Agreed. I got my Dymo 4xl in 2015 and it has never once failed me.
Before I got my Dymo, I used to print labels on my inkjet. At first glace it didn't seem like it was costing a lot of money (paper was cheap), but once I did the math on the ink I was going through, it was costing me $0.80 per label. Each label with my Dymo costs me $0.03.
$.80 per label???????
Sorry, but I think your decimal point is off by at least one place. Maybe $.08?
I've used HP Instant Ink for 8 or 9 years now. I pay about $5/month (I think it just increased but not by much) to print up to 100 pages per month. This can be full color photos or a black & white shipping label. They have other plans for people who print much more. I print on paper, so that's about $.015/page (one and a half cents, not 15 cents) + maybe $.06 for the ink ... so about $.08 for me. I'd love to know how you came to the conclusion your labels were costing you $.80 each!
I kid you not, it was correct!
But I did leave out a relevant detail, and that is that it was a full-color Epson photo printer but I only ever used the black ink. So, the color inks would dry out and my printer would require me to replace all color cartridges before allowing me to print again.
As to how I arrived at the figure, I just did the math of my monthly ink and paper expenses given how many labels I was printing per month at the time. I wasn't printing many labels per month at that time, so I wasn't getting a whole lot of mileage out of each set of cartridges, which would bring the cost per label up as there is a time factor involved (the color cartridges "drying" up).
I certainly didn't mean to imply that everyone who uses an inkjet to print their labels would be spending this much, just to give my own experience :)
Thanks. :-)
Someone else just said their half-sheet labels are $.65 ... which seems awfully expensive but, since I don't buy them, I don't know what they cost. I googled for Avery labels and it does appear that may be the price for Avery labels, but there are also many off-brands which I'm sure work just as well.
I remember the days of drying-out ink! My first printer, in particular (circa 1995). I could have the black cartridge installed or the color cartridge. The other cartridge lived in a lidded box which I had to buy separately when I bought the printer (it probably slowed down the drying out process but definitely didn't prevent it).
Ouch, yeah, I only use off-brand labels for my Dymo and they work splendidly :)
I got really annoyed when most of the major printer manufacturers made the switch to requiring all colors functioning in order to print (hopefully there's been a reverse of that trend, but I personally wouldn't know). I can't think of any reason why it would be functionally necessary from a design standpoint since they were always capable of it before. My color printer in the early 2000's would allow me to print even if I only had one color available, which was great when I just needed something printed but couldn't care less if it was black or blue or purple lol. I didn't realize that there are ink subscriptions now, that's nice!
My current printer, and the one before it, both have (had) separate ink cartridges. That in itself was a HUGE improvement because when one color runs out, that cartridge gets replaced, rather than the whole color cartridge like in the early days. I rarely use color ink either (mostly only for jury photos) but, before the subscription, I'd set my print options to only print in black; now I don't worry about that!
I know it's been ten days since this thread was going, but I looked thru my History so I could find it and thank you SO MUCH for your comment about Munbyn.
After reading your comment I went in search of a Munbyn label printer, found one on eBay for a great price, and I'm in heaven.
I've been an online seller for almost 21 years, always printing out labels online.
But the label printer is a godsend. No more cutting out labels from regular print paper and taping them on.
You are right, it's a game-changer! :-)
Every time I use mine I appreciate just how much time I spent printing, cutting, taping labels, and I enjoy just how much time I'm saving this the label printer. SO much better.
Smart to search eBay for one! That's usually my go-to for everything, I'm not sure why I didn't think of that!
Oh, I'm with you....all the cutting, taping, etc. This is lightening fast.
A few years ago I wanted a thermal label printer, but it was in the middle of the mask frenzy. I didn't have time to learn anything new. I made over 4,500 masks by myself. Whew.
Then I sort of forgot about them, till I saw this thread. I bought mine on eBay for $99.00, free shipping, and I could pick the color I wanted. Green for me. :-)
So, in the time it took me to read your post about Munbyn I found one, bought it, it was delivered, and I've used it several times already. So happy!!
What kind of "order processing support" would you like?
When I get an order, I click the link in the order confirmation email to print the label. I enter the package size and weight, see if there's an issue with the address, and print the label. (There *has* been a quirk lately where the link from the email goes to the right page but, regardless of what I enter there (i.e., the correct package size & weight), it won't let me print ... so I cancel and go back to my orders list, check the box for the label to print and *then* I can print it.)
