Using Parcelforce with ShipStation Carrier Services

Start creating Parcelforce labels right away through ShipStation Carrier Services. 

Parcelforce offers domestic service to England, Scotland & Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Scottish Highlands and Islands, and Scilly Isles. 

Parcelforce offers international service to 32 countries (listed in the rate table below). 

 

Click a link to jump to a specific section:

1. Creating Your First Parcelforce Label
2. Track Your Parcel
3. Returns
4. Settings
5. Shipment Reports
6. Parcelforce Rates
7. Additional Information

 

Creating Your First Parcelforce Label

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For brand new ShipStation users, first provide ShipStation with your Ship From address. 

1. Go to Settings > Shipping > Ship From Address and click +Add a Ship From Location.  
2. Enter the address you will be shipping from, and name the Ship From Location. This name appears in the Ship From drop-down menu when you are shipping an order.  
3. Click Save Changes.
4. Go back to the Orders tab. 

IMPORTANT: Be sure to fill in the Phone Number field. The Phone Number field in the Ship From Location is required to successfully print labels through ShipStation Carrier Services. 

 

In the orders tab

1. Select an order from the Orders grid (if no orders are visible, either import orders from your selling channel or create a manual order).
2. Choose a Parcelforce service from the Service menu. 
3. Choose Package from the Package menu. 
4. Enter the weight and dimensions of your package. 
   • ShipStation will automatically display the rate for your package.
5. Click Create Label. 
   
   • The Order Summary screen will appear. If you have not entered your payment method for ShipStation Carrier Services, you will be prompted to set it up. 
6. Click Set Up. 
7. Enter your payment information. 
8. Click Add Payment and Continue. 
9. Agree to the Terms and Conditions. 
10. Click Add Funds & Create Label. 

Congrats! You just created your first label. 

 

In the Print Label pop-up, choose how you want to print the label. 

• Print via ShipStation Connect requires additional configuration for the initial print. 
• Preview in Browser shows a PDF preview of your label directly in the browser and allows you to print to any local or networked printer available to your workstation. 
• Download a PDF downloads the label PDF file so you can view and print it through any PDF viewer you choose (like Adobe Acrobat or MacOS Preview) to any local or network printer available to your workstation. 

 

This GIF demonstrates the process:

 *This example uses Hermes with ShipStation Carrier Services, but the process for Parcelforce services is the same.

 

Track Your Parcel 

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Once you've dispatched your order, ShipStation creates a shipment record in the Shipments tab, which also includes the Tracking #. 

To track the order: 

1. Go to the Shipments tab. 
2. Click the tracking number of the parcel you'd like to track.  

You'll be automatically redirected to the Parcelforce tracking page, which will display Parcelforce tracking updates as they become available. 

 

Returns

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You can create return labels for your domestic parcels using either the Express 24 or Express 48 services. Your customers will then need to drop these packages off at a local PO to be returned.

For step-by-step instructions on creating a return label in ShipStation, review the article How do I Create a Return Label? 

The return label you create will automatically use the Return Address you set in the Ship From Location used for the outbound delivery.

You can use these Parcelforce services even if the parcel was delivered using another courier's service.

 

Self-Service Returns

In addition to creating return labels directly in ShipStation, you can also set up a branded returns portal to allow your customers to initiate their own returns and print their own return labels. You can configure which service your customers are allowed to use, which items are returnable, and how many days your customer has to initiate a return. 

Please review our article How do I Set Up the Branded Returns Portal? to learn about the feature and how to configure it.

 

Please note: At this time, returns for international parcels are not supported in ShipStation. 

 

Settings

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Here is how ShipStation Carrier Services appears in your Carriers & Fulfillment account settings: 

 

• Add Funds: Allows you to manually add funds to your ShipStation Carrier Services balance and to set up Auto-funding using your payment method. With auto-funding, ShipStation will automatically charge your payment method to add a preset amount to your ShipStation Carrier Services balance once the balance falls below the threshold you set. 
  • The minimum amount you can add to your balance or set for auto-funding is £10.

  • The maximum amount you can add to your balance or set for auto-funding is £5,000. If you need to raise this threshold, please contact our support team. 

• Services: Allows you to show and hide the various services provided for each carrier (this is useful if you use only certain services and want to prevent your warehouse staff from choosing services you do not wish them to use).
  • Currently, ShipStation Carrier Services offers 7 different Parcelforce services.
• Add a Provider Account: Allows you to connect other couriers we integrate with if you already have an account with them. Available options include Royal Mail, Hermes Corporate, UPS UK, FedEx UK, DHL Express UK, and Fulfillment by Amazon UK.

 

Shipment Reports

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To check your daily, weekly, or monthly shipment totals, you can use Filters on the Shipments tab to view them and export a shipment report if needed. 

FILTERS

1. Go to the Shipments tab. 
2. Select Parcelforce from the Carrier filter drop-down menu. 
3. Set your desired date range from the Ship Date filter drop-down menu. 

