Shipping labels: types, how to generate and print them [Complete Guide]
Jun 19, 2025
The Shipping Policy: All You Need to Know About the Shipping Label
The shipping label is an official document that proves the shipping company has received the order. It is attached to the shipment to specify the sender's, recipient's, and payment information, as well as tracking details. It can be electronically generated from platforms like OTO with a click of a button and is used to manage and track shipments accurately and efficiently.
What is the proof that the shipping company has received the order from the merchant and delivered it to the end customer?
Certainly, this proof often takes the form of a document, a paper, an invoice, or whatever you want to call it. This proof in the shipping industry is often referred to as a "Shipping Label" or "Shipping Policy" (Boliṣat Shaḥn).
In this article, we will discuss the most important things to know about generating accurate and correct shipping labels for your business, including their content, importance, most common types, and how to create and print them.
Let's start with the definition.
What is a Shipping Label?
It is a document, also called a shipping sticker, that contains information about the shipment, including the sender's address, the recipient's address, shipment details such as weight and dimensions, in addition to the tracking number, shipping method, payment method, and the amount due.
The shipping label is usually attached to the exterior of the shipping box. Shipping labels/policies are commonly used by shipping companies and logistics firms to ensure that parcels are delivered to the correct destination on time and efficiently.
If you are wondering about:
What Does B/L Mean on a Shipping Policy?
The abbreviation B/L on a shipping policy stands for the English term Bill of Lading. It is translated into Arabic as a "Shipping Bond" or "Shipping Policy" and corresponds to the English term (Shipping Label). It is a legal document issued by the carrier or the shipping company.
The shipping policy gains significant importance as it provides a documented record of information that protects the rights of both the sender and the recipient by ensuring the completion of pre-agreed purchase transactions. It performs three fundamental functions:
Proof of receipt of goods from the shipper.
Documentation of the transport contract between the parties.
Identification of the ownership and negotiability of the shipments during the shipping process.
What is an Electronic Shipping Policy (e-B/L)?
It is an electronic version of the paper shipping document, allowing for the automation or digitalization of the functions of the traditional paper shipping policy. Consequently, it offers much better solutions than the traditional document for ensuring the accuracy of data elements and the speed of their circulation. It is accepted like the traditional policy as a receipt for the transport process or as one of the documents proving the ownership of the shipment.
The electronic shipping policy requires two essential and closely related elements:
A legal agreement or a rulebook.
A software application or a technical solution to generate it.
The policies issued by specialized e-commerce companies are among the most prominent examples of this modern type of shipping document, such as Salla's shipping policies, which are delivery policies available to merchants at special prices in cooperation with some active shipping companies in Saudi Arabia.
Key Information Contained in a Shipping Policy
The shipping policy contains numerous data points that guarantee the rights of all parties, including:
The order number and date of registration.
The shipping date or the scheduled time for sending the shipment.
The agreed-upon payment method, and the amount due from the customer that needs to be collected by the shipping company.
Sender's information (usually the merchant), which must include the name, address, and mobile number.
Recipient's information (usually the end customer), which must include the name, address, and mobile number.
The total value of the order.
The items to be transported, and the tracking number (their quantity and detailed weight may also be mentioned).
Information about the shipping company and/or the shipping intermediary performing the transport.
The shipping policy may include special instructions for the transport and handling process, shipment storage requirements, and how to track it. There may also be multiple copies of the policy, and the included information varies according to each shipping company.
[caption id="attachment_1573" align="aligncenter" width="491"] Elements of a shipping label generated from the OTO shipping gateway 👆[/caption]
What is the Shipping Policy Number?
The policy number, also known as the order number, is a unique number determined by the shipping company or carrier and is printed on the policy at the time the goods are accepted for shipping. It is a serial code consisting of two parts:
The first part is the name of the carrying company or a distinctive code identifying one company from another.
The second part is a sequence of numbers, ranging from 6 to 12 digits, the length of which varies based on who issued it.