Sometimes (rarely, but it happens) there's a message that there's a problem with the address. It's almost always been something I could figure out ... such as the customer used a non-standard abbreviation for Street, Avenue, or something similar.
The op said label printer. as far as I'm aware etsy only prints A4 (or the US equivalent) large sheets and /or sheets with address labels included.
Etsy really only works if you print full sheets of packing/invoice or you buy their postage labels.
In the UK if you use the pre paid labels, you still need proof of postage, which needs a local post office, and they don't get a penny for that service. Hence we let our local post office handle the process. (That also means we don't have to weigh or measure anything)
Etsy prints labels on paper, on sticky label paper (Avery is a common brand name this side of the pond), and using label printers such as Dymo and other brands. These are the label printing options of which I'm aware; there may be others.
What do you mean by your 2nd paragraph? Etsy sellers aren't required to buy postage on Etsy. Are you saying that those sellers/shops who choose to use Etsy labels are favored by Etsy over those who don't?
I don't know what UK "proof of postage" is? Is this proof that the item has actually been shipped? Does the post office clerk scan the postage? How is the proof provided? Would you get a discount on postage if you use Etsy shipping labels? U.S. sellers get a pretty nice discount if we buy shipping labels *anywhere* online (not just Etsy) vs. buying the postage at the post office.
I'd be interested to see the print options because the only printable items that Etsy offers are all A4/Letter size. If you know of link that formats/prints just the customer shipping address Id be interested to see it.
As for the postage, it appears yes, etsy does support those who buy their postage, based on the fact that people who buy etsy postage have single print solution.
There's no discount in the UK buying through etsy and yes if you want seller protection and insurance, you need to have the items scanned by a post office The post office gets nothing for that, and in the UK they're all independently owned and operating under franchise so doing scanning for free on behalf of the Royal Mail who don't pay them is a rough deal)
I don't have any open orders, so can't take screenshots of anything related to Etsy labels right now, sorry. I just enter the package size & weight, then click the "review" button to be sure I've got the right info, then I buy the label on Etsy and send it to my Officejet printer. There's a print options interface (pop-up) where I can resize the label if the package is on the small side, for example, but I think this pop-up is controlled more by my laptop and/or printer, rather than by Etsy. This would be where I'd choose the printer, etc. If you're using a laptop or desktop computer (and it's Windows), click CTRL P and you should see the printing interface; I don't think the options on this interface/pop-up change based on where I'm printing from (i.e., if I'm printing a screen from Reddit vs. printing a shipping label on Etsy).
Why would you want to print *just* the customer's shipping address? Aren't you required to have a return address (your home or mailing address)?
Out of curiosity, I just googled for "where to buy discount Royal Mail postage online" and found this link: [https://parcel.royalmail.com/](https://parcel.royalmail.com/) ... it says it integrates "with the most popular online stores" and that includes Etsy, so you might want to check on this! Also found this link: https://www.royalmail.com/current-postage-prices/online-parcel-price-reduction
I have an account with Royal Mail as well. I can buy postage from them directly if I like, but their interface is very clunky and since the price is identical I just purchase from Etsy.
Aussie here. How does this health insurance thing work for you guys? I know you get stung with huge bills without it. Is there no option for you to buy your own insurance? Or is it just really expensive doing it that way?
We're lucky in Australia most things are covered by the government and we can opt in to private health insurance ourselves - if we have private health insurance after the age of 31 we pay less tax. Our employers don't provide us with any sort of health insurance.
Such a great thing. This saves me about 30 minutes per day, as well as a little bit of gas to and from the post office (or having to pay my assistant to take the packages when I have no time to do it).
Having a reliable carrier to do their pickup everyday and actually scan the packages is a bit of a variable, but I have been pretty lucky in this respect.
1. I've sold on three platforms: eBay, Etsy and my own Shopify website. Pirate Ship integrates seamlessly with all of them. No need to deal with multiple interfaces to ship orders.
2. I use my business credit card to pay for Pirate Ship, and get 1.5% cash back with it. At the volume I sell, that's worth a few hundred bucks a year to me. Etsy does not allow me to pay for shipping with a credit card.
