USPS

When you sell physical products you should decide how you want to ship new orders. USPS can be one of your choices. They ship within the USA and from the USA to over 190 other countries.

You can connect your Ecwid store to USPS to receive their real-time shipping rates. At checkout, customers will see USPS shipping options (Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Retail Ground, etc.) available for their order and shipping address. Each option will show the cost and transit time for that order. Based on this information, a customer can then choose a method and pay for it at checkout. The advantage of using the USPS real-time rates is that customers automatically pay the same shipping rates as you for the order, thus your shipping expenses will always be covered.

Setting up USPS rates

To calculate precise shipping rates at checkout, you will need to set up a USPS shipping method in your store. After that, you can select which USPS shipping services (Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, Retail Ground, etc.) you want to use, connect your USPS account, set a shipping markup if needed, etc.

After setting up USPS methods in your store, customers will see the USPS options and rates for their order at checkout, and they will be able to choose how they want their order to be shipped.

To set up USPS rates in your store:

That’s it! USPS options will start showing up at checkout immediately and USPS retail rates will be calculated by default. If you have negotiated rates with USPS and you want customers to see those rates at checkout, you can connect your own USPS account.

What to do when you get an order:

1. Check the order payment status. Make sure that it’s paid and ready to be shipped.
2. Pick products for the order. Use the Ecwid Control Panel or our mobile apps for iOS or Android to see the list of products the customer ordered. You can also print order invoices if that’s more convenient for you.
3. Pack the order. You can use your own boxes and wrapping or order shipping supplies from USPS. Find advice on how to pack orders on the USPS website. If you want to add a packing slip to the box, you can use the invoice — it contains the list of ordered products. If needed, you can edit the invoice template.

4. Buy a shipping label. You can buy a shipping label right in your Ecwid admin, on the USPS website, in the USPS office, or by using apps from our App Market. Learn more about shipping labels and packing slips.
5. Ship the order. Depending on what you are shipping and where you live, you can go to the USPS office, schedule a pickup, drop small packages in a collection box, or leave the box with an Approved Postal Provider. See which options will work best for you on the USPS website.
6. Assign a tracking number to the order. Once the order is shipped, assign a tracking number to the order in the Ecwid Control Panel. The order status will change to “Shipped,” and the customer will get the tracking number via email which they can use to track their order.

Changing USPS settings

You can start offering USPS options at checkout immediately after adding the USPS method. Default settings will be applied and USPS retail rates will start showing at checkout in your store. However you may want to adjust those settings to fit your business needs.

To edit the USPS settings in your Ecwid store:

1. From your Ecwid admin, go to Shipping & Pickup.
2. In the USPS box click on the Actions menu and choose Edit from the dropdown menu.

You will see different settings where you can change the following:

• Shipping options
  Choose which USPS services you will offer: Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, First-Class Mail, USPS Retail Ground, etc. Enable the options you want to use to ship orders. Customers will see these options at checkout. Learn more about USPS mail & shipping services to choose the shipping methods that will work best for you.
• Show approximate delivery date at checkout
  Turn this on to display the approximate delivery date next to delivery options at checkout. A clearly stated delivery date lets customers understand when they can expect to receive their order, resulting in a higher number of successful sales.
  In the Order preparation time specify how many days it usually takes for you to prepare an order. That time will be taken into account when calculating the delivery date for customers.
  In the Days when you pack orders specify when you pack orders for shipment.
  Set the final time to pack orders in the I pack orders received past this time on the next day box. Your schedule will be taken into account when calculating the delivery date for customers.
• Shipping region
  Select which destination zone the USPS rates will be available for in your store. You can choose to ship all over the world, specify region, country or city or choose a specific zone on map.
  Customers whose address doesn’t fall into the set zone won’t see USPS options at checkout.
• Shipping markup
  Add shipping markup. The markup is a fixed fee that will be added to the USPS rates. Use this setting if you want to increase the shipping rates to cover your shipping expenses.
• Default package size (cm)
  Set default package size. This size will be used to calculate the shipping rates. If all of your products are approximately the same size, you can set the default package size in the shipping settings once and use it for all your products. If your products differ in size, set up product dimensions for each product.
• Minimum order subtotal
  Limit the availability of this shipping method by order subtotal. If the order is below the set amount, this shipping method will be inactive at checkout.
• Internal shipping name
  Enter the name that will be used to refer to this method in the control panel. This name is for internal use only and cannot be seen by customers. The actual names of the shipping methods displayed at checkout are retrieved from the carrier.
• Connect your USPS account. If you have negotiated rates with USPS, you can offer these rates to customers at checkout.
• Package size
  Choose a package size type (regular, large, oversize) and select the mail type you want to offer for domestic and international shipments.

Connecting your USPS account

When you connect your own USPS account to your Ecwid store, you can offer negotiated rates associated with your account. Thus you can offer customers lower shipping rates.

Follow the steps below to connect your USPS account.

Step 1. Get your USPS user ID

1. Create an account on the USPS website: https://registration.shippingapis.com/
2. After you create an account, USPS will email your Web Tools User ID to you.

Step 2. Specify your USPS account details in Ecwid

1. Open your Ecwid Control Panel → Shipping & Pickup.
2. Click on the USPS method to edit it.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Use your own shipping account (advanced way):

4. Enter your USPS Web Tools User ID in the field.
5. Save the changes.

To make sure that the new rates are applied: go to the storefront, add products to your cart, and proceed to checkout. Enter a few different shipping addresses to make sure that your linked account works correctly and that the correct USPS options and rates show up at checkout.

Disconnecting your USPS account

You can easily disconnect your USPS account from the store at anytime if you decide to use our default USPS account for calculating shipping rates.

To disconnect your USPS account:

1. Go to your Ecwid Control Panel → Shipping & Pickup.
2. Click on the USPS method to edit it.
3. Scroll down to the USPS account settings section.
4. Click Switch to default UPS account.

Your USPS account will be disconnected. We will use our USPS account to calculate the shipping rates for your store.

FAQ

Why are the rates in my store different from the USPS rates?

Differences in rates can occur for a number of reasons. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshooting shipping article to find out where the difference is coming from. If you need more help with this problem, this article also describes what info you should send us so that we can check your store from our side.

How do I buy shipping labels?

You can buy and print shipping labels in the USPS post office, on the USPS website, or use the built-in tool in Ecwid admin. Learn more here: Shipping labels.

What is the best package to ship my orders?

To make sure the package arrives safely, wrap your orders in quality packaging.

We recommend trying Arka, eco-friendly custom packaging service at the best prices. Arka has insert, poly mailers, stickers, and tissue paper, and boxes. Use the ecwid15 promo code to buy discounted packaging from Arka. To apply promo code, go to arka.com/ecwid, choose package, customize it if needed, and proceed to checkout where you can enter the code.
You can also use the Arka app from the Ecwid App Market to customize your packaging.

Related articles:

Choosing the right shipping strategy for your store
Sorting delivery options at checkout
Tracking numbers