Compare Rates with the Toolbar Calculator

Explains how to compare estimated shipping rates when using the Rate Calculator in the navigation toolbar.

Using the ShipStation Rate Calculator, you can enter shipment details to compare the rates between the postage providers connected to your ShipStation account.

You may want to do this in-the-moment to find the best rate for a specific shipment or use it to develop a more long-term strategy. For example, if most of your shipments fall within a specific weight and size range, use the Rate Calculator early on to determine which carrier and service you’ll want to use for most of these shipments. You can then automate the selection by creating an automation rule to auto-assign these settings to the right shipments.

To compare rates with the toolbar calculator:

  1. Click the Rate Calculator icon in the toolbar.

    V3 Toolbar with rate calculator icon highlighted.
  2. Enter the necessary information for the rates you'd like to see. 

    Minimum required information: Ship-From Location, Ship-To Postal Code, Country, and Weight. 

    Rate Browser popup. 3 red boxes highlight: 1. Ship From location, 2. Ship To location, & 3. Shipment Information.
  3. Click Browse Rates

    ShipStation will display the carriers, service types, estimated delivery times from the carrier (if available), and rates.

    Rate Browser pop-up from the ToolBar. Shows sample rates information for Stamps.com
  4. Click the carrier name to see the available services options and rates for that carrier.

Connected Carriers Only

The ShipStation Rate Calculator will only display rates for carriers you have connected to your account. ShipStation cannot display sample rates for carriers you have not connected.