How Billing Works on ShipGenius

Billing on ShipGenius works differently depending on your account tier and history. This article covers how prepaid credits work, how label fees are invoiced, and what autopay does.

Which Tiers Have Billing?

Billing only applies to Plus and above. Core accounts pay per label at checkout using a credit card with a small convenience fee. There's no ongoing billing relationship. Everything in this article applies to Plus, OMS, Warehouse, and 3PL accounts.

How Prepaid Credits Work

Every new Plus account starts with a balance limit of $0. This means your account is in prepay mode: you need a credit balance loaded before you can generate labels. If you attempt to generate a label without sufficient credits, you'll get an error and label generation will be blocked until you top up.

Topping up your balance takes about 30 seconds. Go to Billing in your account settings, enter an amount, and confirm the charge to your card on file. The minimum top-up amount is $100. Your balance is available immediately after payment and you can generate labels right away.

Your prepaid credit balance covers carrier costs when using ShipGenius carrier accounts, and the BYO per-label fee when using BYO carrier accounts.

Label Fees: ShipGenius Accounts vs. BYO Carrier Accounts

How you're billed for labels depends on which carrier account generated them.

ShipGenius Carrier Accounts

When you ship using ShipGenius's UPS or USPS accounts, you pay the label rate. That's it. There is no additional per-label fee. The cost of the label is charged against your prepaid balance or accumulated on your weekly invoice.

BYO Carrier Accounts

When you bring your own carrier account (UPS, USPS NSA, FedEx, DHL, etc.), your carrier bills you for postage and we charge a small fee per label. Labels on ShipGenius rates have no label fee.

Here's how the per-label fee works:

• New accounts: the first 2,500 BYO labels are free. They must be used within 60 days of your account's first production BYO label, and any left after that expire.
• Founder pricing for 6 months from your first production BYO label, from 2¢ down to 1¢ by monthly volume: 2¢ a label for labels 1 to 10,000 in a month, 1.5¢ for labels 10,001 to 25,000, and 1¢ for labels 25,001 and up.
• Existing BYO accounts get founder pricing from launch for 6 months, with no free labels.
• After the founder window: 7¢ a label for labels 1 to 2,500 in a month, 6¢ for labels 2,501 to 10,000, 2.5¢ for labels 10,001 to 25,000, and 2¢ for labels 25,001 and up.

Your monthly count includes every BYO label generated month to date, free labels included, and resets on the 1st of each month (PT). Each label pays the rate of the tier it falls in, so only the labels above a breakpoint get the lower rate.

If a BYO label is voided, the fee is refunded and the label comes out of your monthly count. The carrier-side void is handled directly with your carrier.

How Invoicing Works

As your account establishes a track record of consistent shipping and reliable payment, you can request an invoicing schedule. An invoicing schedule means we give you a balance limit instead of requiring prepaid credits. That's a dollar amount you can ship up to on account before you're charged.

To request an invoicing schedule, contact support. We review accounts manually and set limits based on your shipping history. There's no self-serve path for this. Reach out and we'll take a look at your account.

Weekly Invoice Cycle

Once on an invoicing schedule, your label usage accumulates throughout the week and invoices on a 7-day cycle from your account start date, perpetually. For example, if your account started on a Tuesday, your invoice cuts every Tuesday regardless of calendar month.

Each weekly invoice is a real document you can download from the Billing section of your account. It's also a real charge: your card on file is charged automatically when the invoice cuts.

The invoice includes line items for:

• Carrier charges for labels generated using ShipGenius carrier accounts during the period
• The BYO per-label fee for any BYO carrier account labels generated during the period

Balance Limits and Autopay

Your balance limit is the maximum outstanding amount you can accrue before label generation is blocked. If your usage reaches that limit mid-week, shipping stops until the balance is cleared, either by a manual payment or by your autopay method being charged.

Setting up autopay ensures that if your balance limit is reached, your card is charged automatically so you can keep shipping without interruption. Autopay is optional for Plus accounts but strongly recommended if you're on an invoicing schedule with any meaningful volume. It's required for OMS accounts.

OMS and autopay

Upgrading to OMS requires a saved autopay method. You cannot activate OMS without one. This is set during the upgrade flow.

Summary: Which Payment Setup Applies to You

• New Plus account, no invoicing schedule: Prepay required. Minimum $100 top-up. Labels blocked without sufficient balance.
• Plus account with invoicing schedule: Labels accrue to your weekly invoice up to your balance limit. Autopay optional but recommended.
• OMS account: Autopay required. No monthly subscription. Label usage billed weekly.
• ShipGenius carrier account labels: No per-label fee. You pay the label rate only.
• BYO carrier account labels: new accounts get the first 2,500 free within 60 days, then founder pricing for 6 months, from 2¢ down to 1¢ by monthly volume, then 7¢ down to 2¢. Existing BYO accounts get founder pricing for 6 months from launch, with no free labels. Voids are refunded and don't count.

FAQs

What happens if I run out of prepaid credits mid-shipment?

Label generation will be blocked until you top up. You can add funds in about 30 seconds from the Billing section of your account. The minimum top-up is $100.

How do I request an invoicing schedule?

Contact support. We review accounts manually and will let you know what we can set up based on your shipping history.

Where do I find my invoices?

In the Billing section of your account settings. Every invoice is downloadable and the corresponding charge to your card on file happens automatically when it cuts.

Is there a fee for using ShipGenius carrier accounts?

No per-label fee. You pay the label rate and that's it.

Can I void a BYO label and get the fee back?

Yes. Voiding a BYO carrier account label refunds the fee, and the label comes out of your monthly count. The carrier-side void is handled directly with your carrier.

What's the difference between autopay on Plus vs. OMS?

For OMS accounts, autopay is required. You can't activate OMS without it. For Plus accounts, autopay is optional. In both cases, autopay ensures your card is charged automatically if your balance limit is reached so shipping isn't interrupted.