UPS

ShipStation is a certified UPS Ready® application that allows you to get rates and create domestic and international shipping labels using your negotiated UPS shipping rates. Additionally, UPS offers sustainability options like paperless invoices and their Carbon Neutral program.

US-based accounts also have access via ShipStation to UPS consolidation options like UPS Mail Innovations.

Interested in a UPS account? Sign up with UPS to get started!

Reauthentication required for previously connected accounts!

UPS has upgraded to a new security protocol called OAuth 2.0, which requires all shipping platforms with a UPS connection to reauthenticate their accounts. To learn more about this change, please visit our How to Reauthorize Your UPS Account article.

UPS Requirements

Connection Requirements:

  • An active account with UPS

  • Your UPS account number, account postal code, and account country code

  • Due to recent UPS connection updates, you must be on the most recent version of ShipStation to connect your UPS account.

    If you are unsure if you are using ShipStation Legacy, review our What is ShipStation Legacy? article.

International Requirements:

  • You must include three copies of the commercial invoice with your international shipments if you do not have electronic submission enabled on your UPS account.

Connect a UPS account to ShipStation

To connect your UPS account to ShipStation:

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Your Carriers Add-On

For US- and Canada-based ShipStation accounts, certain plans will require you to enable the Your Carriers add-on before you can connect your carrier accounts. If you have not yet enabled it, you'll be prompted to do so before you can connect your accounts.

  1. Click the Add Carrier button.

    AddCarrier.png
  2. Enter UPS into the search field, then select UPS.

    UPStile.png
  3. Enter your account nickname (this helps you identify your account in ShipStation, account number, account postal code, and account country code. Click Connect.

    Connectbutton.png

    You will be directed to the UPS site to log in to your account.

  4. Enter your username or email, agree to the UPS terms and conditions, and click Continue.

    UPSLogin.png
  5. Enter your password, then click Log In.

    UPSPW.png

    You will see UPS added as a carrier in the Your Carrier Accounts tab.

Available Features for UPS

The ShipStation integration with UPS supports these standard features:

*Requires EDI / Paperless Invoice to be enabled on the UPS account.

Additional UPS Features

The ShipStation integration with UPS allows for these additional features:

Feature

Description

Invoiced carrier

UPS bills you for only the labels you use, which are invoiced monthly to your UPS account. UPS does not charge your account at the time of label creation.

Any UPS labels you create in ShipStation that are NOT used to ship a package will not be invoiced to your account. However, you may still wish to void labels you don't use for improved accuracy in your shipment records.

Enable Negotiated Rates

To see your negotiated rates, you must first enable this in your UPS account in ShipStation. You will need your most recent UPS invoice to complete this process.

Go to Settings > Shipping > Carriers > Your Carrier Accounts and click the action menu for UPS. Choose Carrier Settings and check the Enable Negotiated Rates box. Enter your most recent invoice information in the marked fields and click Save.

🇦🇺 🇳🇿 For Australia and New Zealand-based accounts: When adding your invoice details, be sure to add three leading 0s to the invoice number and enter in 0000 for the Control ID as a placeholder. This will allow you to proceed through the setup.

UPS settings pop-up Select Enable negotiated rates option.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Contact UPS to have EDI enabled for your UPS account via Paperless invoice. Once enabled, ShipStation will automatically submit customs information electronically through the UPS EDI service.

If ShipStation is not able to submit customs information through EDI (either because it's not enabled for your UPS account or because the destination country does not support EDI), you will instead need to print any necessary customs forms and include them with the shipment.

UPS Carbon Neutral Program

By default, all UPS accounts connected to ShipStation are automatically enrolled in the Carbon Neutral program.

If you do not want to participate in the Carbon Neutral program, disable this option in your UPS Settings in ShipStation.

Third-Party and Recipient billing

This option allows you to assign the billing to a third party or recipient UPS account. Use the Other Shipping Options in ShipStation to change billing for a shipment.

You must enter the account number and account zip code of the third-party account. The third-party account must also allow third-party billing. Learn how to apply third-party billing to shipments.

