An Post Click & Post labels for webshop dispatch

The difficult part of online postage is often keeping the right label with the right order. You can buy a valid label and still attach it to the wrong basket, print an unreadable barcode or send a second carton with a duplicate. A small webshop needs a short routine that connects booking, physical parcel and proof of postage.

This guide deals with outbound Click & Post bought from An Post. Its direct cancellation conditions should not be applied to labels purchased through another platform. If an order uses AirPost, follow the instructions and cancellation process for that actual purchased service rather than cancelling an unrelated transaction in your An Post account.

What do I need before buying an outbound label? #

An Post’s Click & Post page lets you calculate postage and buy a label online. Have the final packed weight, outer dimensions, recipient address and required service ready. Buying postage before the basket is fixed can leave the label wrong when a customer adds an item, changes the destination or requests different delivery.

Use the sealed parcel as the booking input. If your fulfilment routine adds a leaflet, a protective insert or a gift sleeve, include it before weighing. Keep the chosen postal format with the order. A loose product described as a packet can become a parcel once its necessary protection is added.

Select the service your checkout promised and check its acceptance conditions for the contents. A shopping-platform order number identifies the sale; a postal tracking number identifies transport when tracking is included. Store both instead of overwriting your original reference with the carrier’s number.

For exports, An Post’s sending-customs guidance requires electronic customs data for non-EU goods, with the corresponding CN23 attached. Gather accurate descriptions, tariff information and origin before reaching the counter. A delivery address and a successful card payment do not substitute for the export information required by the booked route.

Can the post office print my Click & Post label? #

The current terms allow printing at home or generation at a post-office counter by presenting the required information and the item. They explicitly say that printing is unavailable at PostPoint outlets and parcel lockers. Choose your handover location with this distinction in mind, especially if your packer does not have a working printer.

If you prepare orders elsewhere and the packer prints at the post office, agree how they receive the booking information for each item. Keep the parcel and its reference together during transport. A phone containing several booking emails can be practical, but only if the person handing over can reliably identify which email belongs to which parcel.

Printer failure should not create a second postage purchase by default. First check the supported counter-printing route for the existing booking. If you need to replace a transaction, mark the earlier one as unused and handle cancellation through An Post’s stated process. The intended result is one active usable label per physical parcel.

Where should the label go so the barcode can be scanned? #

An Post’s label guide asks for clear, good-quality printing, secure attachment on the front and no tape over the barcode. Its terms specify the postage mark at the upper right on the front unless otherwise instructed. Test the actual printed output rather than assuming a readable PDF guarantees a readable thermal print.

Remove old delivery labels from reused packaging. An Post’s instructions specifically address this when original packaging is used for a return; the same practical check prevents competing addresses on your outbound carton. Make the current recipient and barcode easy to find. Keep product stickers away from the space needed by the transport label.

Inspect the print after attachment. A crease across the barcode, a label wrapped around a corner or a darkened thermal sheet can interfere with scanning. Reprint the same valid label when only the paper copy is damaged, then dispose of the unusable copy so nobody attaches it to another parcel.

Do not use glossy tape as a way to repair a poor barcode. The instruction to keep tape off that area remains relevant even if the rest of the label is securely attached. If the carton surface cannot hold a label properly, change the attachment method or suitable packaging before handover.

Can I reuse a label when an order needs two boxes? #

No. Both the label guide and terms say that a label is single-use. A two-box order requires a different unique label for each parcel. Reprinting a file gives you another copy of the same label; it does not buy another transport service or create a second tracking identity.

1. 1

   Decide the physical parcel count

   Finish packing before purchasing postage. If one basket becomes two cartons, record that split on the original webshop order.

2. 2

   Assign a unique label to each carton

   Store each booking reference beside its carton’s contents. Avoid sending the same PDF twice as though the second copy were another shipment.

3. 3

   Check recipient and service at attachment

   Match the label to the order and the correct parcel. Retain the second parcel’s tracking details when the selected service includes tracking.

4. 4

   Reconcile both handovers

   Check that evidence covers every physical parcel. One receipt or scan must not hide the second carton still waiting on the packing desk.

Tell the buyer when their order travels as separate parcels, using the tracking information actually available. A support conversation is easier when it can distinguish the carton already delivered from the carton still moving. Keep that distinction even if both cartons originated from a single checkout payment.

Can I cancel a label after a customer changes the order? #

Clause 8.4 permits notifying An Post within 14 days where the item has not been accepted for transmission or the return has not been collected. The conditions also exclude cancellation once the label has been used and the item accepted. Check the original transaction date and physical handover status before requesting a refund.

The terms separately say that buying postage of greater value than required does not produce a credit for the excess. Do not overpay deliberately and assume the difference will be corrected later. If the whole unused purchase needs cancellation, follow the stated procedure rather than treating it as an adjustment to a used shipment.

A cancellation request, its confirmation and the replacement booking belong in the order record. Keep a cancelled label out of the active packing queue. If a label is printed before the buyer changes the address, remove that physical copy before issuing the corrected one; a note in the webshop is not enough.

None of those cancellation provisions establishes that every label expires on day 14. The sources used here do not confirm a single expiry period covering all Click & Post products. For an older unused booking, ask An Post about the exact transaction before handing it over or buying another service.

What proves dispatch, and what does preparation cost? #

The official label instructions say to obtain a receipt as proof of postage. They also require the designated label section to be signed for items shipped outside Ireland. Keep this evidence with the booking and order references. A purchased label or downloaded PDF is evidence of postage purchase, rather than evidence that the carrier received the parcel.

For an AirPost preparation comparison, use its own charging basis. Shared constants checked on 14 October 2026 give a platform charge of €0.85 and a recommended small-parcel preparation payment of €2.25. Together those components are €3.10 for one matching dispatch, before the carrier component.

If one illustrative order is split into two matching small parcels with separate preparation charges, the components double to €6.20. Add both purchased labels and materials, using the sender’s actual agreed fees. This example explains why parcel count matters; it is not an An Post tariff or a complete AirPost quote.

When using AirPost’s shipping-options amount, the platform charge is already inside that amount. Do not add it again. AirPost for webshops explains delegated preparation. For the physical desk, packing equipment helps with supplies; removing labels before recycling covers disposal of old address information.