As your online business grows, you’re likely looking for ways to make the workflow easier so you can get orders out the door as efficiently as possible. This is where automation comes in handy. The robust Stamps.com software offers automation tools to help ecommerce businesses streamline tasks while minimizing or eliminating the chance for human error.

Here are three ways Stamps.com can help save you time and money through automation:

1. Automatically import orders

Manually typing in address information for a shipping label is a time-consuming task, and one that could lead to errors. Eliminate this process by automatically importing your orders via the Stamps.com Order Import tool.

Stamps.com has direct integrations with eBay, Etsy, Amazon and many other shopping carts. Once connected, Stamps.com will automatically import orders, allow you to print multiple labels, and will then send the tracking information back to your order source.

2. Increase fulfillment processing speed

The faster you can process an order and get the product to the buyer, the happier your customer will be. The longer it takes to deliver packages, the more likely customers are to contact your support center looking for the whereabouts of their package.

Use Stamps.com’s Preset feature for your commonly shipped items. If you find that you are using the same shipping options on many orders, you can create various templates for these options. These templates can consist of mail class, weight, dimensions, and even customs form information. When this template is applied to your order or a group of orders, all of the various shipping choices defined in the template will be applied to the orders selected.

Stamps.com also offers the Shipper Toolbar, which can save you time if your orders are in a database or spreadsheet and you process them individually.  Simply scan a barcode or type an order number and all of the order information will populate, and your shipping label will be ready to print.

3. Lower shipping costs

Shipping costs change every year and identifying the lowest cost option can be challenging. Don’t leave this decision up to your shipping staff.

The Stamps.com BestRate USPS Shipping Rate Comparison Engine automates mail class and shipping rate selection for your packages. Once you set up these rules, Stamps.com will automatically select the best mail class for your package based on the attributes for that specific package, such as box size, delivery time, shipping rate and destination. Want to only ship using Priority Mail? The BestRate tool will select the lowest cost option among all Priority Mail options. Want to save as much money as possible and aren’t worried about delivery times? Try the “Use least expensive mail class” option.

Have any questions about how Stamps.com can help you with automation? Contact us at 1-855-889-7867.

Stamps.com has been named to Forbes Magazine’s Fast Tech 25 List. With a three-year averages sales growth of 42 percent, Stamps.com ranks sixth on the 2017 list of the 25 fastest-growing public tech companies.

Forbes chooses from thousands of publicly traded companies for its Fast Tech 25 List, selecting the top tech companies that stand out for trailing three years of strong, profitable growth combined with industry-leading projected earnings growth for the next three to five years.

The full ranking is as follows:

1. Grubhub
2. Facebook
3. Arista Networks
4. Paycom Software
5. Ellie Mae
6. Stamps.com
7. NetScout Systems
8. Veeva Systems
9. Gigamon
10. Shutterstock
11. Fortinet
12. EPAM Systems
13. Salesforce.com
14. LogMeIn
15. Total System Services
16. CoStar Group
17. Ultimate Software Group
18. Athenahealth
19. Amazon.com
20. Virtusa Corporation
21. Vantiv
22. Alliance Data Systems Corporation
23. PayPal
24. RedHat
25. Alphabet

The next time you pop into the Post Office to drop off a package you might have a new option for handing it over for shipment. The U.S. Postal Service is currently testing Automated Parcel Drop (APD) self-serve kiosks in a handful of Post Office locations.

How does Automated Parcel Drop work?

The APD is a self-service machine with which you can ship packages using pre-paid shipping labels, as well as merchandise return parcels.

Many e-commerce sellers are familiar with dropping off packages at a designated location within the Post Office. As long as your package includes pre-paid shipping label—typically printed from an online postage vendor such as Stamps.com—a seller can bypass the line and simply drop their packages off for delivery. However, this process does not generate an acceptance scan until the USPS employee processes the package, which could be many hours after drop off.