See the Third-Party Billing on UPS International Shipments item in UPS Additional Details for information about Freight Collect (F/C) and Free Domicile (F/D).

Bill duties and taxes to payor of shipping charges (DDP)

Enable this option to be charged duties and taxes on behalf of your international customers.

If you use this option with third-party or recipient billing, the billed account will be responsible for the duties and taxes. Review the article Bill International Duties to Payor of Shipping Charges to learn more.

Add PO# and Invoice # to Commercial Invoices

ShipStation can automatically add the purchase order number and invoice number to the corresponding fields on a commercial invoice if you add specific text to Custom Fields 2 and 3 on the order.

Copy the following text for each field but replace the italicized text with your customer's actual PO # or Invoice #.

  • Custom Field 2: PURCHASE_ORDER_NUMBER| PO #

  • Custom Field 3: INVOICE_NUMBER| customersinvoicenumber

The numbers will appear in the corresponding fields on your commercial invoice:

Sample UPS Commercial Invoice with "Invoice No" and "PO No" fields highlighted in red box.

Saturday Delivery

Enable this option for guaranteed package delivery on a Saturday. You must select this option to guarantee Saturday delivery. If this option is not selected, the package will not be eligible for a UPS Guaranteed Service refund, even if the estimated delivery date shows an estimated delivery on a Saturday.

As of February 6, 2024, UPS Standard includes Saturday residential delivery for shipments to the Greater Toronto area* when shipped from Canada or the US (expanding to Montreal, Labal, Calgary, and Greater Vancouver in March 2024). You do not need to enable the Saturday Delivery option for these shipments. UPS Standard shipments are not eligible for delivery guarantee.

*Eligibility is based on origin postal code, UPS defined Saturday delivery service territory and residential address classification or available UPS Access Point® locations. Eligible origins and destinations will expand throughout 2024.

Visit the UPS Saturday Delivery page for more details.

Dry Ice shipping

Enable this option to let UPS know the package contains dry ice. Visit the UPS Coolants and Refrigerants page for more details.

Shipping Alcohol

If your UPS account is authorized to ship alcohol, you may create your labels in ShipStation.

There is no "contains alcohol" option to select for UPS shipments in ShipStation. However, UPS requires you to use the Adult Signature confirmation option. The package must also include a special alcoholic beverages shipping label indicating the shipment contains alcohol (this label is not provided by ShipStation).

Review the UPS guidelines for shipping alcohol and discuss the requirements with your UPS account manager to ensure your alcohol shipments comply with all UPS requirements.

Additional Handling

Enable this option to inform UPS that the package will require special handling. Visit the UPS Additional Handling page for more information and restrictions.

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 UPS Ground Freight Pricing

US and Canada-based accounts can enable UPS Ground with Freight Pricing. After you add your UPS account to ShipStation, enable Ground Freight Pricing in the UPS Settings pop-up.

When you use this option, you'll need to assign a Freight Classification Code in the shipment's Other Shipping Options.

UPS Ground with Freight Pricing is only available for multi-package UPS shipments that use the shipping service UPS® Ground.

🇺🇸 UPS Consolidation Services

US-based accounts can enable UPS Consolidation services for use in ShipStation. Review the section on UPS Consolidation Services below for more details.

🇺🇸 Supports Unishippers rates

ShipStation can display rates when you use a UPS account obtained through Unishippers, the UPS postage reseller. See this article's section on Unishippers below for more details.

🇺🇸 UPS Shipper Release

US-based account can enable UPS Shipper Release to allow the delivery driver to leave the package without obtaining a signature. Log in to UPS and enable UPS My Choice® to authorize the release of your packages.

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 Collect on Delivery

US, Canada, UK, and Germany-based accounts support Collect on Delivery (C.O.D.).

Enable Collect on Delivery so that UPS will collect funds from the recipient when UPS delivers the package. Visit the UPS Collect on Delivery page for more details.

The carrier can be used to create domestic shipping labels.

The carrier can be used to create international shipping labels.

ShipStation will submit international customs declarations electronically to the carrier.

