EZLabels vs. Other Shipping Label Websites: What's the Real Difference?
If you've ever tried to buy a shipping label online, you already know the experience: a dozen tabs open, a calculator in one hand, and the nagging feeling that the rate you're looking at isn't the rate you'll actually pay. Hidden surcharges, surprise "fuel fees," mandatory account minimums, and checkout flows that feel designed to wear you down — it's the industry standard, and it's exhausting.
EZLabels by Ship Center Plus was built to be the opposite of that. No bait-and-switch pricing. No upsell gauntlet. Just real carrier rates, transparent membership discounts, and a label in your inbox in minutes.
Here's the honest, point-by-point breakdown of how EZLabels compares to the other shipping label websites out there.
1. Pricing You Can Actually Understand
Other sites
Most shipping platforms advertise a low "starting rate" that quietly balloons at checkout. You'll see:
- Fuel surcharges added after you've already committed
- Residential delivery fees tacked on for addresses that don't look commercial
- Dimensional weight recalculations that mysteriously increase your cost
- Peak-season surcharges with no warning
- Subscription requirements — you can't even see real rates without creating an account and handing over a credit card
By the time you reach the payment screen, the number bears little resemblance to the number that drew you in.
EZLabels
EZLabels shows you the actual rate you'll pay before you commit to anything. Here's how the pricing works:
- We pull live, wholesale rates from real carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL) through Shippo
- A transparent markup is applied based on your membership tier
- The price you see on the rates page is the price you pay — no fuel surprises, no hidden residential fees, no checkout-time recalculations
And the membership model means the more you ship, the less you pay per label:
| Tier | Monthly Price | Discount on Every Label |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Standard rates |
| Bronze | Low monthly fee | ~10% off every label |
| Gold (Most Popular) | Mid tier | ~20% off every label |
| Diamond Club | Premium tier | ~30% off every label |
No other shipping label site gives you a flat, recurring discount on every single label just for being a member. Most competitors offer one-time promo codes or volume discounts that only kick in after you've shipped hundreds of packages. EZLabels rewards you from label #1.
2. The Checkout Experience
Other sites
The typical shipping label checkout is a maze:
- Create an account (mandatory)
- Verify your email
- Add a payment method
- Accept terms you didn't read
- Get hit with an upsell modal
- Re-enter your address because it "didn't validate"
- Finally pay — and hope the rate hasn't changed
It's not unusual to spend 10–15 minutes buying a single label.
EZLabels
EZLabels uses a streamlined, step-by-step wizard:
- Enter your sender and recipient addresses (with Google-powered address autocomplete)
- Enter your package weight and dimensions
- Compare real carrier rates side-by-side
- Review and pay through a secure, hosted checkout
That's it. The entire flow is designed to take under two minutes for a returning customer. Address autocomplete means you type a few characters and the full address fills in. The rates page shows every carrier, every service level, estimated delivery date, and the exact price — all at once, no clicking through modals.
3. Label Delivery & Tracking
Other sites
Many platforms generate a label, then leave you to figure out tracking on your own. Some email you a tracking number but no link. Some make you log back in to download your label. Some hand you a low-resolution label that won't scan at the carrier counter.
EZLabels
The moment your payment clears, EZLabels:
- Generates a print-ready 4×6 PDF label (the industry-standard size that every carrier accepts)
- Emails it to you instantly — no login required to retrieve it
- Includes a direct tracking link for your specific carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL)
- Sends you a confirmation with the carrier, service, tracking number, and a one-click download link
You can print the label at home on standard paper or a thermal printer, or save the PDF to your phone and print it at our Netcong, NJ store. Your tracking number is live the second the label is generated.
4. Security & Fraud Protection (Without Punishing Honest Customers)
Other sites
Most platforms handle fraud in one of two ways — both bad:
- No protection at all: Anyone can buy labels with stolen cards, and honest customers pay the price through higher overall rates
- Over-aggressive blocking: Legitimate orders get declined with no explanation, no appeal, and no human review — just an error code and a dead checkout
EZLabels
EZLabels uses a trust-score system that protects everyone without punishing good customers:
- Every order is evaluated with a transparent trust score (0–100)
- Orders that flag review triggers are held for manual review by a real person — not auto-rejected
- If your order is held, you get a clear email explaining the status and a timeline — no silent declines
- Approved orders are fulfilled immediately; the system learns from each successful order and rewards trustworthy customers with a higher score over time
This means lower fraud losses (which keeps our rates low) and a fair, human review process (which means you're never locked out by a robot).
5. Membership That Actually Pays for Itself
Other sites
"Membership" on most shipping sites means one thing: a monthly fee that unlocks the ability to see rates. You still pay full price per label. The membership is a cover charge, not a benefit.
EZLabels
EZLabels membership is a straightforward discount engine:
- Gold members save ~20% on every label. Ship 5–10 packages a month and the membership pays for itself.
- Diamond Club members save ~30%. For online sellers and small businesses, this is often the difference between profit and loss on a shipment.
- The discount applies automatically at checkout — no promo codes, no coupons, no "did you remember to apply your discount?" anxiety
- You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime — benefits continue through the end of your billing period
We even show you a savings banner during checkout that tells you exactly how much you're saving on the current shipment, and whether your membership has already paid for itself this month. No other shipping label platform does this.
6. Real Customer Support from a Real Store
Other sites
Most online-only shipping label sites are faceless. If something goes wrong — a label won't scan, a rate seems wrong, a package is stuck — you're filling out a support ticket that goes into a queue. You might hear back in 24 hours. You might not.
EZLabels
EZLabels is built by Ship Center Plus, a real shipping store at 30 Main Street, Netcong, NJ. That means:
- A real phone number and a real email address, answered by real people
- The ability to walk into a physical store if you're local
- Staff who actually ship packages every day and understand the carriers, the rates, and the edge cases
- Accountability that a pure online platform simply can't offer
We're not a tech company pretending to understand shipping. We're a shipping company that built better tech.
7. What EZLabels Doesn't Do
We think it's worth being honest about what we're not:
- We don't offer international customs brokerage. EZLabels is focused on domestic U.S. shipping labels. (Our parent site, shipcenterplus.com, handles international and document shipping separately.)
- We don't have a mobile app. The website is fully mobile-responsive, and labels download as PDFs you can print from any device.
- We don't do freight or LTL shipping. For packages under 150 lbs, we're great. For pallets, you'll want a freight specialist.
We'd rather be excellent at domestic label purchasing than mediocre at everything.
The Bottom Line
| Feature | Other Shipping Sites | EZLabels |
|---|---|---|
| Transparent pricing | Rarely — fees added at checkout | Always — what you see is what you pay |
| Membership discount | Usually just unlocks rate visibility | Flat % off every label, from day one |
| Checkout time | 10–15 minutes | Under 2 minutes for returning users |
| Label format | Varies, often low-res | Print-ready 4×6 PDF, every time |
| Tracking | Sometimes included, often manual | Instant email with direct carrier link |
| Fraud handling | Auto-decline or none | Human review with clear customer communication |
| Support | Ticket queue | Real store, real people, real phone number |
| Hidden fees | Common | None |
If you ship one package a month, EZLabels saves you time and frustration. If you ship fifty, it saves you money — real money, every month, with a membership that pays for itself.
Ready to try it? Create your first label at ezlabels.shipcenterplus.com — no account required to see rates, and your first label is ready in minutes.
EZLabels is a product of Ship Center Plus, 30 Main Street, Netcong, NJ 07857. Questions? Email info@shipcenterplus.com or call us — we're happy to help.