[caption id="attachment_1574" align="aligncenter" width="534"] An example of a shipping policy from the OTO gateway 👆 You will notice that order numbers usually start with the code OID.[/caption]
This number is highly important given that the majority of shipping policies are negotiable documents, so this negotiation must take place according to precise rules to identify the parties, the nature of the goods being dealt with. Therefore, the shipping policy number identifies both the sender and the recipient, or the exporter and the importer, which facilitates tracking the ownership of the shipment through its number.
This number also contributes to simplifying commercial exchanges by allowing quick recognition of each policy and identifying it among thousands or even millions of others within company databases. It also enables international exchange operators to track the movement of their goods along supply chains from point to point, and provides a standard for security in the document transfer process.
What is the Duration of Shipping Policies?
The validity period of a shipping policy varies depending on the shipping company, but it usually ranges between 5 to 14 days from the date of issuance. Products must be shipped within this period for the policy to be valid. If the period expires, the policy is automatically canceled, and a new one must be issued.
Do Shipping Policies Have Different Types and Forms?
Certainly, there is no fixed template or form for shipping policies. Instead, they are multi-faceted and varied according to the nature of the shipments, the method of transport, and the included details, whether they are international or domestic shipping policies.
First: Types of Shipping Policies Based on the Method of Transport:
Land or Domestic Shipping Policy: This is a document issued for transporting goods from one city to another within the country. Through this document, the merchant authorizes the shipping company to transport their goods to the other city. This document contains all the shipment details, in addition to the signatures of the shipping company driver, the merchant/shipper, or their representative, and the recipient of the shipment.
Air Shipping Policy (Air Waybill - AWB): This document enables the receipt and tracking of shipments—whether international or even domestic—transported by aircraft. It is worth noting that this policy does not differ significantly from the land shipping policy, as both are non-negotiable contracts of carriage. Therefore, once the goods arrive at their destination, they are finally delivered to the consignee or their customs broker.
Sea Shipping Policy (Ocean Bill of Lading): This is a document issued for transporting goods via ships. This type of shipping policy includes multiple forms, each with a different nature and a specific task. These forms include:
Original Sea Shipping Policy: Issued immediately upon loading the shipment aboard the vessel, it is generated for the supplier through the shipping agent and is one of the important documents for the release of the shipment upon arrival at the importing destination.
Straight Bill of Lading: Issued upon payment for the goods. It is non-negotiable, meaning it is addressed only to the consignee specified in the policy data, who can receive the shipment after verifying their identity.
Bearer Bill of Lading: This is negotiable, where the shipment is delivered to the bearer of the policy without the need to present other documents. It is used in cases of purchasing goods with a letter of credit or when the goods are bought and sold more than once.
Express Release Bill of Lading: A document through which suppliers acknowledge in advance the release of shipments to importers immediately upon arrival at their destination.
Container Bill of Lading: A document that proves the contents of the shipment inside the containers, as well as proving the source of the shipment and the container unloading locations.
Second: Types of Shipping Policies Based on the Nature of the Shipment:
Based on this criterion, there are multiple types of shipping policies, including:
Consolidated Shipping Policy: This document is issued to serve suppliers who supply more than one type of commodity and need a single means of transport to ship them. Different types of shipments are gathered into one container, and then a single policy is issued that includes the means of transport used for the different shipments, provided that all goods are shipped by only one means.
Multimodal Shipping Policy: The purpose of issuing this document is to serve suppliers who supply different types of goods but via multiple means of transport. Through the multimodal shipping policy, a multimodal transport contract is issued, where this policy consolidates all the different modes through which the shipments will be transported.
Do International Shipping Policies Differ from Domestic Ones?
Yes, international shipping policies differ from domestic ones:
Domestic shipping policies cover the transport of shipments within the borders of a single country and are usually simpler in terms of procedures and faster in delivery.
International shipping policies, on the other hand, are related to the transport of shipments across international borders, which requires adherence to customs procedures and export/import regulations, in addition to extra details related to insurance and international documentation, which are generally clarified by international shipping companies.
