. Keep in mind that the package type selected will determine the available shipping options (for example, if you select "Envelope" as the package type and choose "First class mail" as the shipping service, tracking will not be available). Ensure that the information such as weight and package size are accurate to avoid additional postage fees.
Click the "Update rates" button once all the information is confirmed to view the available services and shipping costs prior to completing the purchase.
Do I need a special printer to print postage? What if I don't have a printer?
You can use any standard thermal or ink computer printer and plain paper to print a label. After you purchase the label, you can access the and print the ZPL file, or convert the file to PDF or PNG for printing in a 4x4 or 4x6 format. PNG files can also be printed in landscape orientation. Note that you can adjust the label size from your printer settings.
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.
Don't have a printer at home? Purchase a USPS QR code on the Bonanza order and bring it to your local USPS office, where an agent will scan the code and print a physical shipping label for your package.
For FedEx and UPS shipments, you can email the PDF label to yourself and take it to a FedEx or UPS store where it can be scanned by an automated machine or counter agent and a label printed.
Or, shop for printers to make shipping from home a breeze!
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. We also offer the lowest rates for FedEx and UPS shipping labels.
What if I find shipping at a lower rate somewhere else?
Bonanza offers a lowest-rate guarantee for USPS, FedEx and UPS labels. If you have received lower rates than those available on Bonanza, you can request an adjustment. To take advantage of this guarantee, send 30 days of invoicing from the shipper you are using to support@bonanza.com. Our team will evaluate the documentation and identify the appropriate credit which will be deposited into your shipping fund. Based on the documentation provided, a new rate will be established for future labels purchased on Bonanza from your selling booth.
Note that the lowest-rate guarantee applies to the cost of the shipping label itself and does not include any processing costs. Avoid credit card processing fees by using a Bonanza shipping fund.
Are there any fees for printing postage on Bonanza?
With our upgraded shipping program, sellers enjoy no label fees in addition to the lowest USPS rates on the market and highly competitive UPS and FedEx rates. There's no reason not to purchase your shipping label directly from Bonanza!
Note that purchasing individual labels will result in a small credit card transaction fee per label purchase, however that can be avoided by using the Bonanza shipping fund to purchase labels.
How can I get a Bonanza shipping fund?
Nobody likes having to enter their credit card details for every label purchased. Fortunately, sellers can add lump sums to their Bonanza Shipping Fund. Then, when you purchase another label, we will automatically deduct from the shipping fund balance so you can quickly and easily purchase a label. When you purchase an individual shipping label, the final page of label purchase provides a checkbox to add cash to your Bonanza shipping fund.
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 "Selling > Billing statements" 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.
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 purchase shipping insurance? How do I file an insurance claim?
Shipping insurance options vary depending on the service used.
USPS
USPS Priority Mail and Ground Advantage packages are automatically insured for up to $100 at no additional cost. For $100 and under with no declared value stated in the shipment, sellers can make a claim using the USPS website.
Learn more about claims for shipments valued under $100.
If the package is worth more than $100, you can purchase additional insurance at the time you purchase the shipping label. If the package has a shipping value greater than $100, you must input a declared value when purchasing the label.
The shipment will be charged 50 cents for the first $100 of declared value and .005 * the amount over $100. Sellers can file insurance claims by following the instructions on this page.
Learn more about the added shipping insurance coverage and claims process.
FedEx/UPS
Sellers can purchase U-PIC shipping insurance for FedEx and UPS shipments.
The U-PIC insurance program requires that the shipper input declared value amount and charges 40¢ for every $100 of declared value. So, if the shipper declares the value of $150, the charge is 80¢.
If no declared value is input at the time of shipping, the carriers provide up to $100 of insurance for free. The shipper will have to login to the appropriate carriers’ website and start an insurance claim.
UPS insurance claims for under $100
FedEx insurance claims for under $100
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?
At this time, sellers are not able to purchase international shipping labels. Fear not; this feature will be enabled soon! Keep an eye on our newsletter and blog for updates to site features.
What shipping services can I purchase through Bonanza?
At this time we support shipping via the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS and FedEx. When purchasing your shipping label, you will be able to select the shipping carrier when purchasing a label from the order summary.
Sellers are able to compare rates for the shipping services provided by the carriers they select based on the package details that have been entered. This allows you to determine the best shipping option for your package type prior to purchasing a label.
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 shipping carrier.
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. Insurance claims can be filed using the claim form available on the carrier's website.
- 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!