Exploring my options for USPS Shipping in OpenCart

Version: 1.5.0.4

I'm ready to ship my orders but there is no "ship now" button within OpenCart. I do not have a PayPal account and am unwilling to use PayPal at all, so using their secret shipping link is not an option for me. I've looked at Endicia, and that looks pretty good, but currently it cannot be integrated with OpenCart.

All I really want is to be able to click a "ship now" button, pay for postage, and print out a label with my Zebra LP 2844 thermal printer.

I ship a lot of stuff by First Class, so I need a way to print First Class postage online instead of being forced to go to the post office every day.

What are my options for paying for USPS First Class postage and printing labels with OpenCart?

Qphoria wrote:http://forum.opencart.com/viewtopic.php?t=34490

It is too expensive for what it offers. Things that this extension lacks:

1. Cannot format the label to print using Zebra LP 2844.
2. No setting for printing only the label without the receipt; forces you to print the receipt too every time.
3. Label can only be printed on an 8x11.5" paper and then you have to use a pair of scissors and manually cut out the label, then tape it to your shipment. Unacceptable.
4. Does not tell you what you're going to be paying for postage before you print out your label.
5. Buggy; if you select the wrong shipping method, you are forced to refresh the page in order to select a different shipping method that will work.
6. No explanation what "Module level setting" means, or what "Customer As Originator" is supposed to mean.
7. No explanation as to when, where and how you actually pay for postage. Does this thing automatically cause your debit card to be debited each time you print a label?
8. No ability to print labels in a batch; you have to do one order at a time individually.
9. Can't ship internationally with this extension (a third of my orders will be international so it's not worth it for me to buy this).

For at least your last point: unless I'm mistaken, you won't find any extension that can print First Class Parcel labels for international shipments, because they require a customs form that can't be filled out online.

Johnathan wrote:For at least your last point: unless I'm mistaken, you won't find any extension that can print First Class Parcel labels for international shipments, because they require a customs form that can't be filled out online.

I ship by First Class domestically only. All my international orders are shipped by Express Mail.

Ah, I see. I assumed you were talking about First Class since that's all you mentioned in your first post:

opensource_user wrote:I need a way to print First Class postage online instead of being forced to go to the post office every day.

I'm still searching for a way to pay for postage and print out labels on my computer for domestic First Class, domestic Media Mail and Express Mail International. I would prefer to have a solution that integrates with OpenCart so that I can pay for postage and print labels within the orders area inside OpenCart. However, this is not necessary. I am willing to copy and paste names and addresses into a pay-to-use solution (up to $10/month) as long as I can pay for postage and print out labels on my computer for domestic First Class, domestic Media Mail and Express Mail International.

And it MUST allow HIDDEN postage. I cannot, absolutely cannot have the postage amount displayed on the label. No, no, no and again, no.

I've looked at Stamps.com, which costs $16/mo, and Endicia Standard, which costs about $10/mo. Endicia Standard does NOT allow you to hide the postage paid, so I'd automatically have to use Endicia Premium for about $16/mo.

The question is, does Endicia Premium integrate into OpenCart such that I could just pay for postage and print labels from the Orders area within my store itself? I came across something called Endicia Label Server, which seems to say that Endicia can be integrated with OpenCart directly to allow you do click "Print Label" button and just print and pay for postage within OpenCart instead of having to export or copy and paste to Endicia.

Looks like Stamps.com has the same ability to be integrated into third-party shopping carts as well. I've signed up for a free trial at Stamps.com since Endicia customer support via phone is non-existant; their phone lines are so busy that it hangs up on me.

Does anyone have experience with Stamps.com or Endicia integration into OpenCart? How does this work?

Hi opensource_user,

While Stamps.com does not have a direct integration with OpenCart, we do allow both XML and ODBC imports of data. You can also create a post-back file that will include shipping date, mail class and Delivery Confirmation number that you can upload back into OpenCart if that is possible (not sure if that is allowed in OpenCart).

Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Eric
Stamps.com

They have intergrated ShipRush with OpenCart

http://stamps.shiprush.com/opencart/ope ... ndex.shtml


ShipRush for OpenCart
Fast, integrated shipping for OpenCart sellers.

Why ShipRush?

All new ShipRush v10 for Stamps.com shippers
OpenCart sales automatically appear in ShipRush
Print shipping labels with just a click or two
Auto print packing lists
Tracking numbers automatically post back to OpenCart
Email the buyer with tracking number
Batch label printing
Software, upgrades, and updates are completely free!