Shipping Carrier APIs: UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL and More

RocketShipIt connects to the various shipping carrier APIs behind the scenes. Below is some information on some of these:

UPS#

Developer site: https://www.ups.com/upsdeveloperkit

Tips#

The UPS Developer Kit APIs are updated in January and July each year.
Changelog - https://www.ups.com/us/en/help-center/technology-integration/olt/anc.page
UPS no longer requires certification to create production shipping labels.
Your UPS Access Key is the same for dev/test and production
[email protected] is the UPS developer support email
Although UPS supports JSON, it is an afterthought and not a first-class citizen. We (unfortunately) recommend integrating with XML/SOAP.

Endpoints#

(All API URIs are case sensitive)

XML/SOAP

Base URL

https://wwwcie.ups.com/webservices (test)
https://onlinetools.ups.com/webservices (production)

Services:

/Rate
/Ship
/Track
/FreightRate
/Void
/TimeInTransit
/LBRecovery Label Recovery
/Pickup
/XAV Address Validation
/DangerousGoodsUtility
/PreNotification
/PaperlessDocumentAPI (production: https://filexfer.ups.com/webservices/PaperlessDocumentAPI)
/DeniedParty (TradeAbility)
/FreightShip

Quantum View and Locator have a different base URL:

https://wwwcie.ups.com/ups.app/xml/QVEvents (test)
https://onlinetools.ups.com/ups.app/xml/QVEvents (production)

Services:

/QVEvents
/Locator

JSON:

https://wwwcie.ups.com/rest/API (test)
https://onlinetools.ups.com/rest/API (production)

APIs#

Shipping/Rating

Address Validation - City, State, ZIP Verify the city, state, and ZIP or postal code information is valid.
Address Validation - Street Level Verify the street address, city, state, and ZIP or postal code information is valid.
Dangerous Goods - Validate Air, Ground, and International Dangerous Goods (hazardous materials) shipments are acceptable to UPS.
Locator - Global - Find a UPS location or The UPS Store nearest to you.
Pickup - Request a pickup for you or for one of your customers.
Pre-Notification - Notify UPS of Dangerous Goods shipments after shipment processing.
Rating - Compare delivery services and shipping rates to determine the best option for your customers.
Shipping - Validate addresses, compare rates, and print labels for your internal business processes.
Time in Transit - Compare shipping transit times of UPS services.

Visibility#

Quantum View - Stream Quantum View Data via XML over the Web and into internal applications.
Tracking - Provide accurate package status information to your customers.
Tracking - UPS Signature Tracking Automate Proof of Delivery for your shipments.

International Trade#

Paperless Documents - Upload document images and link to your international shipments.
UPS TradeAbility - Generate cost estimates for duties, taxes, and transportation for international shipments; locate compliance and licensing information, and identify restricted trading parties.

FedEx#

Developer site: http://www.fedex.com/us/developer/

Tips#

Changelog - http://www.fedex.com/us/developer/announcements.html
Support email: [email protected]
"Can I ship multiple packages with a single request?" No. Each package requires a ship transaction. However you are able to tie packages together with a master tracking number
Phone support: 1.877.339.2774 (When prompted, please say "FedEx Web Services.")

Endpoints#

Base URL:

https://wsbeta.fedex.com:443/web-services (test)
https://ws.fedex.com:443/web-services (production)

Services:

/locs
/close
/pickup
/rate
/ship
/ValidationAvailabilityAndCommitment
/ship (void)
/async
/cnty CountryService
/dgds Dangerous Goods
/dgld Dangerous Goods
/ifss InFlightShipmentService
/addressvalidation
/locs LocationsService
/openship OpenShip
/uploaddocument UploadDocumentService

APIs#

Rate
Service Availability
Validate Postal Codes
Track
Signature Proof of Delivery
Notification
Search Locations
Create Shipment
Shipment Validation
Return Tag
Cancel Return Tag
ETD/Upload Service
Pickup
Cancel Pickup
Pickup Availability
Express Tag Availability
SmartPost Close
Close Shipment (Ground Only)
Reprint Close Report
Create Email Label
Cancel Email Label
Add Packages
Delete Packages
Create Open Shipment
Delete Open Shipment
Modify Open Shipment
Validate Open Shipment
Confirm Open Shipment
Retrieve Open Shipment
Upload Dangerous Goods Commodity Data (DGDS)
Retrieve Dangerous Goods Shipments (DGLD)
Address Validation
In-Flight Shipment Service

USPS#

RocketShipIt supports both the legacy USPS webtools API and newer REST base API: https://developer.usps.com

Developer site: https://www.usps.com/business/web-tools-apis/welcome.htm

Tips#

"We do not currently offer the ability to pay for postage directly to USPS through Web Tools APIs." You must use Stamps.com or other provider to create postage paid labels.
USPS does offer postage paid labels through eVS and ePostage which RocketShipIt fully supports but there are volume requirements.
Permissions for creating shipping labels without postage are added separately. To get permission, contact [email protected] and include "Web Tools API Access" in the subject line.
Changelog: https://www.usps.com/business/web-tools-apis/welcome.htm

APIs#

Address APIs

Address Validation/Standardization
City and State Lookup
Zip Code Lookup

Tracking & Delivery Information APIs

Tracking
Tracking by Email
Proof of Delivery
Restore Archived Tracking
Return Receipt Electronic

Price Calculator APIs

Domestic Price Calculator
International Price Calculator

Shipping Label APIs: Domestic

Domestic Shipping Labels (Priority Mail, Standard Post, First Class Package Service)
Priority Mail Express Labels
eVS Labels
Hold For Pickup Labels
Merchandise Return Service Labels
Merchandise Return Service Bulk Labels
Open and Distribute™ Labels
Scan Form

Shipping Label APIs: International