The carrier can be used to create domestic return labels.

ShipStation will display estimated shipping rates for the carrier based on the connected account information and shipment details.

Shipment insurance, provided by the shipment's selected carrier, can be added to the shipment in ShipStation. This insurance would be in addition to any default coverage already provided by that carrier.

Shipping labels created for this carrier will include a tracking number that can be used to view the shipment status on the carrier's tracking website. Tracking may not be available for all shipping services.

Automatic Tracking

ShipStation can close the day's shipments for the carrier and submit the manifest electronically. The End of Day process may be mandatory or optional, based on the carrier and your account with them. A printable file may or may not be available when submitted electronically - see End of Day (PDF).

ShipStation can close the day's shipments for the carrier and create a printable PDF of the manifest to provide to the carrier. The End of Day process may be mandatory or optional, based on the carrier and your account with them. The file may or may not be submitted electronically - see End of Day (Electronic).

ShipStation can print the store's logo on shipping labels created for this carrier. Label branding may not be available for all services supported by this carrier.

ShipStation can print information on the label as a label message (configure in Label Document Options). The carrier may or may not support all 3 label message fields and label messages may not be available for all services supported by this carrier.

This carrier can be used to create multi-package shipments, where multiple labels are created for a single shipment and the individual packages are linked together in a single shipment record with a master tracking number.

You can connect this carrier to ShipStation multiple times using different accounts and choose which account will be used to create each shipment.

Available Services, Packages, & Confirmation Types

Select your country to see which services, packages, and confirmation types are available to you.

UPS Surcharges

When entering your shipment weight and dimensions into ShipStation, they should accurately reflect the size of the package so the rate returned to ShipStation will be the rate you are actually charged for the shipment. Should the dimensions entered into ShipStation not reflect the actual dimensions of the shipped package, you may be subject to additional fees from UPS.

It is the shipper's responsibility to enter accurate dimensions into ShipStation before creating the label for the shipment!

Over maximum limit surcharges:

  • Packages with an actual weight of more than 150 pounds, or that exceed 108 inches in length, or exceed a total of 165 inches in length plus girth [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined, as measured to determine their billable weight, are not accepted for transportation.

    If UPS finds packages that exceed these limits in the UPS system, the shipments are subject to additional charges. UPS reserves the right in its sole and unlimited discretion to return such packages to the shipper at the shipper’s expense.

  • TThe over maximum limit surcharge is $920.00 USD per package for shipments originating from the US or Canada. Refer to the UPS Daily Rate and Service Guide for the most up-to-date details about this surcharge for shipments originating in other countries.

You can also refer to the UPS Tariff Terms and Conditions of Service for more information about surcharges.

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Branded Labels & Label Messages

For US and Canada-based accounts when using services that support branded labels, the store logo you uploaded to your store's Branding settings will appear in the bottom-right corner of the UPS shipping label.

For services that support label messages, Label Message 1 will print in the first Trx Ref No field. Label Messages 2 and 3 will be combined and printed in the second Trx Ref No field.

UPS label with logo and message locations highlighted.

UPS Return Labels

Label messages will not appear on ShipStation return labels.

🇺🇸 Unishippers

If you have a UPS account through the postage reseller Unishippers (available only to US-based shippers), you can configure your account so your Unishippers rates display in ShipStation. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to enable Unishippers rates to view in ShipStation.

  1. Connect your Unishippers UPS account to ShipStation just like you would a standard UPS account.

    Unishipper Rates

    When connecting the UPS account to ShipStation, do not select the option to Enable Negotiated Rates. Your Unishippers rates are not loaded directly into the UPS account, so this option will not work as expected.

  2. Go to Unishippers' Rate Request Signup form, then fill out and submit the form using your Unishippers account information.

    Unishippers signup form
  3. Go to the Unishippers Account Setup page (be sure you are logged into ShipStation before clicking the link).

    Enter your Unishipper Customer Number as well as the password and username you created in the previous step.

  4. Click Enable Unishippers.

    UPS Unishippers account setup form with arrow pointing to Enable Unishippers button.

