Details about using DHL Express via ShipStation: Requirements, requesting access, features, synching store checkout rates, insurance claims, and other notes.
DHL Express COVID-Related Service Updates!
As of 1 April, 2020, DHL Express will add an emergency situation surcharge for deliveries. You will see this surcharge reflected in your rate estimate and Carrier Fee in ShipStation. For more information about the surcharge, see the DHL Express Emergency Situation Surcharge page.
There are also some temporary service adjustments for Time Definite International Services. See Service Information Corona Virus for up to date information.
DHL Express is an international carrier that provides delivery to almost every country in the world.
DHL Express from ShipStation allows you to create DHL Express labels without the need for a personal DHL Express account and provides discounts of up to 66% off DHL Express retail postage costs.
DHL Express from ShipStation is not available by default. Review the Requirements and Request Access sections below for details on how to add DHL Express from ShipStation to your ShipStation account.
To access DHL Express from ShipStation, you must:
Register your interest in the program. Review the Request Access to DHL Express section below.
Complete your Stamps.com account setup.
Additionally, DHL Express requires a valid recipient email and phone number for each shipment. Be sure these are included on the order when you create a label using DHL Express from ShipStation.
Unlike other carrier carriers available with ShipStation Carrier Services, DHL Express from ShipStation is not enabled automatically. Instead, you must request access first. Once approved, DHL Express from ShipStation will be added to your ShipStation account.
To request access to DHL Express from ShipStation:
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Select the DHL Express tile and click Connect.
Click the link Click here to get started and fill in the necessary fields.
Click Connect.
This GIF illustrates the process:
Approval Can Take Up To 2 Days
The approval process can take up to 2 business days when adding DHL Express from ShipStation. Once approved, DHL Express and Stamps.com will appear under the heading ShipStation Carrier Services in your Carriers & Fulfillment settings.
DHL Express from ShipStation supports the following standard features:
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Common ShipStation Features |
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Additional Features
DHL Express from ShipStation allows for the following additional features:
Feature |
Description |
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Discounted Rates |
DHL Express from ShipStation provides savings up to 60% off standard DHL prices. |
Prepaid postage |
All DHL Express from ShipStation shipments are prepaid and use a single balance to purchase all labels. |
Scheduled Pickups |
You can arrange a one-time pickup or recurring regular pickups with DHL Express. See the Schedule Pickups section below. |
Order DHL Express branded packaging |
You can order DHL Express branded packaging when using DHL Express from ShipStation. To order packaging, contact DHLservices@shipstation.com. Please include the following in your email:
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ShipStation offers the ability to schedule one-time pickups directly in ShipStation. If you ship with DHL Express regularly, you may want to schedule recurring pickups instead.
One-time Pickups
Go to the Shipments tab in ShipStation.
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Choose the Carrier Pickups option in the left-hand sidebar.
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Select DHL Express from the Schedule a Pickup drop-down menu.
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Fill in the requested fields, including a Pickup Contact with Location notes.
If this is your first time scheduling a pickup, you must create the Pickup Contact first. You must enter something into the Location Notes field, even if it is simply "No additional notes".
Click Schedule a Pickup.
If you are unable to successfully schedule your DHL Express pickup in ShipStation's pickup scheduler, you can also use the Schedule a Pickup form on the DHL Express website.
Go to the DHL Express Schedule a Pickup form.
Select No to indicate that you already have a label.
Select I have a DHL Waybill Number.
Enter the waybill number (this is the same as the label's tracking number from ShipStation).
Click Next.
You'll then be prompted to fill in the pickup details to complete the process.
Schedule Recurring Pickups
To schedule recurring pickups, email DHLservices@shipstation.com and our team will work with DHL Express to arrange recurring pickups for you.
ShipStation's relationship with DHL Express allows you to share your discounted DHL Express rates with your customers during their checkout process.
To ensure the DHL Express rates charged at checkout sync as closely as possible to the DHL Express rate you pay in ShipStation, you must first configure DHL Express correctly in your Shopify account. Follow the instructions below to configure DHL Express rates in Shopify.
After you have configured your store, follow the instructions in the Map DHL Express Services in ShipStation section to set ShipStation to automatically apply DHL Express to the proper orders as soon as they import.
Shopify allows you to set shipping options based on the Shipping Zone, which is a country or collection of countries where the recipient is located. Since DHL Express is an international only shipping service, you'll want to create a new shipping service in the Rest of World zone.
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Log in to Shopify and click Settings in the lower left-hand corner of the Shopify admin homepage.
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Click Shipping.
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Find Rest of World in the Shipping rates at checkout section and click Edit.
Rest of World will encompass all international shipping.
If you only want to offer DHL Express to certain countries, you can edit the country-specific Shipping Zone.
If the Shipping Zone you want to use does not exist yet, review this Shopify Shipping Zones article for more information.
You can now configure your DHL Express rates for checkout in one of two ways:
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Option 1: Set static rates manually.
This option sets static rates for a Shipping Zone based on either total order price or total order weight. You can use ShipStation's rate calculator to preview estimated rates to help you evaluate the static prices you want to offer.