Can Shipping Policies be Purchased?
Policies are not purchased but rather issued. Their value is then deducted from the balance of your store's wallet or your account with the contracted shipping company.
This means that to be able to use shipping policies in your store, you must fund your wallet balance with an amount that covers the value of the policies you intend to use in the future.
Let's take a practical example from the OTO shipping gateway. Suppose you want to ship a shipment via Aramex—let its cost be 30 Saudi Riyals—and you want to print the Aramex shipping label. You can easily do this by creating the order, then selecting this order, and clicking the "Print" button.
Here, you will find that the price of the policy is the same as the cost of the shipment (30 Riyals).
As you notice 👇 you can create and print a normal shipping label or a return shipping label for a returned shipment with a click of a button via OTO.
Thus, it can be said that if you want to purchase an Aramex shipping label, or buy shipping labels for SMSA, DHL, or other shipping companies, you can complete this process through the OTO gateway, by creating a free account and executing the shipping process via the OTO portal, and you will get the shipping policy as an essential part of the shipping process itself. There is absolutely no need to buy them separately from any of the alleged providers of these deceptive services.
How Do I Obtain Shipping Policies?
As mentioned earlier, OTO—the leading shipping gateway in the Arab world and Turkey—allows you to create and print domestic and international shipping policies, whether you are shipping with your own contracts after linking them to your account, or issuing shipping policies at discounted rates with more than 25 local and international shipping and delivery companies.
All you need to do is:
Create the order through your control panel in OTO.
Then go to the "Shipments" section from the side menu and select the "Awaiting Pickup" page.
Next, select the order or orders for which you wish to print the shipping policies.
Then click on the "Print" button, and choose the Shipping Policy (AWB) from the list.
You will then be able to download and print the policy with a single click, whether it is for a new shipment or a returned shipment, which makes it easy for you to manage shipping operations and saves you time and effort.
What are the Discounted Shipping Policies Provided by OTO?
The discounted shipping policies from OTO are smart solutions that allow merchants and individuals to benefit from shipping rates significantly lower than regular prices. This is thanks to the contractual agreements OTO has concluded with more than 25 local and international shipping companies. These discounts can reach up to 90%, without the user needing a direct contract or prior commitment with any company.
These policies aim to:
Reduce operational costs for merchants and e-commerce stores.
Provide high flexibility in choosing the appropriate shipping company based on price and duration.
Complete management from a unified control panel that facilitates printing policies and tracking orders.
📦 Realistic Example: When shipping from Jeddah to Mecca through OTO, you can obtain a shipping policy at a price starting from only 13 Saudi Riyals, compared to a higher price when contracting directly and obligatorily with shipping companies. This price includes shipment tracking, technical support, and the use of the platform and its technical features that organize your shipments and operational processes.
Conclusion: With OTO, you are not just buying a policy; you are benefiting from an integrated system that reduces costs and gives you complete control over shipping operations.
How Do I Know the Shipping Cost?
You can find out the shipping cost by using the price calculators provided by shipping companies, or through OTO's shipping price calculator—also attached to this article—which gives you the ability to compare prices between different shipping companies and estimate the cost based on several factors such as the shipment's weight, dimensions, the distance between the delivery and pickup points, and the type of shipping service required (domestic or international, standard or express).
Conclusion
The process of shipping goods across different countries and regions is one of the most important drivers of the global economy. It is carried out under numerous documents, the most important of which are shipping policies, which are among the most prominent documents used in this process to guarantee the rights of both suppliers and importers. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that all information on the shipping policy is correct and up-to-date to ensure the shipment arrives safely and on time.
In this article, we covered many aspects of this issue, defined what shipping policies are, attempted to resolve the common misunderstanding about how to purchase shipping policies by clarifying the actual, realistic way to generate them, and tried to logically answer one of the most common questions: "How do I buy Aramex shipping policies?"
We hope we have been helpful to you, and if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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