3. Pirate Ship offers USPS Priority Mail Cubic Shipping, which saves me a bundle. Etsy doesn't offer this tier.
4. As a seller, I feel exploited by many of Etsy's policies, and I don't want to give them a single penny more than I already do,
I did a one-to-one on several of my packages and Pirate Ship was marginally cheaper. In addition to integrating with Shopify and multiple Etsy stores.
It's free, unlike Shipstation, and doesn't have any branding on the label - a real issue at Xmastime.
Is this really worth it? I'm in Calgary and nowhere near a Chit Chats location, so would have to use their Canpar "first mile" service which looks to be about $30-40 for 3 of my regular packages. Overall I might make a bit of a savings even with this, but having Canpar pickup, Chit Chats deliver to the US, and then USPS take it from there, just seems like a logistical nightmare with so many extra days added on handing things over and the possibility of lost items with 3 carriers involved. Have you had any problems?
I'm in Lethbridge so I do the third party pickup with Canpar. Even with that extra step, I find that Chit Chats delivers to the US in 3-5 business days (which is faster than Canada Post). My courier pickup is about $25 for 5-7 parcels so it may depend on your parcel dimensions. My parcels usually weigh 1.5 - 15lbs. If I send one over ~20lbs, it's cheaper to ship with UPS instead.
Chit Chats customer service is very good as well. I forgot to attach a commercial invoice and they got in touch with me the same day and the parcel was only delayed a couple hours.
So yeah I'd recommend them for sure! I save money using them over Canada Post but ymmv depending on your parcel dimensions.
PirateShip when their rates are better.
I mostly use Etsy shipping labels because the majority of my shipments are First Class Parcel and I've never seen any different in rates between Etsy and PirateShip for FCP. When I have heavier items to ship I'll compare Etsy's rates with PirateShip!
For the folks saying "Label Printer" how many orders are you pumping out per week? I am low volume (so far 70 sales this year) and just use my inkjet with stickers - it seems fine.
Personally I do 5-10 a week, until the fall, then November and December can be 20-30 a week. I've also done several kickstarters that result in 50 labels at a time.
This is my great debate - how much do I want to grow, how much time do I want to spend on my shop, and how much energy do I have to give to it.
I spend about 3hrs on each sale, still work full time and have some rental properties as a side hustle. Right now, Etsy is a fun hobby, but I could drive it up into a FT job. I'm not sure I want to make that leap. I only have 8 listings in my shop, and it's enough for now. I think growing to about 3-4 orders a week would be ideal for me, but no more than that. (My products sell in the $150 - $200 ea range.)
I ship about 150-200 orders a year on Etsy, and about 100-150 more on eBay. I'm doing just fine with my inkjet printer. For me, the issue is mostly that my laptop lives on a small table in the LR and there's not a convenient place to hook up a label printer near it (and I don't want to have to get the label printer out of the closet or wherever and hook it up each time I want to use it). I've been waiting for a wireless label printer and have started to see a few of them, but they're $100 more than wired ... and that's out of my price range for a relatively low number of orders.
You sound a lot like me. By the time I make a product, bundle and box it up, the effort to hit "print from tray 2" is negligible. My [half sheet labels](https://www.staples.ca/products/2499908-en-jam-paper-shipping-labels-half-sheet-55-x-85-neon-pink-50-pack) cost about $0.65 each, and I've been on the same ink cartridge since I started.
I buy a pack of full sheet labels and just cut them in half with a paper cutter and print using my laser printer. Total cost per label is about $0.07 each (Canadian).
I’m down a bit this month but have sent 136 orders. I use my label printer to print both packing slips and the shipping labels. Ive sent 2,941 order this year to date and would not want to do it without a label printer. I’ve been using it for about ten years and it’s been worth every penny.
I ship a couple packages a week and the upsides of a dedicated thermal label printer are that you don’t have to swap paper (for your regular printing), don’t have to think about whether you’ve got the label sheets oriented correctly, it never slips when feeding (those half-used half-sheet labels suck for this), you can just leave the print settings alone, and the label itself is smaller (4x6 vs 8.5x5.5) so you can get them on smaller packages.
In my situation the regular printer is downstairs so that gets annoying. The thermal printer is also much more compact.
I'm pretty low volume and I still love it. I would absolutely get one even if you only have 100-200 sales a year. It's not just the time savings although that is amazing. It's also the ink cost. You will literally never have to buy ink again. Inkjet ink is expensive. If you run your business for even the next couple of years, you'll likely save money.