After you complete the above steps, you should see this message: "Success! Your Unishippers integration settings have been updated."

Henceforth, you'll see your Unishippers account rates when you get rates for your UPS shipments.

UPS Integration Notes

  • UPS End of Day forms (also known as PLD forms) are unavailable in ShipStation. As a Certified UPS Partner, ShipStation submits all shipment information electronically to UPS when labels are created, so no End of Day process or PLD form is necessary.

    If you require a manifest for record-keeping purposes, you can create a generic shipment manifest by going to Insights > Reports > Shipping Manifest and running the report for your UPS shipments.

  • 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 Rates for UPS are not yet available in the rate browser for Australia or New Zealand-based accounts.

  • Labels created through ShipStation will not appear in your Shipment History on UPS.com.

  • UPS will only display Address Line 1 of the Ship From and Return Addresses. Secondary address information (such as an apartment or suite number) must be added to Address Line 1.

  • Recipient Address Line 1 has a 30-character limit. When the Recipient Address 1 field exceeds this limit ShipStation will automatically wrap to Address Line 2.

  • Shipping dangerous goods is not allowed when creating UPS labels in ShipStation. If you are shipping dangerous goods, you must go through UPS directly.

  • To ship firearms or firearm parts with UPS, you must sign a contract with your account representative. Please note, shipment of firearms or firearm parts is not allowed when using UPS from ShipStation services. You must use your own connected UPS account.

  • Customs Forms: UPS has a 35-character limit on item descriptions. On the customs form, UPS will display the first 35 characters of the item’s description. Any additional characters will not appear.

  • You can import your UPS Worldship® address book into ShipStation by following the instructions in our Transfer UPS Worldship® Address Book to ShipStation help article.

  • UPS reserves the right to adjust which services are eligible for Guaranteed Service Refunds (GSR) and which services receive additional service fees.

    For the most up-to-date information about GSR, please review the UPS Service Guarantee page, the UPS Service Alerts page, or ShipStation's Covid-19 Resource Hub.

  • Third-Party Billing on UPS international shipments: One of two possible codes will appear on the UPS Label for Third-Party Billing on international shipments when you bill duties and taxes to the payor of shipping charges (DDP). The UPS codes represent who pays the billing charges and will depend upon the billing account location:

    • Freight Collect (F/C): The recipient of the package in the shipment destination country pays for all charges (duties and taxes) on the shipment. It is also possible for a third party located within the destination country to pay.

      With Freight Collect (F/C), if the third-party billing account is located outside the destination country, ShipStation cannot bill duties and taxes to that third-party billing account.

    • Free Domicile (F/D): The shipper account, a third party in the shipment origin country, or a third party in a third country pays for all charges (duties and taxes) on the shipment.

      With Free Domicile (F/D), use of a third-party billing account located within the shipment destination country will allow ShipStation to bill duties and taxes to that third-party billing account.

  • Please note that Third-Party Billing with UPS is only available when using your own UPS account. It is not available when using UPS from ShipStation.

  • 🇺🇸 Address validation for US-based accounts: ShipStation uses the Stamps.com address validation tool to determine if an address is residential or commercial. Since UPS determines residential and commercial address status via its own database, there are sometimes cases when the address type determined in ShipStation does not match the UPS determination for the same address. This mismatch can result in the rate estimate differing from the actual amount that UPS bills you for the shipment.

    Address validation in all other countries: The ShipStation address validation tool is not able to determine if an address is considered residential or commercial, so all addresses are treated as commercial addresses. This may cause the estimated rates to be incorrect for some residential UPS shipments.

  • 🇺🇸 UPS High-Value Reports: If the shipment has a declared value over $1,000.00 USD, UPS will return a High-Value Report to ShipStation.

    Review our Generate a UPS High-Value Report help article for details on how to print and other requirements.

  • 🇺🇸 UPS NRI and UPS World Ease value-added services are not supported in ShipStation.

  • 🇺🇸 UPS® Ground Saver Unavailable: UPS® Ground Saver is only available when shipping with UPS from ShipStation. It is not available with your own UPS account.

