Pre-paid return shipping labels help simplify your reverse logistics by making it easier for customers to ship back their returned items. 

ReturnGO enables you to provide a seamless, intuitive return process including convenient pre-paid return shipping labels.

What Are Pre-Paid Return Shipping Labels? 

Shipping back items with pre-paid return shipping labels is a type of return method, together with Return to Store Location, Ship With Any Carrier, and No Shipment Required. As part of your return policy, you can define the return methods you offer depending on customer, order, or item details.

Offering a variety of return options enables customers to choose their preferred return method and streamlines the return process.

With pre-paid return shipping labels, after a return request is submitted, customers receive pre-paid return shipping labels that include the store’s return address along with a barcode or QR code for easy drop-off at the post office.

Once their return request has been approved, you can send customers pre-paid return shipping labels, and all they have to do is print them out, attach them to the package, and send the items back to you.

ReturnGO enables you to generate pre-paid return shipping labels either through direct integration with a shipping carrier such as USPS, Canada Post, or Australia Post, or through a shipping aggregator such as EasyPost, Sendcloud, or Shippo.

Return shipping labels include information such as: 

• Shipping carrier and service type. 
• Sender and recipient information and their addresses. 
• Shipping barcode and/or QR code. 

The return shipping label is scanned at each stage of the delivery until the package reaches its destination. By integrating with shipping carriers and aggregators, ReturnGO receives tracking information about the status of the return shipment and keeps you updated.

Why is it Important to Provide Pre-Paid Return Shipping Labels?

Providing pre-paid return shipping labels has many benefits including convenience, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.

Pre-paid return shipping labels are important because they:

Provide Convenience for Customers

When a customer uses pre-paid return shipping labels, they don’t have to figure out how to ship their returned items, where to send them, or how much it will cost because they are provided that information in advance.

Improve Return Shipping Cost Transparency

Pre-paid return shipping labels provide customers with cost transparency, since the shipping price, including any return fees, is displayed to them at the end of the return request process.

Reduce Errors 

If you don’t provide pre-paid return shipping labels, customers may fill out your store’s return address incorrectly or put the incorrect postage when trying to return a product, which could cause the package to be sent to the wrong place. 

Simplify the Return Process

Providing pre-paid return shipping labels simplifies the return process for customers and makes it easy and simple for them to return items. 

Prevent Waste

Emailing customers pre-paid return shipping labels that are charged when used or generated is much more eco-friendly than including pre-printed return labels with the original shipment.

Pre-paid return shipping labels are a win-win for all sides involved:

• Your store can control which shipping carrier and service level are used for returns, so you’ll know exactly how much it will cost and how long it will take to receive returned items.

• Customers don’t have to worry about figuring out how to ship back their returned items to your location, making it convenient to return items and get updates on the status of their return shipments.

• Shipping carriers have fewer mislabeled return packages to cause issues, making the reverse logistics process more efficient and accurate.

Setting Up Pre-Paid Return Shipping Labels

When setting up your pre-paid return shipping labels in ReturnGO, you can define which shipping carrier is used, your return address (where returned items should be sent), and the package dimensions that must be used.

Connect shipping carriers with your ReturnGO account to generate pre-paid return shipping labels, ship back returns, and keep you updated in real-time on the status of your return shipments. 

Make sure to define under what conditions customers will be offered to ship back returned items with a pre-paid return shipping label. Some conditions you can add include:

• Categories of products.
• The weight of the product.
• The location of the customer.

How do Pre-Paid Return Shipping Labels Work?

Using ReturnGO’s self-service return portal, customers can easily initiate a return request for the items they want to return. Once their return request is approved, customers immediately get the return shipping label from the return portal and by email, which they can print out, attach to their package and send it back with the selected shipping carrier.

Pre-paid return shipping labels are automatically generated based on the weight and dimensions of the items, your return address, and customer information.

Who Should Pay for Return Shipping Labels?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether your store should offer free return shipping labels or charge customers for return shipping. Base this decision on factors such as your store’s return policy, the type of products being returned, and the cost of return shipping. It’s important to consider your eCommerce store’s specific needs before making any decisions.

Unique Types of Return Shipping Labels

ReturnGO offers a lot of flexibility in return shipping labels in order to make the return process as convenient as possible for all sides involved. One of the ways it does this is by offering QR codes on return shipping labels.

QR Codes

QR codes make it easy for customers to return items they’ve purchased without needing to print a return label. Some shipping carriers provide the option of giving customers a QR code that they can scan at the shipping carrier’s office and the clerk will handle the rest.

Use Pre-Paid Return Shipping Labels to Simplify Your Reverse Logistics Process

Pre-paid return shipping labels can help simplify your reverse logistics by making it easy for customers to ship back returned items. Providing pre-paid return shipping labels makes returns easier, more efficient, and more accurate.

ReturnGO enables you to provide a seamless return process including self-service returns and convenient shipping options.