Important
Using a static rate like this can result in discrepancies when you compare the actual cost of the label with what the customer pays at checkout. The benefit is it's much easier to highlight static rates in advertisements or promotions, like $50 shipping worldwide! or Free worldwide shipping for orders over $200!
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Option 2: Set calculated rates using Shopify Shipping.
This option determines a calculated rate based on destination postcode, the total weight, and your default package size. It will display that calculated rate for your customers at checkout.
A calculated rate means that your customers will be paying about the same amount for the shipping cost that you'll be paying to ship the order. This option can be helpful if you want to avoid undercharging for shipping.
When using option 2...
The rates your customers will see at checkout are based on the discounted rates offered by Shopify Shipping.
When using DHL Express via ShipStation Carrier Services, the DHL Express rates offered in ShipStation should be roughly equivalent to the rates you'd get if you created the label through Shopify Shipping. However, due to differences in how certain surcharges - like fuel surcharges - are calculated, there may be a slight variation.
If you have your own account with DHL Express connected to ShipStation, the rates you see in ShipStation will be based on the connected DHL Express account, not the Shopify Shipping rates.
To set static DHL Express rates at checkout:
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Scroll down to either the Price based rates or Weight based rates section and click Add Rate.
Choose a name for the shipping option, the minimum and maximum range for the rate, and the shipping cost. You can also select if the shipping option is free or not.
Click Done to save the service.
Create additional services if you want to offer different rate options based on total price or total weight.
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Click Save when you have completed setting up all your services.
To create a calculated rate:
Whichever option you chose, your international customers will now see the DHL Express option you created as an available shipping option during check-out.
You can now configure ShipStation to automatically apply DHL Express Worldwide to these orders as soon as they import.
ShipStation receives the requested shipping service information for orders that import from Shopify. It is shown in the Shipping Info section of the Order Details screen and the Shipping sidebar.
Use ShipStation's Service Mapping option to auto-assign DHL Express to these orders when they import.
There are two ways to do this:
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If orders have already imported, locate an order and click Unmapped next to the Requested Shipping Service.
Set the Service to DHL Express Worldwide with Package as the package type.
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Click Save Changes.
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If orders have not yet imported, map the Requested Shipping Service in the store settings.
Go to
Settings > Selling Channels > Store Setup.Click Edit for the Shopify store (whichever store you wish to map).
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In the Shipping Services tab, click the Add Service Mapping option to create the service mapping manually.
For Shopify static rates: the Requested Shipping Service will be whatever name you entered for the service in Shopify.
For Shopify calculated rates: the Requested Shipping Service is "WORLDWIDE"
Set the Service to DHL Express Worldwide and Package as the package type.
Click Save Settings.
Once the service mapping has been set up, any Shopify order for which the customer has selected DHL Express will automatically have DHL Express Worldwide configured for it in ShipStation. All you have to do is create the label and ship!
Remember the following about DHL Express from ShipStation:
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Requires Approval: Request through the DHL Express tile in the Carriers & Fulfillments settings. ShipStation submits request to DHL and it can take up to 2 business days to receive approval.
DHL Express from ShipStation will not be approved if your existing Stamps.com is on the NSA rate plan.
DHL Express from ShipStation includes only the DHL Express Worldwide and DHL Express Envelope services. Currently, other DHL Express options and services are not available.
Maximum weight and dimensions: The maximum actual weight for individual shipments when using DHL Express is 150 pounds (70 kilograms), and the maximum length is 118 inches (300 centimeters). Packages over those maximum values will not be accepted by DHL Express. The total maximum weight for a multi-piece shipment is 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms).
A valid recipient email and phone number are required to create a label.
Dimensional weight may apply to some shipments. Be sure to include shipment dimensions when getting a rate or creating a label to avoid unexpected charges.
Shipping dangerous goods: You may ship dangerous goods with DHL Express from ShipStation with the proper approvals. Contact ShipStation Support to request the paperwork and get the process started.
Should one of your DHL Express packages get lost or damaged, DHL Express from ShipStation includes standard liability to reimburse you.
You must file claims within 30 days of the date DHL accepted the shipment. Claims are subject to DHL Express's terms and conditions.
Download and fill in the PDF form from DHL Express.
In the DHL Account Number field, either enter “I do not have one” or leave the input field blank since you do not have a DHL Express account number.
Save and submit that PDF to DHLservices@shipstation.com.
Here are some common issues, potential causes, and troubleshooting tips.
Issue |
How to troubleshoot or resolve |
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Error indicates DHL Express can't find the recipient address when attempting to create labels. |
Typically these errors will be displayed in one of two ways:
Both of these errors indicate that the recipient address is not formatted properly for DHL Express shipments. Compare the address details using the DHL Compatibility Tool and correct the address where needed. |
Error: Validation: Pickup location notes must be provided TransactionID=XXXXX |
When scheduling a pickup within ShipStation, the Pickup Contact must have some content in the Location Notes. It can be something like "No Additional Notes". To fix this issue, create a new Pickup Contact identical to the original but add something to the Location Notes. |