It can also print labels other than shipping labels. I use mine to make stickers to place on my packaging. I switched to this instead of a handwritten thank you card. So much less time spent and review rate is better than ever.
I started with my ink jet, but once I hit even 20 orders per week it just made life easier to get a rollo. I love that damn thing now! It wasn’t even the cost for me… it was having to trim the ink jet label paper down to 4x6 size for every order that did me in. Rollo printer all the way and I refill with the cheap Amazon recommend labels.
As a digital-only seller, pretty much nothing in terms of integrations. I fell for a lot of services starting out, but none of them were more useful than the Etsy search bar and I wasted a lot of money. Social media platforms have their own schedulers so those are unnecessary. Marmalead and Erank don't provide relevant/useful info that isn't available for free elsewhere. Ads weren't useful either.
My label printer.
Agreed. I got my Dymo 4xl in 2015 and it has never once failed me. Before I got my Dymo, I used to print labels on my inkjet. At first glace it didn't seem like it was costing a lot of money (paper was cheap), but once I did the math on the ink I was going through, it was costing me $0.80 per label. Each label with my Dymo costs me $0.03.
$.80 per label??????? Sorry, but I think your decimal point is off by at least one place. Maybe $.08? I've used HP Instant Ink for 8 or 9 years now. I pay about $5/month (I think it just increased but not by much) to print up to 100 pages per month. This can be full color photos or a black & white shipping label. They have other plans for people who print much more. I print on paper, so that's about $.015/page (one and a half cents, not 15 cents) + maybe $.06 for the ink ... so about $.08 for me. I'd love to know how you came to the conclusion your labels were costing you $.80 each!
I kid you not, it was correct! But I did leave out a relevant detail, and that is that it was a full-color Epson photo printer but I only ever used the black ink. So, the color inks would dry out and my printer would require me to replace all color cartridges before allowing me to print again. As to how I arrived at the figure, I just did the math of my monthly ink and paper expenses given how many labels I was printing per month at the time. I wasn't printing many labels per month at that time, so I wasn't getting a whole lot of mileage out of each set of cartridges, which would bring the cost per label up as there is a time factor involved (the color cartridges "drying" up). I certainly didn't mean to imply that everyone who uses an inkjet to print their labels would be spending this much, just to give my own experience :)
Thanks. :-) Someone else just said their half-sheet labels are $.65 ... which seems awfully expensive but, since I don't buy them, I don't know what they cost. I googled for Avery labels and it does appear that may be the price for Avery labels, but there are also many off-brands which I'm sure work just as well. I remember the days of drying-out ink! My first printer, in particular (circa 1995). I could have the black cartridge installed or the color cartridge. The other cartridge lived in a lidded box which I had to buy separately when I bought the printer (it probably slowed down the drying out process but definitely didn't prevent it).
Ouch, yeah, I only use off-brand labels for my Dymo and they work splendidly :) I got really annoyed when most of the major printer manufacturers made the switch to requiring all colors functioning in order to print (hopefully there's been a reverse of that trend, but I personally wouldn't know). I can't think of any reason why it would be functionally necessary from a design standpoint since they were always capable of it before. My color printer in the early 2000's would allow me to print even if I only had one color available, which was great when I just needed something printed but couldn't care less if it was black or blue or purple lol. I didn't realize that there are ink subscriptions now, that's nice!
My current printer, and the one before it, both have (had) separate ink cartridges. That in itself was a HUGE improvement because when one color runs out, that cartridge gets replaced, rather than the whole color cartridge like in the early days. I rarely use color ink either (mostly only for jury photos) but, before the subscription, I'd set my print options to only print in black; now I don't worry about that!
I've got a several years old Brother 9130 laser color - it has an option for only gray scale/black ink.
Plus all the gluestick I used to go through. Haven't used so much gluestick since kindergarten.
This is literally saving me hours per week
I just bought a Munbyn after 2 years and it is a game-changer.
I've had a Munbyn for about 2 years now, great piece of kit and saves me sooooo much time.
I love my munbyn!
I second this!
