Buy postage labels problem
This is driving me mad. So we’re being forced to buy shipping through Amazon which begrudgingly we’ve started doing, finding the easiest way is buy in bulk, then download all the labels in a zip folder as png’s then select all and print 4 per 4 sheet. Today I’ve come to do that but the shipping template only gives option, to print label with packing slip. So I select that, and ts downloaded a pdf for each order, 1 lbel 1 packing slip per pdf. But no png’s? The worst part is, half of the pdf’s the shipping label is landscape only only a small part of the shipping label is visible. So we cant even use them!! It is unbeleivable. Am I doing something wrong? Any way I can make the label visible? Even if I go to that order to preprint it just produces the exact same unusable pdf.
Buy postage labels problem
This is driving me mad. So we’re being forced to buy shipping through Amazon which begrudgingly we’ve started doing, finding the easiest way is buy in bulk, then download all the labels in a zip folder as png’s then select all and print 4 per 4 sheet. Today I’ve come to do that but the shipping template only gives option, to print label with packing slip. So I select that, and ts downloaded a pdf for each order, 1 lbel 1 packing slip per pdf. But no png’s? The worst part is, half of the pdf’s the shipping label is landscape only only a small part of the shipping label is visible. So we cant even use them!! It is unbeleivable. Am I doing something wrong? Any way I can make the label visible? Even if I go to that order to preprint it just produces the exact same unusable pdf.
101 replies
Seller_oGr715H7BMBjB
Only way seems to request a refund for the unusable label and then buy postage again and this time it gives option to just download the png. So basically buying shipping in bulk doesnt work and we’ll have to buy and ship each order individually on the face of it. what a joke.
Seller_yUp0QRI4hMCX1
Exactly the same problem. I put this on the forum last week. Little Shop (who knows her stuff) said that if printing packing slip and postage label together there is no way around it.
Edit: sorry only read the initial question - I see Little Shop is on this thread anyway.
Seller_URlcuoVFjy2MW
I’m in the same situation as you, always bought through click and drop on 4 up labels on an A4, as 95% of my stuff is standard letter post. I had to download, import each one, too time consuming and I couldn’t get it to automate. Christmas would be a nightmare, so I bit the bullet and bought a thermal label printer (£85 + labels, thanks a lot Amazon). However this took quite a bit of tweaking, most of my stuff is persobalised so ended up printing one at a time and packing as I go along instead of in a batch.
Also, I’ve had to change from Safari to Chrome and fiddle with the settings, as each label was using up 2 labels in safari (the first was blank and I could not select page 2), so the margins are off but can’t change them in the browser settings. I think their system is set up for the US. I think if you check your own printer page setup and change to portrait OR landscape, and pritn to fit OR 100% and try that. Lots of faffage though but I got there in the end.
Seller_U2PureEMRn1U6
Hi,
I sell only a handful of items daily and have always simply bought 1st class stamps or LL stamps directly from the post office. I don’t send enough to need a RM account or pick ups.
Now I am being forced to buy these through Amazon in order to acheive my VTR. This isn’t “at no extra cost” to be as, I am now using paper and printer ink that I wasn’t previously. When the prices go up again in April I also can’t pre-buy stamps and take the oppourtunity to claw back a tiny bit of profit anymore as having to buy through Amazon will be increased prices. For me this feels like a really unfair rule that doesn’t benefit me in any way.
And I may be being really stupid, but I also can’t get my packaging dimensions for a greeting card to be a normal letter size as it makes me put a width in! So how are you guys choosing letters in BS?
Sorry if this was ranty. Just a tad frustrated as my system worked fine before!
Seller_Qz1xHCEV8Dk98
We are having regular problems with buy shipping when we print more than one order at a time.
Previously we were using a franking machine for all our orders which was fast and efficient - never had any problems. All our orders were sent out by Royal Mail 2nd Class Letter or Large Letter.
However, we are now trying to print the orders out on the A4 page using buy shipping in bulk, but every so often the label changes orientation so does not fit our integrated labels.
The system was working fine up until about 4 days ago, but now is very difficult to work and we are having to find manual workarounds to print orders off.
This is very time-consuming and is causing errors, which does not offer a better customer experience, the supposed reason for making us move to buy shipping directly from Amazon.
At least 10% of orders are printing out incorrectly and in the wrong format, even when we print directly from the PDF. The fact that the PDF is not coming out correctly, indicates that this error may be a formatting error from Amazon’s end.
It is also saying buy shipping failed on certain orders and QZ Tray failed - please print orders off manually. However, as the PDFs are incorrectly formatted even when you open them, you cannot print them off properly.
Please can an Amazon moderator reply to us, as well as flag this issue to the relevant department ASAP.
We have already contacted Amazon directly for help, but to no avail. We were just referred to standard literature, which we have followed anyway.
This Buy Shipping fiasco is causing today’s 300 orders very difficult to process and is just adding unnecessary problems for small sellers, and ultimately the customer is getting a worse service, when previously using own shipping means, a franking machine, everything was smooth, efficient and we had great customer feedback.
Thank you.
Thomas Hunt.
Seller_YSVJTvJFHSin4
So when you look in the zip file (which by default goes into your Downloads folder), you are not seeing separate .png files for each order?
I just did a bulk shipping and this worked fine.
Seller_JbKPb5vy6mjyw
Hello All
I also had the same issue as i am sending more letter than large letter via Amazon Shipping.
So on Letter when you buy the label then before you print you have the option of choosing Portrait or Landscape so for letter you will choose Landscape and only print the 2nd page of the label.
All letter mail orders have to be printed individually and you cannot bulk buy these labels as you can with Large letter.
I hope this should solve your issue.
Regards
Seller_tRuvBEHDedp4q
There is also Packing Partner which will use the Amazon Buy Shipping API to buy shipping labels directly from Amazon (so for all intents and purposes you are using Buy Shipping in Seller Central with all its benefits).
Labels are then downloaded against each order so can be freely re-printed singly or in bulk. This can be to a 6x4 printer or if you use your own custom sheets with integrated labels you can create layouts of how/where to print them.
If you are using the Zebra thermal label printer I would also recommend changing the driver from the one that comes with the printer to one produced by Seagull. The quality of the labels was much better.
Packing Partner will also integrate with many other marketplaces like eBay and buy labels for those orders from whatever courier you have an account with (like RM C&D) so no messing about with separate interfaces. All orders and all labels in one place. Then you can also print picking/packing lists, create invoices, and upload tracking details automatically… You can create rules for different weights/sizes/marketplace/value etc so that the appropriate label and service is automatically bought.
Admittedly I have never bought a label for a letter (LL yes) but I see no reason why Packing Partner cant buy these - you just set up rules and pass to Amazon the appropriate codes to buy a letter label. This is downloaded into PP and you then print as you want.
OK - yes there is a yearly subscription, but the time saved is well worth it in my opinion.
Seller_oGr715H7BMBjB
So basically, if you buy bulk and have mixed letters and large letter orders, when you try to select ‘Label print orientation’ there is no option for the default png labels. Only two options for the packing slip/label pdf (which if selected, downloads just the pdf with unusable letter labels, no pngs) .
The only way round this farce it seems as far as I can tell is to select only the LL and buy shipping for those, then repeat for letters.
