Now, sellers can buy and print shipping labels from Bonanza

"OMG! I've never been so excited about postage!"

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 we’re excited to announce that, starting now, you can buy and print USPS shipping labels without ever leaving Bonanza.

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 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.

Where can I find the Bonanza postage-printing feature?

I thought it might be fun to hide it - like an easter egg hunt - but Bill insisted on making it easy to find. (He’s like that.) When you view an order in "Items Sold," you’ll see the new 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, strong glue, or cooked sticky rice (if you're shipping from ancient China). 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?

Yes. When you buy postage through Bonanza, you’ll also pay a small service fee. The amount will vary, because it includes variable charges like credit card processing rates and other service fees. But we’ll always show you the exact total before you confirm your purchase.

Pro tip: To get the lowest fee, always buy labels using your pre-funded Bonanza postage account.

How can I get the lowest fee, using my pre-funded Bonanza postage account?

You want to avoid credit card fees, and so do we. Nobody benefits from those except the card companies. So it’s nice to know that if you print a lot of postage, you can avoid card fees and save money by pre-funding your Bonanza postage account.

How does that work? Every seller automatically has a postage account. But it's empty until you fund it by choosing the option in the “Buy shipping” form. Then when you print labels, we’ll deduct the price from your Bonanza balance instead of charging your card every time. You save money because you’re 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. Win-win.

What happens if I forget to fund my postage account?

If you print postage often, you might enjoy our auto-funding service. When you turn on auto-funding, we’ll charge your card and refill your postage account 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.

Do you support other carriers like UPS and FedEx?

Although the UPS folks are cute in their brown shorts, 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.

Packing like a pro

The process of packing and shiping is an unfortunate business reality (well, unless you’re selling digital goods). But now shipping on Bonanza is a little faster and a lot easier. Give it a try, and see how much time you can save.

We’ll continue to improve this feature over the next few months, guided by your suggestions (as always!). So if you’ve got anything to say about what you love or how we can make it better, please let us know.

Happy shipping!