No End-of-Day Close Needed
RocketShipIt does not replace the printing half of UPS WorldShip or FedEx Ship Manager and then hand the upload half back to that software. It replaces both. There is no end-of-day close, no batch upload and no separate "transmit shipments" step for UPS or FedEx.
Why desktop shipping software has an end-of-day step#
WorldShip, FedEx Ship Manager and similar desktop programs keep a local database of the day's shipments. The label prints from that local copy. The carrier does not know about the shipment until the software uploads the batch, which is the End of Day (UPS) or Close (FedEx) step. Until that upload runs the tracking number is not in the carrier's system, the shipment does not appear on your invoice and the package can be refused or held at the hub.
That step exists because the software creates the label offline. It is not a carrier requirement for shipments created any other way.
How RocketShipIt works instead#
Every submitshipment request is a live call to the carrier's shipping API.
RocketShipIt sends the shipment details to UPS or FedEx, the carrier registers
the shipment, assigns the tracking number, and returns the label image. The
label you print is the one the carrier generated for that shipment.
By the time RocketShipIt returns the response:
- The tracking number is already active in the carrier's system.
- The shipment is already tied to your account for billing.
- The driver can scan the package at pickup like any other.
There is nothing left to upload at the end of the day. The same is true for
voids: voidshipment cancels the shipment with the carrier immediately, so a
label you printed and did not use is cancelled in the carrier's system, not
just in a local queue.
If you also want the driver to come to you, createpickup schedules a pickup
through the same API. See the API examples for your carrier.
Do I still need WorldShip or Ship Manager installed?#
No. The RocketShipIt binary (or the Cloud API) talks to the carrier directly. You do not need any carrier desktop software, a carrier supplied printer driver, or a connection to a WorldShip database. Labels come back as PDF, PNG or ZPL and can be printed from your own application; see Shipping Labels and Thermal Printing.
You can keep WorldShip or Ship Manager installed for shipments you make by hand. Shipments created through RocketShipIt will not appear in that software's shipment history because they never passed through it. Use the carrier's website, your invoice, or the tracking numbers RocketShipIt returned to review them.
Carriers and services that use a manifest or scan form#
A few carriers and services have an optional or required end-of-day document
of their own. These are not batch uploads of shipment data; the carrier already
has every shipment. They are a single barcode the driver or postal clerk scans
to give all of the day's packages an acceptance scan at once, or a pickup
document the carrier's contract requires. RocketShipIt creates these through
the createmanifest action so this step stays in your application too.
| Carrier / service | Document | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| USPS, Stamps.com | SCAN form | Optional. Gives every package an "acceptance" scan when the clerk or carrier scans the form instead of when it reaches the sort facility. |
| FedEx Ground, FedEx SmartPost | Ground close report | Optional for API shipments. Handy for SmartPost so the packages show as shipped at pickup rather than at the hub. |
| UPS Ground Saver, UPS Mail Innovations | None | These move through the USPS network. Manifests are handled by UPS; there is no customer-side close for API shipments. |
| Canada Post (contract) | Manifest | Required by the Canada Post contract shipping API. The manifest is the document the driver takes and is what triggers billing. |
| DHL eCommerce, DHL GlobalMail | Manifest / closeout | Required. Packages must be on a closed manifest before the DHL pickup. |
| Amazon Shipping | Collection form | Generated for the driver to scan at pickup. See Amazon Buy Shipping. |
The full response format for createmanifest is in the
request and response format reference.
Example requests:
- FedEx - Create Manifest
- USPS-REST - Create Manifest
- Stamps.com - Create Manifest (Scan Form) by date
- Stamps.com - Create Manifest (Scan Form) by ID
If your carrier is not in the table above there is no end-of-day step at all.