Return label without Outgoing label?

[doug1]

I have asked this question before, without success. I want to print a prepaid USPS or FedEx label TO MYSELF, and send it to my customer so he can use it to send me a package of known weight and dimensions. I cannot figure out how to do so.  I have asked SS Support in the past, and the process they tell me to use does not work. Can anyone explain?

[Moderator-Davis]

Hey there @doug1, 

Thanks for posting about this in the community! I'll be happy to provide my process for this, but we will absolutely leave this post up in case anyone else in the community can offer their solution as well 🙂 

A potential solution could be to add that customer's address as a "Ship From Location" so that you can then create a Manual Order that is set up to be shipped from their "Ship From Location" to you. You can change that ship from location on a per order basis, so this will not inherently change the default Ship From Location on the account so this will not effect other orders coming in. This process will allow you to set the dimensions and weight for that shipment. Once that is completed, you can delete their ship from location so that it isn't continued to be used in the future by mistake. 

We certainly welcome any other users to describe how they are getting this process done! 

I hope this helps 🙂 

[doug1]

That part worked, but it only got me a new "Ship From" entry.....not how to actually create the single label to myself.  But after an evening of trial & error. I solved the process.  Here it is,

1. a) Click on the Settings symbol at the top.
2. b) Under “Labels”, select “Ship From Locations”.
3. c) “Add New Locations”.
4. d) Fill in the grid with all the info for the person/location the pkg will ship from. 

                “Location Name” is important…..needs to be different from any other “Ship Froms” you may already have.

                Phone # is important to include.

1. e) SAVE
2. f) Select the Rate Calculator symbol at the top of the ORDERS page.
3. g) Choose the appropriate “Ship From” location.
4. h) Select the desired Shipping Carrier, and fill in all “Ship To “ package data (which is probably to yourself).
5. i)  Select “Browse Rates”
6. j) Options should appear.  Select one, and then “Configure label”.
7. k) Fill in the Delivery address in the usual manner, and create/print the label.

[jeremy_S-and-S · Accepted solution]

To create a single label to yourself, you only need to choose New Order and put your address in. Then just choose the appropriate Ship From address.

[doug1]

Oh my...................I didn't go so far as to actually print the label.......BUT I think it worked!

So simple, if it did.  Thanks.

[jeremy_S-and-S]

I always follow this process. Very quick and easy. Then it's just a matter of creating a New Order to be sent to my address with the Ship From Location being the other persons address.

[robdogtn]

okay I know this thread is year old, but question to you guys, is there a way to offer the return label on all shipments and not be charged for them if customer doesn't use it?  My example is I ship frozen lamb.  The coolers are expensive so in a couple test runs I can ship it back to myself empty for more than half what a new one costs.  So my thoughts are to offer my customer a 15% discount on the next order if they return the box using my prepaid return label.  That way I get repeat business and I save $15-20 off buying a replacement cooler/box they were just going to throw away.  Win-win.  But I don't want to buy a return label every time and send with package if they are not being returned.

[Moderator-Davis]

Hey there @robdogtn, 

Welcome to our community! 

Did you get a chance to try out the answer that doug1 and jeremySandS discussed above? Is there any step or aspect in particular that you are getting stuck on? We'd love to help if we can! 🙂  

[robdogtn]

Not really, but I decided on a different way to solve the problem

[john_j_gill]

Bumping this open again.  I have two issues and/or suggestions.  Perhaps others have a work around.

We use Shipstation for 80% or so of our shipments, but we have a 3PL and some dropshippers, so our returns are not all originally sourced / shipped via Shipstation.  Some of the standalone return apps are clunky and do not have the discounted shipping.  I would like to use Shipstation for all returns, whether they originated from SS or another source.  Yes, I realize that I can do this by setting up a new ship from location, but that will not have RMA on my label, and it is very manual intensive.

1)  has anyone figured out an easy way to run all returns through SS, or use the SS API to do this, which is more streamlined than setting up a manual ship from location.

2)  anytime I get a label with the discounted SS group buy, I pay for the label, and many returns never happen.  Is there a way, short of requesting a void of the label to have the RMA label charged when used, not when printed?

Thanks for any insights.