How to Ship to a customer without an order (if you fix something and need to resend)

[Elizabeth_Schow]

sometimes I need to send an item to a customer and want to do it through Shopify - but it won't allow it. Shippo does, but I would rather use Shopify shipping. It is very frustrating.

[Elias]

Hey, @Elizabeth_Schow.

Thank you for reaching out and sharing this feedback with us.

I can confirm that there isn't a way to purchase a shipping label without creating an order at the moment, so using Shippo would be the one of the alternatives. Nevertheless, I can see how being able to purchase labels using Shopify Shipping without an order can be beneficial for specific instances, and I'd be happy to pass your feedback along to our teams. If Shopify moves forward with any changes to the way shipping labels are purchased, then you'll be able to find it on our changelog and updates page. 

Do you often need to purchase shipping labels without an order? Are there any other instances where you needed shipping labels without an order?

[Elizabeth_Schow]

I have wanted to ship this way a number of times recently. Examples

1. a package I shipped got lost (sent to the wrong address, my mistake)
in New Zealand - I had to remake the order and resend it at my expense -
could not use Shopify to get the best rates and keep it in my system
2. I had a brush that needed to be repaired - I could not send it back
through the system
3. I wanted to send a really great customer a present - could not create
a label using her profiles or past orders.

On Shippo, you can go to a customer's completed order and create a new
label - super easy. Really wish I could do that on Shopify

[Elias]

Hey, @Elizabeth_Schow.

Thank you for following up and providing these scenarios!

I've gone ahead and added more details to this feature request on your behalf. For the time being, please continue to use Shippo for these instances.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to let me know!

[CynthiaESJ]

Hi @Elias I would like to add my vote for this functionality. I don't understand why Shopify won't let us create a label without an order. I also need to create labels for some of the same reasons as above. And the only way to do it is by creating a fake $0 product, putting it into a fake order, fulfilling the fake order and then finally I'm able to make a shipping label. This is a terrible time-waster and also counts in my analytics. 

I've seen input from as far back as 2016 here in the community asking about this functionality - yet it's still not here yet in 2022. I can't understand why...? 

Does @Shopify need more input from us about the need for this? 

cheers,

c-

[Elias]

Hi, @CynthiaESJ.

Thank you for joining the thread and sharing this feedback!

I'm not sure why Shopify doesn't allow creating shipping labels without an order. However, while we do encourage creating shipping labels through draft orders as a workaround, it is possible that this is a requirement set by the carriers as Shopify is an ecommerce platform. Nevertheless, I understand that this functionality is important to you and I'd be happy to add you to this feature request. If Shopify moves forward with any changes to the shipping labels, we'll be sure to announce them on our changelog. 

That being said, since you're also looking for the ability to create labels for customer gifts and returns without an order or using past orders, did you get a chance to check out Shippo? 

[CynthiaESJ]

Hi Elias,
Yes, it is confusing why Shopify doesn’t allow this.

And, yes, I looked at a number of shipping solutions yesterday and after comparing them and my needs I chose Shippo. I installed it and have already created and used two non-order-based labels that I needed. Shippo worked perfectly and thankfully it is free unless you want some of their added features (which I don’t need).

So, for me, I’ve found a solution that will save me a lot of time compared to creating all these fake orders in my Shopify admin. 🙂
cheers
c-

[Elias]

Hi, @CynthiaESJ.

Thank you for following up!

I'm delighted to hear that Shippo can serve as a solution for your store! Shippo is similar to Shopify Shipping and they are absolutely free to use - you only need to pay per label. That being said, while I'm aware that you don't need any of their added features, it may be worth considering Shippo's professional plan if you're spending more than $10 per month on their shipping labels.

The professional plan doesn't charge per label, instead it allows you to choose from various monthly volume packages (eg. 10$/month for 0-60 labels, $25/month for 61-200 labels, etc.). So if you find that you're purchasing enough labels from them every month, then using their professional plan may save you some money and you may get to take advantage of their branded customer experience feature. I'd recommend checking with Shippo after a couple months of use and seeing if their professional plan can benefit you in any way!

It sounds like your business often interacts with customers, as you have an ongoing relationship with them through repairs and gifts. Have you considered using something like Shopify Inbox to interact with customers live on your online store?

[CynthiaESJ]

Hi @Elias, 

I have noticed multiple people across different topics saying Shippo charges per label on the free plan. Maybe they used to charge, but currently (April 2022), they do not charge if you use their carriers. Here is the line from their free "Starter" plan:  

Free to use with no monthly fees or volume restrictions when you use Shippo's carrier accounts.

$0.05 fee will be applied per label when using your own connected carrier account(s).

They have USPS, UPS, DHL and other carriers that would help folks who ship internationally. I have my own accounts with USPS, UPS and FedEx - but I have no compelling reason to connect and use my carrier accounts - unless I want to use FedEx since they don't have FedEx as a Shippo carrier. 

Wow! I feel like we are all working for Shippo with all this Shippo promotion! 😛 

The only reason I want to clarify this information isn't to promote Shippo - but to let other sellers who are frustrated with SHOPIFY know that there is a 100% FREE solution with Shippo.  

Unless you want the added features Shippo offers with the other plan with a monthly fee; there is no cost to using Shippo. I do not need those added features, so I'm set on the free plan. 🙂 

I hope this info helps someone like me who finds this thread while searching for how to print a label on Shopify with no order. The long-term answer is Shopify should fix this, but at least there is a free workaround. 

PS - Thanks for the reminder about Shopify inbox. I just upgraded my theme to their OS2.0 version, so I'm now adding back my apps or looking for new ones that work with OS2.0. I didn't have Shopify's inbox setup for my pre-OS2.0 store, but I'll look at adding it now. I definitely have ongoing customer relationships, so this will help. Thanks! 

cheers,

c-

[AllisonsAddicts]

Just adding my two cents to this thread as this has been frustrating for me too. I most often want to use it for sending out freebie items to customers as thank yous but wanting it to be a surprise.

[Elias]

Hey, @AllisonsAddicts.

Thank you for joining the thread.

If you prefer using Shopify Shipping, then you can always create a separate order for the free item without using the customer's email. This way, you can purchase a shipping label for the free item and surprise your customers. However, this method is slightly more tedious and it will create additional orders. 

Alternatively, you can also consider using Shippo as suggested by @CynthiaESJ, which allows you to purchase additional labels for sending free items to your customers. 

If you have any other questions on this topic, then don't hesitate to let me know!