Get started
Get from install to your first label in three short steps — about 5 minutes total.
Introduction
Avada Shipping Labels takes about 5 minutes to set up. You install the app from the Shopify App Store, save your ship-from address during onboarding, then connect your shipping account so Avada can fetch rates and buy labels on your behalf.
The setup is one-time. After it's done, every Shopify order shows up in Orders ready to compare rates and ship.
Step 1 — Install the app
Avada Shipping Labels is distributed through the Shopify App Store. Installation is free and only requires the standard Shopify permissions to read your orders and update fulfillments.
1.1. Open the Avada Shipping Labels listing (opens in a new tab) on the Shopify App Store and click Install.
1.2. Review the permissions requested by the app and click Install app to confirm.
1.3. Shopify redirects you into the app. The first screen is the onboarding form for your ship-from address.
Step 2 — Complete onboarding
The very first time you open Avada Shipping Labels, you see a Welcome screen with a single form: your ship-from address. This address is used to quote real rates, schedule carrier pickups, and print the return info your customers see on every parcel. You can edit it later in Settings → Warehouse address.
Carriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL also need a valid contact phone number to print labels.
2.1. Fill in Full name, Company (optional), and Phone. Phone must include the country code, for example +1 555 123 4567.
2.2. Choose your Country / Region, then enter the Address, City, State / Province, and ZIP / Postal code.
2.3. Click Save and continue. The button shows Saving… while submitting and Saved once complete, then takes you straight to the Orders screen.
Step 3 — Connect your shipping account
Avada uses EasyPost (opens in a new tab) as the carrier integration behind the scenes. EasyPost gives you instant access to USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and more from a single account — no per-carrier negotiations or contracts. You only need to paste an API key once.
EasyPost gives you two API keys:
- Test key (
EZTK…) — Free, no credit card. Returns sample rates and labels you can print but not actually ship. Perfect while setting up. - Production key (
EZAK…) — Required to buy real labels. Charges your EasyPost wallet for each label.
Avada auto-detects which mode you pasted and shows it in the connection banner.
3.1. Sign up for a free account at easypost.com (opens in a new tab). Email only, no credit card required for Test keys. Verify your email when EasyPost sends the link.
3.2. In your EasyPost dashboard, go to Account Settings → API keys. Copy your Test key (EZTK…) for setup, then swap in your Production key (EZAK…) when you're ready to ship real orders.
3.3. In Avada Shipping Labels, open Settings → API keys and paste the key into the API key field. The help text shows Detected: Test mode or Detected: Production mode as soon as you type the prefix.
3.4. Click Connect. Avada verifies the key before saving and shows a green Connected banner with the last verified date.
Tips & best practices
- Start in Test mode. You can fetch rates and "buy" sample labels without spending money.
- When you're ready to ship for real, swap to your Production key — Avada re-verifies and updates the banner immediately.
- A valid contact phone is required for UPS, FedEx, and DHL labels. USPS works without it, but we recommend filling it in anyway.
- If you ship from multiple warehouses, set the warehouse address to your primary location and switch in Settings when needed.
Overall
Three steps and you're done. Once the Connected banner is green, head to the Orders screen to fetch your first rates and buy a label.