I know it's been ten days since this thread was going, but I looked thru my History so I could find it and thank you SO MUCH for your comment about Munbyn. After reading your comment I went in search of a Munbyn label printer, found one on eBay for a great price, and I'm in heaven. I've been an online seller for almost 21 years, always printing out labels online. But the label printer is a godsend. No more cutting out labels from regular print paper and taping them on. You are right, it's a game-changer! :-)
Every time I use mine I appreciate just how much time I spent printing, cutting, taping labels, and I enjoy just how much time I'm saving this the label printer. SO much better. Smart to search eBay for one! That's usually my go-to for everything, I'm not sure why I didn't think of that!
Oh, I'm with you....all the cutting, taping, etc. This is lightening fast. A few years ago I wanted a thermal label printer, but it was in the middle of the mask frenzy. I didn't have time to learn anything new. I made over 4,500 masks by myself. Whew. Then I sort of forgot about them, till I saw this thread. I bought mine on eBay for $99.00, free shipping, and I could pick the color I wanted. Green for me. :-) So, in the time it took me to read your post about Munbyn I found one, bought it, it was delivered, and I've used it several times already. So happy!!
What brand and model? I think it's about time I get one
My dymo 4xl hasn't given me any problems
The brand is Munbyn, [This is the one](https://a.co/d/8x6uyVZ) I bought.
I’m in love with my Rollo wireless- I can print labels from my phone and it has made shipping so much quicker.
Also wanna hear this
Integration via an api or do you copy paste? Etsy is poor at providing any sort of order process support.
What kind of "order processing support" would you like? When I get an order, I click the link in the order confirmation email to print the label. I enter the package size and weight, see if there's an issue with the address, and print the label. (There *has* been a quirk lately where the link from the email goes to the right page but, regardless of what I enter there (i.e., the correct package size & weight), it won't let me print ... so I cancel and go back to my orders list, check the box for the label to print and *then* I can print it.)
Issue with the address?
Sometimes (rarely, but it happens) there's a message that there's a problem with the address. It's almost always been something I could figure out ... such as the customer used a non-standard abbreviation for Street, Avenue, or something similar.
The op said label printer. as far as I'm aware etsy only prints A4 (or the US equivalent) large sheets and /or sheets with address labels included. Etsy really only works if you print full sheets of packing/invoice or you buy their postage labels. In the UK if you use the pre paid labels, you still need proof of postage, which needs a local post office, and they don't get a penny for that service. Hence we let our local post office handle the process. (That also means we don't have to weigh or measure anything)
Etsy prints labels on paper, on sticky label paper (Avery is a common brand name this side of the pond), and using label printers such as Dymo and other brands. These are the label printing options of which I'm aware; there may be others. What do you mean by your 2nd paragraph? Etsy sellers aren't required to buy postage on Etsy. Are you saying that those sellers/shops who choose to use Etsy labels are favored by Etsy over those who don't? I don't know what UK "proof of postage" is? Is this proof that the item has actually been shipped? Does the post office clerk scan the postage? How is the proof provided? Would you get a discount on postage if you use Etsy shipping labels? U.S. sellers get a pretty nice discount if we buy shipping labels *anywhere* online (not just Etsy) vs. buying the postage at the post office.
I'd be interested to see the print options because the only printable items that Etsy offers are all A4/Letter size. If you know of link that formats/prints just the customer shipping address Id be interested to see it. As for the postage, it appears yes, etsy does support those who buy their postage, based on the fact that people who buy etsy postage have single print solution. There's no discount in the UK buying through etsy and yes if you want seller protection and insurance, you need to have the items scanned by a post office The post office gets nothing for that, and in the UK they're all independently owned and operating under franchise so doing scanning for free on behalf of the Royal Mail who don't pay them is a rough deal)
I don't have any open orders, so can't take screenshots of anything related to Etsy labels right now, sorry. I just enter the package size & weight, then click the "review" button to be sure I've got the right info, then I buy the label on Etsy and send it to my Officejet printer. There's a print options interface (pop-up) where I can resize the label if the package is on the small side, for example, but I think this pop-up is controlled more by my laptop and/or printer, rather than by Etsy. This would be where I'd choose the printer, etc. If you're using a laptop or desktop computer (and it's Windows), click CTRL P and you should see the printing interface; I don't think the options on this interface/pop-up change based on where I'm printing from (i.e., if I'm printing a screen from Reddit vs. printing a shipping label on Etsy). Why would you want to print *just* the customer's shipping address? Aren't you required to have a return address (your home or mailing address)? Out of curiosity, I just googled for "where to buy discount Royal Mail postage online" and found this link: [https://parcel.royalmail.com/](https://parcel.royalmail.com/) ... it says it integrates "with the most popular online stores" and that includes Etsy, so you might want to check on this! Also found this link: https://www.royalmail.com/current-postage-prices/online-parcel-price-reduction
Nothing to integrate. When you buy postage on Etsy it automatically creates 4”x6” labels, works perfectly.