The APD fixes that problem by allowing a seller to scan the label (generating an acceptance scan) and deposit the package inside at the self-service kiosk.

“For our small-business customers and customers that shop online, Automated Parcel Drops make shipping and returning packages a smoother, simpler process,” Kelly Sigmon, USPS Retail and Customer Service Operations VP, said in an article introducing the APD kiosks.

Using an Automated Parcel Drop is a quick process—just scan your package’s pre-paid label barcode, deposit the package through the APD’s door and take your tracking receipt, which notes an acceptance scan date, time and other tracking information. Maximum parcel size the APD machine can accept is 24” by 16” by 12”.

“I love it. You press a button, scan your package, lift the door, place package inside, close it, and it prints a receipt,” says one eBay Community user of the Automated Parcel Drop kiosk located in a Cupertino, California Post Office.

USPS is currently testing the Automated Parcel Drop kiosks in five Post Office locations (in California, Florida, New Work, North Dakota and Virginia) with more installations planned, as well as improvements that will allow APDs to accept packages with labels printed from mobile devices.

If you need to get a package delivered quickly, you can’t beat Priority Mail Express. With overnight delivery to most locations in the U.S. and second-day delivery in outlying areas, this is the fastest USPS domestic shipping service available. The service also includes some great features such as free parcel insurance up to $100 in value, delivery signature confirmation and even a money-back guarantee if your package is not delivered on time.

Sunday and holiday delivery ($12.50 additional fee is required) is also available in many major markets—more than 12,000 ZIP codes across the country! The following list includes every ZIP code where Priority Mail Express Sunday and holiday service is available.

You may not give much thought to the act of sealing up an envelope or package, but that doesn’t mean it’s a trivial step in the mailing or shipping process. We’ve created this FAQ to answer all the questions you may have about sealing shipments before handing them over to the USPS.

What’s the right way to seal a box?

According to USPS, you should tape the opening of your box and reinforce all seams with tape that is 2 inches wide.

What kind of material should I use to seal a box?

You’ve got a few options—USPS says you should use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape, or paper tape.

Packaging tape—plastic, pressure-sensitive tape is easy to use, readily available, and versatile. It easily adheres to multiple surfaces, so can use it to seal boxes as well as poly mailers.

Reinforced packing tape—this tape contains fibers that make it stronger and a good option for heavier shipments.

Paper tape—also known as kraft tape, uses a water-activated tape dispenser (water is what helps bond the tape to the boxes). Paper tape sticks to cardboard but doesn’t adhere to poly mailers or other non-paper surfaces.

Is there anything I can’t use to seal a box?

You should refrain from using twine, cord or string—these materials can get caught in the mail processing equipment. You should also avoid using masking or cellophane tape, as they’re not strong enough for this purpose.

Can I use extra tape to reinforce an overly full USPS envelope or box?

When sealing Priority Mail^® or Priority Mail Express^® Flat Rate boxes and envelopes, the container flaps must be able to close within their normal folds, according to this USPS publication. You can use tape on the flaps and seams to reinforce the envelope or box, but you cannot reconstruct the packaging in any way.

How much tape is TOO much tape?

When using a Flat Rate Envelope or Flat Rate Box, using tape as a reinforcement on the seams and flaps is OK in order to keep the item from breaking open during transit. Encasing a box or envelope is NOT OK. No matter what packaging you use to ship, using too much tape can cost you in more ways than one—first, you’re using up your supplies faster than necessary, plus the extra weight from excessive tape could push you up to a higher weight category.

Can I use tape to affix a shipping label?

Anyone shipping with a PC Postage label (we’re talking about you, Stamps.com customers!) can use extra tape to properly attach a printed label to an envelope or box. However, you should avoid covering the barcodes on a USPS label, as the tape creates a glare that can make it hard for barcode scanners, thus messing up your tracking. Sick of taping labels to packages? Visit the Stamps.com Store to order adhesive labels.