Getting started with plain labels in Starshipit

There’s really no shortage of options when it comes to picking carrier services. You’ve got industry mainstays like Australia Post and DHL with service offerings for companies of every age and stage, as well as up-and-comers like Rendr and Uber with new types of services.

But, what about those scenarios that aren’t suited to a mainstream carrier? Enter, plain labels.

This clever solution gives you a flexible tool to manage a variety of different scenarios, for example non-integrated carriers, test situations and more. Let’s dive in!

In this article

• What are plain labels?
• Understanding integrated and non-integrated carriers
• Why use plain labels?
• Read our plain label guide

What are plain labels?

When you need to ship an order with a carrier, you need a shipping label. Shipping labels contain all the information your carrier needs to get your package from the pickup address to the destination. It contains a scannable barcode, tracking number and a combination of other important details.

Plain labels (also known as blank shipping labels) are shipping labels which don’t contain any carrier-related information. As we’ll see, plain labels are a great tool for a variety of reasons.

Understanding integrated and non-integrated carriers

Before we explore some of the use cases for plain labels, it’s important that we first explain the difference between integrated and non-integrated carriers in Starshipit.

An integrated carrier is a carrier where we’ve built an API integration with the carrier directly, allowing you to simply add your account details from the carrier to Starshipit, and start using that carrier’s products and services.

A non-integrated carrier is a carrier without an integration with Starshipit. For these carriers, you’ll need to use plain labels.

1. Non-Integrated carriers

The main reason to use plain labels. In situations where certain carrier services are not natively integrated with Starshipit, plain labels offer a convenient workaround. This allows you to use Starshipit's platform while still accommodating shipments through various non-integrated carrier.

A good example are Australia Post prepaid satchels, as using plain labels offers an easy solution. This allows you to create address labels for your satchels.

3. Transferring stock

Need to transfer stock from one location to another? You can use plain labels to track the stock movement. For example, if you create a stock transfer in your WMS, you’ll have an identifier on that transfer. Then, you can enter the identifier into Starshipit and it will be printed on your plain label as a barcode.

When the store or other warehouse receives the shipment, they can scan the plain label and mark the transfer as received.

Tip: Read our plain labels guide

Ready to start using plain labels to manage your unique fulfilment requirements? We’ve put together a simple guide for getting started with plain labels in Starshipit, linked below.