The number of rows indicated in the bottom left of your Shipments grid indicates how many shipments for that carrier and date range. 

 

EXPORT A REPORT 

After setting your Carrier and Ship Date filters, as shown above, export a report in a CSV format: 

1. Click the Export action menu. 
2. Choose Shipped Orders.
3. Click Export ALL record(s) in the current view.
4. Select the report you wish to export (or create a new custom report) 
5. Click Export. 

Your report will automatically download as a CSV file when it is ready.

 

Parcelforce Rates 

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The tables below show the rates available for Parcelforce drop-off services through ShipStation Carrier Services. Check the Parcelforce branch finder to find a drop off location near you. Rates do not include VAT.

NOTE: Collection services not yet available.  

Zones, weight, dimensions

Zone definitions as defined by Parcelforce

• Zone 1: England, Wales & Scotland (excluding Highlands & islands)
• Zone 2: Highlands & Islands of Scotland
• Zone 3: Isle of Man & Isle of Scilly
• Northern Ireland

Parcel Weight limit for all services (domestic and international): ≤30KG

Max Parcel Dimensions: 

• All services except Express 48 Large: 1.5m length and length + girth = ≤3m
• Express 48 Large: 2.5m length and length + girth = ≤5m

Domestic Rates

Ship From Zone	Ship To Zone	Available Services	Rate
Zone 1	Zone 1 & Northern Ireland	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85
		Express AM - Post Office Drop	£10.29
		Express 10 - Post Office Drop	£14.70
		Express 9 - Post Office Drop	£18.29
		Express 48 Large - Depot Drop Off	£27.28
	Zone 2 & 3	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85
Zone 2	Zone 1, 2, 3 & Northern Ireland	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85
Zone 3	Zone 1, 2, 3 & Northern Ireland	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85
Northern Ireland	Zone 1 & Northern Ireland	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85
		Express AM - Post Office Drop	£10.29
		Express 10 - Post Office Drop	£14.70
		Express 9 - Post Office Drop UK	£18.29
		Express 48 Large - Depot Drop Off	£27.28
	Zone 2 & 3	Express 48 - Post Office Drop	£7.65
		Express 24 - Post Office Drop	£8.85

 

International Service

Parcelforce through ShipStation Carrier Services currently uses the Euro Priority Home service for all parcels.  

International Rates

All available countries for Parcelforce through ShipStation Carrier Services are listed in the table below. Countries not listed do not currently have service through this carrier method. As service to more countries becomes available, we will update this table accordingly. 

Ship To Country	Rate	Ship To Country	Rate
Jersey	£16.83	Czech Republic	£20.90
Channel Islands & Guemsey	£16.94	Estonia	£34.21
Ireland (Republic of)	£15.31	Finland	£21.55
Belguim	£12.97	Gibralter	£79.75
Luxembourg	£19.36	Hungary	£17.60
Netherlands	£16.89	Latvia	£33.66
Denmark	£22.94	Lithuania	£28.33
France	£15.18	Malta	£56.60
Germany	£15.24	Norway	£35.26
Italy	£17.49	Poland	£27.02
Spain	£26.51	Romania	£27.50
Greece	£32.18	Slovakia & Slovenia	£17.60
Portugal	£26.73	Sweden	£47.03
Austria	£19.25	Switzerland	£34.32
Bulgaria	£27.50	Turkey	£31.79
Canary Islands	£62.04	Croatia	£40.70

 

Note: Rates may vary slightly. If the rates displayed in ShipStation vary significantly from these rates, please contact our support team. 

 

Additional Information

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• Parcelforce labels include the order number on the label in the Sender's Ref field.
• Dimensions are required for all parcels using ShipStation Carrier Services, no matter which carrier you select.
• When using the rate calculator to estimate rates, do not select a Service Class. Only Show All will display results.
• Parcelforce requires both a first name and last name in the Ship To and Ship From addresses.
• If a rate is not displayed for a Parcelforce shipment, try adjusting the weight and getting rate again.
• Postage transaction will appear as ShipStation Carrier Services, not Parcelforce, on your credit card statement
• Parcelforce shipments created through ShipStation Carrier Services are eligible for the standard £100 or £200 insurance coverage for loss, damage or theft of items, depending on the service used.
  • See Parcelforce's page on Inclusive compensation for the details on the standard coverage level for each Parcelforce service.
  • No enhanced compensation or carrier insurance is available for Parcelforce shipments through ShipStation Carrier Services. If you'd like to add insurance to your shipments, you must purchase from a third party. 
• Parcelforce labels cannot be voided at this time.
• If you'd like to ship your parcels with another courier, you can add another courier account to ShipStation at any time. We currently support Royal Mail (online business accounts), DPD, UPS UK, FedEx UK, and DHL Express.
• When entering a UK address in ShipStation, a State field will be present. You can enter the city name in both the City and State fields.