Shipping Label Templates by Carrier
Choose your carrier to get a pre-configured label template with the correct formatting, barcode areas, and service type options. Every label is free to create and download. Not sure which carrier to use? The comparison guide below breaks down UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL by weight, destination, and cost.
UPS Labels
Create UPS-compatible shipping labels with proper formatting for UPS Ground, 2-Day Air, and Next Day Air shipments.
USPS Labels
Create USPS-compatible shipping labels for Priority Mail, First Class, and Flat Rate shipments.
FedEx Labels
Create FedEx-compatible shipping labels with routing barcode areas and service type indicators.
DHL Labels
Create DHL-compatible shipping labels for international and domestic express shipments.
How to Choose the Right Carrier
No single carrier is cheapest for every shipment. Use this weight-and-destination guide to find the right starting point, then compare exact rates via Pirate Ship or your preferred shipping platform before purchasing postage.
| Package Weight | Best Carrier |
|---|---|
| Under 1 lb (15.99 oz) | USPS First Class Package |
| 1–2 lbs | USPS Priority Mail or Flat Rate |
| 2–5 lbs, Zones 1–4 | USPS Priority Mail |
| 2–5 lbs, Zones 5–8 | UPS Ground or FedEx Ground |
| 5–70 lbs, domestic | UPS Ground or FedEx Ground |
| Any weight, international | DHL Express (fast) or USPS Int'l (budget) |
Carrier Feature Comparison
Key differences at a glance — before you commit to a carrier for your shipments.
| Carrier | Best For |
|---|---|
| USPS | Under 1 lb, Flat Rate, PO Boxes |
| UPS | 2–70 lbs, commercial B2B |
| FedEx | 3–30 lbs, residential, One Rate |
| DHL | International express, 1–10 lbs |
Rates and surcharges change frequently. Always verify current pricing directly with your carrier or via a rate comparison tool before purchasing postage.
Carrier Quick Facts for Sellers
USPS — The lightweight champion
- Only carrier delivering to PO Boxes and APO/FPO addresses
- First Class Package: cheapest option for under 15.99 oz ($4–$6)
- Free Flat Rate boxes ship up to 70 lbs at a fixed price
- No residential surcharge — unlike UPS and FedEx (~$5)
- Free scheduled home pickup — no post office visit needed
- Media Mail: books/CDs/DVDs for $3–$5 (slowest, cheapest)
UPS — Commercial heavyweight
- Sweet spot: 2–70 lbs, long-distance domestic (Zones 5–8)
- 1Z tracking format — 18 characters, real-time updates
- UPS Access Points cut residential surcharges for pickup orders
- Dimensional weight (L×W×H ÷ 139) applies to all packages
- Residential surcharge ~$5/pkg at retail; lower with Pirate Ship
- B2B commercial deliveries: typically $3–$6 cheaper than USPS Priority
FedEx — Residential and flat-rate specialist
- Home Delivery includes Saturday delivery at no extra charge
- FedEx One Rate: fixed prices for Express boxes regardless of weight (up to 50 lbs)
- 60,000+ drop-off locations including Walgreens and Dollar General
- Ground Economy (formerly SmartPost): budget option for lightweight, non-urgent shipments
- Same DIM weight formula as UPS (L×W×H ÷ 139)
- Compare FedEx vs UPS on every shipment — usually within $1–$2
DHL — International express leader
- 1–3 day international delivery to 220+ countries and territories
- Dedicated in-country customs brokers in major destinations
- USPS International is cheaper but takes 7–21 days with limited tracking
- Declare accurate customs values — under-declaring risks seizure
- Each country has its own prohibited items list — check before shipping
- Not for US domestic shipments — DHL does not offer domestic US ground
Marketplace and payment-platform labels
Amazon and PayPal aren’t carriers — they’re where the order arrives. Both have their own label rules, and both guides now live here in full.
PayPal Shipping Label Maker — Free Alternative
Shutdown dates: PayPal Shipping, powered by ShipStation, was retired on September 18, 2025. Sellers could still sign in to reprint, void or file claims on old labels until January 16, 2026, when that grace window closed and the ShipStation-powered help centre was decommissioned. More on the PayPal Shipping Center retirement.