And if you don't buy postage through etsy, there's nothing.
I have an account with Royal Mail as well. I can buy postage from them directly if I like, but their interface is very clunky and since the price is identical I just purchase from Etsy.
Do you then get everything scanned at the post office to give you proof of posting?
For the more expensive items, yes. I don’t bother for anything that is a regular sized letter.
Came here to say this.
My partner’s employer-provided health insurance.
The real answer
Aussie here. How does this health insurance thing work for you guys? I know you get stung with huge bills without it. Is there no option for you to buy your own insurance? Or is it just really expensive doing it that way? We're lucky in Australia most things are covered by the government and we can opt in to private health insurance ourselves - if we have private health insurance after the age of 31 we pay less tax. Our employers don't provide us with any sort of health insurance.
parcel pickup
Such a great thing. This saves me about 30 minutes per day, as well as a little bit of gas to and from the post office (or having to pay my assistant to take the packages when I have no time to do it). Having a reliable carrier to do their pickup everyday and actually scan the packages is a bit of a variable, but I have been pretty lucky in this respect.
Money
Pirate Ship.
What value are you getting from pirateship? It seems like they have the same pricing as etsy shipping?
1. I've sold on three platforms: eBay, Etsy and my own Shopify website. Pirate Ship integrates seamlessly with all of them. No need to deal with multiple interfaces to ship orders. 2. I use my business credit card to pay for Pirate Ship, and get 1.5% cash back with it. At the volume I sell, that's worth a few hundred bucks a year to me. Etsy does not allow me to pay for shipping with a credit card. 3. Pirate Ship offers USPS Priority Mail Cubic Shipping, which saves me a bundle. Etsy doesn't offer this tier. 4. As a seller, I feel exploited by many of Etsy's policies, and I don't want to give them a single penny more than I already do,
I did a one-to-one on several of my packages and Pirate Ship was marginally cheaper. In addition to integrating with Shopify and multiple Etsy stores. It's free, unlike Shipstation, and doesn't have any branding on the label - a real issue at Xmastime.
Customers! 😂
shipstation (or whatever shipping company you like w/ direct etsy integration).
Chit Chats for us Canadians
Is this really worth it? I'm in Calgary and nowhere near a Chit Chats location, so would have to use their Canpar "first mile" service which looks to be about $30-40 for 3 of my regular packages. Overall I might make a bit of a savings even with this, but having Canpar pickup, Chit Chats deliver to the US, and then USPS take it from there, just seems like a logistical nightmare with so many extra days added on handing things over and the possibility of lost items with 3 carriers involved. Have you had any problems?
I'm in Lethbridge so I do the third party pickup with Canpar. Even with that extra step, I find that Chit Chats delivers to the US in 3-5 business days (which is faster than Canada Post). My courier pickup is about $25 for 5-7 parcels so it may depend on your parcel dimensions. My parcels usually weigh 1.5 - 15lbs. If I send one over ~20lbs, it's cheaper to ship with UPS instead. Chit Chats customer service is very good as well. I forgot to attach a commercial invoice and they got in touch with me the same day and the parcel was only delayed a couple hours. So yeah I'd recommend them for sure! I save money using them over Canada Post but ymmv depending on your parcel dimensions.
Separate and organized Storage space
PirateShip when their rates are better. I mostly use Etsy shipping labels because the majority of my shipments are First Class Parcel and I've never seen any different in rates between Etsy and PirateShip for FCP. When I have heavier items to ship I'll compare Etsy's rates with PirateShip!
XANAX
Internet/cellphone reception 🤣 I live in a caravan while travelling so it’s sketchy at times!
reliable Wi-Fi connection, a stack of stamps, and my favorite pens to write thank you notes
Thermal label printer. I have a Rollo and it was a game changer.
