Swap has its own label printing software, Swap Label Printer (SLP), which you can use to generate shipping labels via the Swap portal. This also gives Swap full control over the associated commercial invoices, which ensures that you, as a brand, remain compliant when shipping internationally.
If you are interested in using Swap Label Printer, please contact your Swap onboarding or account manager. They will create your account and guide you through the initial setup. There is no need to complete any setup steps yourself.
Below you will find an overview of how Swap Label Printer works, along with prerequisites, day-to-day usage, and common best practices.
Prerequisites
Before Swap Label Printer can be set up, please ensure the following:
Products have HS codes configured
Products have a country of origin configured
Product weights are set for international shipments
If you already have compliant customs descriptions, please share these with your Swap onboarding or account manager so they can be uploaded to the portal.
How Swap Label Printer Works
Swap Label Printer is fully set up and managed by the Swap team to ensure accuracy and compliance.
Portal Setup
Your Swap Onboarding Specialist will:
Create and set up the label portal
Connect the portal to your Shopify store
Add and configure the relevant shipping carriers
End-to-End Testing
Once setup is complete, the Swap team will run a full cross-border test order.
This includes:
Creating a test international order in Orders
Verifying that the shipping label renders correctly in your chosen format
Verifying that the information on the shipping label and Commercial Invoice is correct
Confirming that tracking propagates as expected through your store or WMS workflow
Day-to-Day Usage
Once live, your warehouse team can generate labels directly from the Swap portal.
Typical workflow:
In Orders, select the order or orders you want to ship
Click Generate label
Print the label
This can be done for individual orders or in batches.
Commercial Invoices are automatically generated by Swap and sent electronically to the carrier.
If a label fails to generate, it may be due to various reasons such as invalid or incomplete shipping addresses, items with £0 value, or carrier limitations. Below are detailed troubleshooting steps to resolve these issues:
Verify the shipping address for completeness and accuracy, including street, city, postal code, and country details. Correct any errors and retry label generation.
Assign a non-zero value to items with £0 value in your warehouse management system and retry.
If the carrier does not service the route, consider using an alternative carrier or method.
The Swap team will be on hand to support you with any label-related issues.
Common Causes of Label Generation Failures
1. Invalid or Incomplete Shipping Address
Shipping labels may fail to generate if the shipping address is invalid or incomplete. This includes errors in Address Line 1, missing postal codes, or incorrect country information. Solution:
Verify the shipping address for completeness and accuracy, including street, city, postal code, and country details.
Correct any errors in your Swap portal.
Attempt to generate the label again after updating the address.
2. Orders Containing Items with £0 Value
Shipping labels cannot be generated for orders that include items with a £0 value. Solution:
Assign a non-zero value to each item in your Swap portal.
Retry generating the shipping label after updating the item values.
3. Carrier and Service Limitations
Some carriers may not service the origin or destination address, or certain types of orders may not be supported by specific services.
Solution: For example, DHL may not support shipping from certain areas, such as remote locations or regions without nearby DHL service points. Returns from Northern Ireland to the Netherlands are one such case where DHL service is unavailable.
If the carrier does not service the route, consider using an alternative carrier that covers the origin and destination. Common alternatives include UPS and FedEx. Add an alternative carrier to your carrier options and regenerate the shipping or return label. If a pre-generated label from an alternative carrier is available, use it to proceed with the shipment.
For unsupported international exchange orders, process the shipment using a bypass rate or an alternative method provided by the carrier. If none of the above solutions resolve the issue, please request a manual label. Ensure that your Swap portal is updated with the latest carrier integrations and settings. Additionally, verify the availability of drop-off points for the selected carrier and confirm that the alternative carrier services the destination address to avoid further delays.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Missing HS codes, country of origin, or weights for international shipments
Incomplete or non-compliant customs descriptions
Address characters that are not supported by certain carriers
If a label fails due to missing or incorrect data, update the relevant product information, such as HS codes, country of origin, or weights. For address-related issues, verify and correct the shipping address. For carrier-related issues, switch to an alternative carrier or service.