PayPal retired its shipping label service — PayPal Shipping, powered by ShipStation — on September 18, 2025, and the window for reprinting, voiding or claiming on old labels closed on January 16, 2026, leaving millions of eBay sellers and small business owners scrambling for an alternative. For years, PayPal's label tool was the go-to: a simple, no-account-needed way to create and print shipping labels directly from a PayPal payment notification. What sellers lost was the convenience of the all-in-one workflow — payment received, label created, done. ShippingLabel is built to be that replacement, and in many ways it's better than what PayPal offered. No PayPal account required, no fees to create labels, support for all major carriers (UPS, USPS, FedEx, DHL — not just USPS like PayPal offered), and proper 4x6 thermal label formatting that PayPal's old tool didn't always handle well. The workflow is the same: enter your addresses, choose your carrier format, download the PDF, and print. If you're a high-volume seller, the Pro plan adds CSV batch import so you can generate dozens of labels from a spreadsheet in one shot. The only thing ShippingLabel doesn't do (same as PayPal's old tool): we create the label format, not the postage. You purchase postage separately through Pirate Ship, USPS.com, or your carrier — which actually gives you more flexibility to find the best rate rather than being locked into whatever PayPal's system offered.
Who this is for
- ✓Former PayPal Ship Now users displaced by the September 2025 shutdown who still want a no-account label workflow
- ✓Casual sellers on eBay, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace who use PayPal for payment and just want a matching label
- ✓Small sellers shipping a few packages per week who don't need full postage management
- ✓Anyone who used to print PayPal multi-order labels and needs a simple CSV replacement (Pro plan)
When PayPallabels aren’t the right fit
- •High-volume sellers — you'll want real postage discounts via Pirate Ship, ShipStation, or Stamps.com
- •Sellers who only ship USPS and want postage baked into the label in a single step
How to create a PayPal label in under a minute
- 1Copy buyer info from your PayPal transaction
Open the PayPal payment email or transaction page and grab the shipping address.
- 2Paste it into the form below
Fill in your return address once — we'll remember it for next time.
- 3Pick a carrier format
USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL — PayPal's old tool only did USPS, so this is an upgrade.
- 4Download and print
4x6 thermal for speed, or letter size to tape onto boxes.
- 5Buy postage on the carrier or Pirate Ship
Purchase postage separately and write or paste the real tracking number onto the label.
Limitations & caveats
- •This tool doesn't connect to PayPal — you copy the address manually from your PayPal transaction.
- •We don't buy or embed postage in the label — that step happens on USPS.com, Pirate Ship, or your chosen carrier.
- •No automatic tracking upload back to eBay or other marketplaces. Add the tracking number in the marketplace manually.
Alternatives to consider
PayPal label FAQ
Why did PayPal stop offering shipping labels?
Is this exactly like PayPal's shipping label tool?
Do I need to pay for postage separately?
Can I import my PayPal shipping addresses?
Amazon Shipping Label Maker — Free for Sellers
Amazon sellers operate in two distinct shipping worlds that require different label strategies. FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) sellers handle their own shipping — they choose the carrier, buy postage, and create labels for every order. FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) sellers ship inventory to Amazon warehouses, which requires a specific set of labels that Amazon specifies down to the barcode type. For FBM orders, our tool creates carrier-formatted shipping labels (UPS, USPS, FedEx) with the buyer's address from your order details. You buy postage separately through Amazon's Buy Shipping or Pirate Ship, paste in the tracking number, and ship. For FBA inbound shipments, Amazon requires two types of labels: FNSKU labels on each individual product unit (a unique barcode that links to your seller account and must cover the manufacturer UPC) and FBA box ID labels on the outside of each carton. Both are generated in Seller Central as PDFs — our tool helps you format the carrier shipping label that gets those FBA boxes to the warehouse. Understanding the difference matters: FNSKU is the product identifier (goes on the item), the FBA box label is the shipment identifier (goes on the box), and the carrier shipping label is what moves the box from your location to the Amazon fulfillment center. Many sellers also use their Amazon FBA inventory for non-Amazon sales — same products, different channels. Our tool handles the carrier labels for those off-Amazon orders where you choose the carrier and need proper formatting.