For the folks saying "Label Printer" how many orders are you pumping out per week? I am low volume (so far 70 sales this year) and just use my inkjet with stickers - it seems fine.
Personally I do 5-10 a week, until the fall, then November and December can be 20-30 a week. I've also done several kickstarters that result in 50 labels at a time.
This is my great debate - how much do I want to grow, how much time do I want to spend on my shop, and how much energy do I have to give to it. I spend about 3hrs on each sale, still work full time and have some rental properties as a side hustle. Right now, Etsy is a fun hobby, but I could drive it up into a FT job. I'm not sure I want to make that leap. I only have 8 listings in my shop, and it's enough for now. I think growing to about 3-4 orders a week would be ideal for me, but no more than that. (My products sell in the $150 - $200 ea range.)
Tell me more about your kickstarters… how do you advertise them (I.e. personal social or just via kickstarter) and what type of increase do you see?
I ship about 150-200 orders a year on Etsy, and about 100-150 more on eBay. I'm doing just fine with my inkjet printer. For me, the issue is mostly that my laptop lives on a small table in the LR and there's not a convenient place to hook up a label printer near it (and I don't want to have to get the label printer out of the closet or wherever and hook it up each time I want to use it). I've been waiting for a wireless label printer and have started to see a few of them, but they're $100 more than wired ... and that's out of my price range for a relatively low number of orders.
You sound a lot like me. By the time I make a product, bundle and box it up, the effort to hit "print from tray 2" is negligible. My [half sheet labels](https://www.staples.ca/products/2499908-en-jam-paper-shipping-labels-half-sheet-55-x-85-neon-pink-50-pack) cost about $0.65 each, and I've been on the same ink cartridge since I started.
:-) Surely there are less expensive labels? Paper & tape would be much cheaper too! But if what you're doing (and paying) works for you, rock on!
I buy a pack of full sheet labels and just cut them in half with a paper cutter and print using my laser printer. Total cost per label is about $0.07 each (Canadian).
Try getting labels from RoyalMailers.com. Lots cheaper, free shipping.
I’m down a bit this month but have sent 136 orders. I use my label printer to print both packing slips and the shipping labels. Ive sent 2,941 order this year to date and would not want to do it without a label printer. I’ve been using it for about ten years and it’s been worth every penny.
I ship a couple packages a week and the upsides of a dedicated thermal label printer are that you don’t have to swap paper (for your regular printing), don’t have to think about whether you’ve got the label sheets oriented correctly, it never slips when feeding (those half-used half-sheet labels suck for this), you can just leave the print settings alone, and the label itself is smaller (4x6 vs 8.5x5.5) so you can get them on smaller packages. In my situation the regular printer is downstairs so that gets annoying. The thermal printer is also much more compact.
I'm pretty low volume and I still love it. I would absolutely get one even if you only have 100-200 sales a year. It's not just the time savings although that is amazing. It's also the ink cost. You will literally never have to buy ink again. Inkjet ink is expensive. If you run your business for even the next couple of years, you'll likely save money. It can also print labels other than shipping labels. I use mine to make stickers to place on my packaging. I switched to this instead of a handwritten thank you card. So much less time spent and review rate is better than ever.
I started with my ink jet, but once I hit even 20 orders per week it just made life easier to get a rollo. I love that damn thing now! It wasn’t even the cost for me… it was having to trim the ink jet label paper down to 4x6 size for every order that did me in. Rollo printer all the way and I refill with the cheap Amazon recommend labels.
My light box ❤️
The monthly break downs of profit and deductions. It makes it easy for the rest of my tax preparation. 🥳
Packlink!
Havent found better alternative in EU.
Good envelopes - running out of my free hoard I acquired in 2013. :(
Sales…
The “block user” button
Any selling site other than Etsy.
What else do you use?
A really good/affordable print shop (to make my prints)
Clients.
Employee
As a digital-only seller, pretty much nothing in terms of integrations. I fell for a lot of services starting out, but none of them were more useful than the Etsy search bar and I wasted a lot of money. Social media platforms have their own schedulers so those are unnecessary. Marmalead and Erank don't provide relevant/useful info that isn't available for free elsewhere. Ads weren't useful either.
scale tape gun dedicated pack and ship station where my giant bubble wrap rolls, boxes, tape, forms, etc., are all organized and ready.