Shipping API

• USPS
• UPS
• Amazon Merchant Fulfillment
• FedEx
• DHL
• CanadaPost

US Postal Service offers various web tools for integrating shipping options into your web application. They are:

Address information – You need to request authorization to use this API. However, once it is granted, address standardization can be used to correct any errors in staff-entered or customer addresses, or zip code.

Delivery information – Track packages shipped through Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail or Global Express Mail?; check the expected delivery time between the zip codes; check the delivery status of shipped packages with Signature Confirmation? service, Delivery Confirmation service? , Registered Mail or Certified Mail.

Print shipping labels – For signature or delivery confirmation, express or priority mail and international shipping. This allows the customers to print a return shipping label from their own system.

Rate calculators – For both international and domestic shipping.

This shipping API provides may services that developers can integrate usually in XML version, and also in HTML.

Address validation tool (XML) – Allows to verify the shipping address at the order time.

Tracking tool (HTML and XML) – Tracks the shipped packages delivery status. There are two tools called signature tracking tool and traditional tracking tool. They include delivery confirmation with address delivered to and electronic signature.

UPS Shipping (XML) – Integrates UPS based shipping into the corporate environment

UPS Rates and service selection (XML) – Allows the end users to select the right service for your needs. There is a separate tool for international shipping which generates cost estimates for taxes, transportation, duties, license information and locate compliance.

This will provide services like preview all eligible services, create shipment, get shipment, cancel shipment and get service status.

Get eligible shipping services – It will returns list of shipping services available for given address.

Create shipment – Create, purchase shipping and returns a shipping label.

Get shipment – It returns existing already created shipment with shipment ID.

Cancel shipment – This can be used to cancel an existing shipment.

Get service status – This returns the operational status of the Merchant Fulfillment service.

It provides a ship manager API that would allow developers to integrate FedEx shipping, pricing, reporting and tracking services in to their website. Languages options include C++, Java or Virtual Basic. It enables developers to create custom applications to –

• Request a courier for picking up the product
• Determine availability of the service and estimate the cost delivery
• E-mailing the customer at the time of shipping the package including the tracking number
• Print FedEx shipping labels
• Create shipping custom reports
• Integrating tracking data into one’s own order managements system

FedEx offers even test scripts to test the integration.

The various tools offered by DHL via XML language include:

ShipIT – For both international and domestic shipping from US addresses. The website can transmit shipping information to DHL in a standard format and receives real-time response which includes print a return shipment label, data required to format, tracking number and label image.

RateiT – Sending a request to DHL and receiving estimates for all DHL services.

ReturnIT – Similar to ShipIT, your website can transmit return shipping information to DHL.

TrackIT – Tracks DHL packages through your own website. With request, it receives the history and status of DHL shipping, delivery signature and the time and date of delivery.

Electronic Data Interchange – Allows receiving shipping status which can be updates to 18 times a day.