  • 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 UPS Smart Pickup is not available for UPS shipments created through ShipStation.

UPS Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common issues, potential causes, and troubleshooting tips.

UPS Account Connection Errors

This table provides the most common errors you might experience when attempting to connect your UPS account to ShipStation, along with potential solutions.

Error

Solution

Error: Invalid Account Status

What this means: The account was not active over an extended period of time.

What to do: Contact UPS directly to re-activate the account.

Error: Request cannot be processed, please contact UPS customer service at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX

What this means: This is a billing-related or other UPS account issue.

What to do: Contact UPS at the number provided, and leave a voicemail with your contact information if nobody answers. Other UPS departments cannot typically assist with this error.

Error: PostalCode and/or CountryCode input does not match those associated with the AccountNumber

What this means: The address entered does not match the Primary Contact Information for the account.

What to do: Log in to UPS.com to gather the address information required.

Error: Unable to verify negotiated rates. Please review invoice information and resubmit

What this means: Either an invalid invoice or the account does not have access to negotiated rates.

What to do: If you do not already have access to negotiated rates, do not select the option to Enable Negotiated Rates. If you do not have a recent invoice, you must check with the UPS accounts payable department. You can also get billing help online or call the UPS Billing Department to request a duplicate invoice.

Error: Request cannot be authorized due to invoice not found in UPS billing system

What this means: Either an invalid invoice information or an outdated invoice.

What to do: If you do not have a recent invoice, you must check with the UPS accounts payable department. You can also get billing help online or call the UPS Billing Department to request a duplicate invoice.

Error: Request cannot be authorized due to account is locked out, please try again after 24 hours

What this means: Attempted registration with invalid invoice information too many times.

What to do: Contact UPS directly to unlock the account. Ensure you have the correct invoice information for future attempts.

Error: Missing or Invalid Shipper Number

What this means: Error in UPS account number entered.

What to do: Check the account number entered to ensure there are no spaces and the account number is correct.

Error: Register Web service is temporarily unavailable

What this means: ShipStation unable to register the account with UPS.

What to do: This is a temporary issue typically related to server maintenance. Check the ShipStation status page or contact support for updates.

Error: Licensing system not available

What this means: ShipStation unable to register the account with UPS.

What to do: This is a temporary issue typically related to server maintenance. Check the ShipStation status page or contact support for updates.

UPS Rate & Label Errors

This table describes the most common errors you might experience when getting rates or creating labels with UPS, along with their potential solutions:

Error

Cause & Solution

Error: Missing or Invalid Vendor Collection ID Number.

What it means: The VOEC (VAT On E-Commerce) Tax ID number is either missing or is in the wrong format.

What to do: Ensure the VOEC Tax ID number is present and follows this VOEC (VAT On E-Commerce) Number Format: VOEC2345678

  • Positions 1-4 are "VOEC"

  • Positions 5-11 are numeric digits: 2345678

Apply this in the International settings within ShipStation and make sure it's added to the order you need to process.

Error: “Invalid number of products.”

What it means: UPS can accept up to 100 customs declarations. Attempts to send 101 declarations or more will result in an error.

What to do: If you have more than 100 customs declarations, you must separate them into groups of 100 or fewer to process. To do so, you’ll need to split the order until each shipment in the order has 100 customs declarations or fewer. Once each shipment has only 100 customs declarations, you can create a label for each shipment. For example, if the order had to be split into three shipments, you would generate three labels.

Error: The requested billing option is unavailable between the selected locations

What this means: This error occurs for international labels on packages valued under 100 Euros when you select the option to Bill taxes and duties to the payor of shipping in the Other Shipping Options section.

UPS does not bill duties and taxes if the shipment value, including product cost and shipping cost, is under 100 Euros per day. UPS will block the label from being created due to DDP being not applicable for the shipment since none will be charged to the receiver or shipper.

What to do: Deselect the option to Bill taxes and duties to the payor of shipping in the Other Shipping Options section, then create the label.

