A shipping label is a type of an identifiable label that helps describe your shipment, with details including its point of origin, its destination, and so on. Without a clear shipping label, your shipment can be delayed in transit, delivered to the wrong address, or be lost entirely.
If you’re unsure on the best practices when it comes to shipping labels, this article will help you better understand:
Common Mistakes in Labelling
Seagull Scientific has published a list of common mistakes in shipping labelling that we are reproducing here:
Poor labelling materials: misplaced or damaged barcodes, incorrect data and poor printing can lead to costly recalls, reprints and inefficiencies that affect the entire supply chain.
Localisation: meeting requirements and regulations in specific countries and/or regions is important to ensure proper information is communicated in the correct language and style.
Poor supply chain visibility: labelling processes are siloed between different stakeholders making for an inefficient and often redundant process.
Expanding business: when an organisation expands into new regions, whether through manufacturing or distribution, it adds further labelling complexities.
Evolving regulations and requirements: each industry is constantly evolving to include new requirements for labelling to address regulatory standards or industry-specific nuances that need to be accommodated.
Labelling best practices
The following are some best practices to follow when creating your shipping label:
Do’s with shipping labels
Use thermal printing and paper for your shipping label. Benefits of using a thermal printer include higher-quality printing and resistance to UV rays, liquids/oils, and volatile weather conditions.
If you do not have a thermal printer or paper, we highly recommend using dark printer ink to ensure the text and the barcode on the shipping label is readable.
Use a plastic packing slip to further ensure your shipping label is impervious in rainy weather.
If the contents of your shipment require special instruction, make a note of it on the package. This could mean labelling it ‘Fragile’, ‘Perishable’, or ‘Flammable’. You may also want to note if the shipment needs to be ‘This Side Up’.
Labels should be placed, fully visible, on the top of your shipment, especially if there is a ‘This Side Up’ instruction.
Don’ts with shipping labels
Ensure the shipping label is not creased or folded over any edges, as this could obscure important information or make it unscannable for our network partners.
Do not write or cross out any sections using markers on Luwjistik’s shipping label.
If you are using your own shipping label, ensure you do not cover or place it on top of Luwjistik’s shipping label.
Do not use a shipping label that is damaged in any way. In the event a shipping label has been placed improperly on your shipment, simply remove the label and paste a new label instead.
Shipping Labels with Luwjistik
With Luwjistik, we are able to avoid the common mistakes above by using a universal label for all our services, providing a standardised and seamless experience across our entire network of partners. A label must thus be properly placed on your shipments for our network partners to successfully scan it. In the event a label has not been properly placed, the parcel status may show a delayed status resulting in a delayed shipment.
Here is a sample of a shipping label that you are able to generate on the Orders page on Marketplace once you have successfully uploaded your orders:
If you encounter any issues during shipment, contact our support team at [email protected] for further information and assistance.