Who this is for
- ✓FBA sellers printing FNSKU unit labels and carton box-ID labels for inbound shipments — the label-spec side of prep
- ✓FBM sellers who want carrier-format labels with the Amazon order ID in the reference field for pick-and-pack matching
- ✓Prep centers and VAs labeling inventory for multiple seller accounts who need one consistent, printer-friendly workflow
- ✓Sellers whose buyers ordered via Amazon but whose postage comes from outside Buy Shipping — company accounts, consolidators, or discount platforms
When Amazonlabels aren’t the right fit
- •Sellers looking for the actual FNSKU barcode files — those generate only inside Seller Central's label service and must come from there to scan correctly
- •Anyone wanting Amazon Buy Shipping rates or A-to-Z protection — that requires purchasing the label inside Seller Central, not formatting one externally
How to create a Amazon label in under a minute
- 1Pull the label spec before printing anything
Amazon's requirements are exact: FNSKU labels must cover the manufacturer barcode completely, print crisp at small sizes, and scan on matte stock — glossy labels cause scanner glare rejections at receiving.
- 2Print FNSKU sheets from Seller Central
Unit labels come from the Send to Amazon flow as 30-up letter sheets or thermal singles. Never recreate FNSKU barcodes in outside tools — a barcode that encodes correctly but renders slightly off-spec still strands inventory.
- 3Label every unit, then every carton
One FNSKU per sellable unit over the original UPC; one box-ID label per carton, flat on a single face, away from seams and edges where tape and handling destroy scannability.
- 4Add the carrier label last
The shipping label goes on the same face as the box-ID where possible, never overlapping it. This is where our generator fits for non-partnered shipments — a clean carrier-format label with your shipment ID as the reference.
- 5Photograph cartons before handoff
A quick photo of each labeled carton is the cheapest insurance in FBA: when receiving disputes happen, evidence of correct labeling resolves them in days instead of weeks.
Limitations & caveats
- •FNSKU and box-ID barcodes are Seller Central artifacts — no external tool, ours included, can generate valid ones.
- •Amazon Logistics (TBA) tracking numbers exist only on labels purchased through Amazon's systems; external labels ride the carrier's own tracking.
- •Partnered-carrier discounted labels are generated inside the shipping plan and cannot be substituted with third-party labels.
- •Label spec details change — always cross-check Seller Central's current requirements rather than cached advice, including ours.
Alternatives to consider
Amazon label FAQ
Can I use this for Amazon FBA shipments?
Do I need Amazon seller credentials?
How do I include my Amazon order ID?
Frequently Asked Questions
Which carrier is cheapest for small packages under 1 lb?
USPS First Class Package is the cheapest option for packages under 15.99 oz — typically $4–$6 for delivery anywhere in the US. No other carrier comes close at that weight. Once you go over 1 lb, compare USPS Priority Mail, UPS Ground, and FedEx Ground for your specific zone.
Does USPS deliver to PO Boxes?
Yes — USPS is the only major carrier that delivers to PO Boxes, APO/FPO military addresses, and most rural routes. UPS and FedEx do not deliver to PO Boxes. If your recipient has a PO Box address, USPS is your only option among the major carriers.
When does UPS Ground beat USPS Priority Mail?
UPS Ground typically wins once your package exceeds 2 lbs and crosses 4+ shipping zones. For a 5 lb package going coast-to-coast, UPS Ground with a third-party discount (Pirate Ship, ShipStation) is often $2–$5 cheaper than USPS Priority Mail. For packages under 2 lbs or going to PO Boxes, USPS almost always wins.
Is FedEx or UPS cheaper for residential delivery?
They're usually within $1–$2 of each other, and neither is consistently cheaper — it depends on your specific origin-destination pair. Both charge a residential delivery surcharge (roughly $5 per package at retail rates). FedEx Home Delivery includes Saturday delivery at no extra charge; UPS charges extra for Saturday. Always compare both carriers via Pirate Ship or EasyPost for each shipment.
Which carrier is best for international shipments?
DHL Express is the gold standard for international shipping — 1–3 day delivery to most countries with dedicated customs brokers that dramatically reduce clearance delays. For budget international shipping where the buyer can wait 1–3 weeks, USPS First Class Package International is significantly cheaper ($15–$25 vs DHL's $40–$60 for a 1–2 lb package). FedEx International Priority is a strong alternative to DHL for destinations where DHL service is limited.
What is dimensional weight and how does it affect carrier pricing?
Dimensional (DIM) weight is a pricing technique used by UPS, FedEx, and DHL that charges based on package volume rather than actual weight when the DIM weight exceeds the actual weight. The formula is: length × width × height (inches) ÷ 139. For example, a 12×12×12 inch box has a DIM weight of ~12.5 lbs — so even if your item weighs 3 lbs, you pay for 12.5 lbs. USPS does not use DIM weight for most domestic retail services. Using the smallest box that safely fits your item is the most effective way to avoid DIM weight charges.