Error: The Userid is currently locked out please try again in 5 minutes

What this means: ShipStation's access credentials are out of date and need to be updated.

What to do: Go to Settings > Shipping > Carriers and click the Setting link for UPS. Click the Remove Account action. Once removed, add the account back to ShipStation.

Error: Request cannot be authorized due to account is locked out, please try again after 24 hours

What this means: ShipStation's access credentials are out of date and need to be updated.

What to do: Go to Settings > Shipping > Carriers and click the Setting link for UPS. Click the Remove Account action. Once removed, add the account back to ShipStation.

Error: The accessory is not valid with the selected option

What this means: Your Service, package, or shipping selections not compatible with each other.

What to do: The service and package are not compatible, or an "Other Option" that is not allowed (like Saturday Delivery) is selected for the shipment. Remove any options that are not permitted for the shipment type.

Error: The requested accessory option is unavailable between the selected locations

What this means: You are attempting to ship something by UPS and have selected the Carbon Neutral option in your UPS account settings in ShipStation. The UPS Carbon Neutral Shipping Program is not available between all locations.

What to do: Go to Settings > Shipping > Carriers to edit your UPS settings. Disable the Carbon Neutral option and save your changes.

Error: Missing or invalid shipper number

What this means: Error in UPS account number being used for shipment.

What to do: If seen after successful connection of a UPS account, this error is typically related to Third-Party Billing. Check to ensure Third-Party Billing information is using a valid UPS account.

Error: Missing or invalid ship from company name

What this means: No Company Name in Ship From Address.

What to do: Ship From Company Name is required for some UPS shipments. Either add a Company Name to the Ship From Address or add a Company Name in the Branding tab of the store's settings.

Error: Missing or invalid ship from StateProvinceCode

What this means: UPS wants the 2-digit state code instead the name of the City or Province.

What to do: If shipping to or from an address in the UK, try substituting the state or province for a two-letter code as found on this United Kingdom (GB) State/Province Table. For example, use JJ instead of Edinburgh.

Error: The Shippers shipper number cannot be used for the shipment

What this means: Billing or other UPS account issue.

What to do: Contact UPS directly to discuss the cause of the error and how to resolve it.

Error: The selected number of packages has exceeded the current limit

What this means: You are attempting to void the master label for a multi-package shipment containing more than 20 shipments.

What to do: Contact UPS directly if you wish to void the labels. UPS does not charge for postage until they scan the shipments, so you are not charged for unscanned labels even if you haven't voided them.

DDP
DDP

The carrier can be used to create domestic shipping labels.

The carrier can be used to create international shipping labels.

ShipStation will submit international customs declarations electronically to the carrier.

The carrier can be used to create domestic return labels.

ShipStation will display estimated shipping rates for the carrier based on the connected account information and shipment details.

Shipment insurance, provided by the shipment's selected carrier, can be added to the shipment in ShipStation. This insurance would be in addition to any default coverage already provided by that carrier.

Shipping labels created for this carrier will include a tracking number that can be used to view the shipment status on the carrier's tracking website. Tracking may not be available for all shipping services.

Automatic Tracking

ShipStation can close the day's shipments for the carrier and submit the manifest electronically. The End of Day process may be mandatory or optional, based on the carrier and your account with them. A printable file may or may not be available when submitted electronically - see End of Day (PDF).

ShipStation can close the day's shipments for the carrier and create a printable PDF of the manifest to provide to the carrier. The End of Day process may be mandatory or optional, based on the carrier and your account with them. The file may or may not be submitted electronically - see End of Day (Electronic).

ShipStation can print the store's logo on shipping labels created for this carrier. Label branding may not be available for all services supported by this carrier.

ShipStation can print information on the label as a label message (configure in Label Document Options). The carrier may or may not support all 3 label message fields and label messages may not be available for all services supported by this carrier.

This carrier can be used to create multi-package shipments, where multiple labels are created for a single shipment and the individual packages are linked together in a single shipment record with a master tracking number.

You can connect this carrier to ShipStation multiple times using different accounts and choose which account will be used to create each shipment.

DDP