Free Return Shipping Labels for Customers

[ajh5408]

Quick preface: I am a seller primarily on Amazon. On we go!

"Free" in this case has two meanings:

1) I want return shipping to be free to my customers (meaning I pay the postage) as most of my products are lightweight and cheap to ship via USPS First Class, so the added value/comfort/convenience to them is more than worth the relatively minimal cost of postage to me.

2) I want the service providing the labels to be free of monthly fees, or any charges for that matter, aside from the cost of shipping. This is largely because of the size of my operation, though I will likely expand to more advanced tools if/when I reach that level.

So here's my dilema: Since I ship my products (usually 3-10 oz) via First Class mail, I'm somewhat limited as to the services available to me. Stamps.com and Endicia (which I understand are popular) charge a monthly fee, so as a low-volume seller, they don't work for me. Amazon won't work since they have a minimum weight which often doesn't align with my that of my products, usually when I am selling a used unit without the original packaging or which is missing some accessories, so it's bound to be lighter.

As a result of this, I currently create labels via PayPal. It works well because I have centralized tracking and payment for Amazon and non-Amazon orders, and I am able to create First Class labels for whatever weight my non-USPS-approved postage meter tells me the product clocks in at. Aside from the eBay logo on the labels, this has worked great for me up until this most recent business development.

So, my first question is this: Any suggestions?

In lieu of suggestions, I have a workaround which I've thought up. The real problem with PayPal is that the return address must be my name and address, but I can configure the delivery address to be whatever I want.

So here's the second question: If I send a customer a label with my name and address as both the sender and the recipient, so long as the origin ZIP is set correctly to the customer's address, will USPS accept it and deliver it without issue? Is this an obscure scenario, or common practice?

I appreciate any input and insight you're willing to put forward! 

[postalchart_com]

Having your address as both return and delivery won't be a problem. If the buyer is uncomfortable with it, they're free to stick their own return address label on top of the return address on the label, and that will be where USPS returns the item to in the event of a problem.

The really big sellers have a Merchandise Return Service permit with USPS ($180/year) and either include a label addressed to the Postage Due Unit in their town, or they generate one as needed in Shipping Assistant which arrives by e-mail.