Buying labels through ShipStation

ShipStation is a multi-carrier shipping platform. Connect it to Scanpacker and you can fetch rates and buy labels from the carriers on your ShipStation account, including ShipStation’s own discounted USPS, UPS, and FedEx rates and any carrier accounts you’ve connected yourself.

This guide covers what’s specific to ShipStation. For the shipping workflow itself, see Shipping label purchase.

ShipStation support is in beta. If you’d like to use it, email support@scanpacker.com and we’ll help you get set up.

Setting up

Your ShipStation plan needs to include API access.

1. In ShipStation, connect the carriers you ship with, or use ShipStation’s own carrier accounts.
2. In ShipStation, go to Settings → Account → API Settings, choose the V2 API, and generate an API key. Generating a new key stops the old one from working, so if another app already uses a key, copy that one instead.
3. In Scanpacker, go to Settings → Shipping Labels, choose ShipStation, and paste the key.
4. Choose a Label format: PDF, or ZPL if you print on a thermal label printer.
5. Click Save Changes.

Scanpacker loads all your carriers and services as soon as the key is saved, so you can choose your default services straight away. If you connect another carrier in ShipStation later, click Reload carriers and services on the same page.

[Screenshot: The Shipping Labels settings page with ShipStation chosen, showing the API key, the label format, and the Reload carriers and services button]

Buying a label

Buying works the same as with any other platform: set the parcel size and weight, fetch rates or pick a preferred service, and buy. A few things are specific to ShipStation:

• Prices include any insurance, delivery confirmation, and other charges the carrier adds, not just the postage.
• Your own box. Rates are for your parcel’s size and weight. USPS envelopes and flat rate boxes aren’t offered.
• Addresses aren’t checked. Scanpacker asks ShipStation not to validate the delivery address, so check unusual addresses before you buy.

Labels and printing

ShipStation labels are 4x6 inch, in the format you chose in settings:

• PDF labels print with the 4x6 Shipping Label (PDF) print type.
• ZPL labels print with the 4x6 Shipping Label (ZPL) print type, straight to a thermal printer.

Make sure that print type has a label printer on each station. Choose the format before you start: a ZPL label can’t be downloaded as a PDF later.

International shipments

For international labels, Scanpacker sends the item details from your products (description, SKU, HS code, country of origin, quantity, weight, and value) and declares the parcel as merchandise, to be returned to you if it can’t be delivered.

If the carrier makes a commercial invoice, Scanpacker keeps it with the label and prints it with the Carrier Generated Forms print type.

Things to watch out for

ShipStation’s own Shopify app. If you also use ShipStation’s Shopify app, it imports your orders into ShipStation separately. A label bought in Scanpacker isn’t linked to that ShipStation order, so it can stay Awaiting Shipment in ShipStation even though the order is fulfilled in Shopify. Buy each order’s label in one place or the other, and take care not to ship it twice.

Voiding a label. Scanpacker doesn’t void labels. To void one, find it in ShipStation. Voided labels are refunded to your ShipStation balance.

Your ShipStation balance. Labels with ShipStation’s own carrier rates are paid from your ShipStation balance, so keep it topped up.

Test labels. ShipStation has no test mode for its regular accounts, so every label you buy is real. Void any you buy while trying things out.

Troubleshooting