Using ShipStation Carriers
ShipStation API accounts that are based in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany automatically include access to services from ShipStation Carriers. However, these services are not available to use until you activate them by adding your billing information.
To learn how to connect and use your own carrier accounts with ShipStation API, read our Using Your Carrier Accounts page.
Activate ShipStation Carriers
Currently, you must activate ShipStation Carriers via the ShipStation API Dashboard. There is no endpoint available for this process.
To activate ShipStation Carriers:
- Log in to the ShipStation API dashboard.
- Go to Carriers in the side navigation.
- Click the Connect ShipStation API Accounts button in the ShipStation Carrier Accounts section.
- Add your billing information in the pop-up window, then click Continue.
- Agree to the Terms and Conditions, then click Agree and Activate Account.
Available Carriers
The following carriers are available to your account once you have activated ShipStation Carriers, based on your account home country:
US accounts:
- USPS (via Stamps.com)
- UPS
- DHL Express (coming soon!)
Canada accounts:
- Canada Post
- GlobalPost
UK accounts:
- DPD UK
- EVRi
- GlobalPost
- Parcelforce
- Yodel
Australia accounts:
- Aramex Australia
- CouriersPlease
- GlobalPost
- Sendle
Germany accounts:
- DPD Germany
We periodically add more carriers to the ShipStation Carriers roster. When a new carrier is available, simply log into your account Dashboard, go to the Carriers page, and click the Activate link next to the new carrier.
For accounts based in other countries, ShipStation Carriers are coming soon!
Shipping with ShipStation Carriers
Once activated, you'll see the Carrier IDs for each carrier. These IDs are unique to your ShipStation API account and are what you'll use with various endpoints to do things like purchasing labels, comparing rates, and tracking packages.

To get started using your new carriers, check out our Postman collection.
ShipStation API Account Balance
Your account balance is a balance of funds you use to purchase ShipStation Carrier labels. You can view your currently balance in your account Dashboard and add funds either in the dashboard or using the add_funds
endpoint.

Your account balance pays for:
- Purchasing ShipStation Carrier labels
- Adding Parcelguard insurance to a shipment (US only)
- Adding carrier-provided insurance to a shipment
Your account balance does not apply to:
- Subscription fees
- Shipsurance fees
- API usage charges
Learn how to add funds to your ShipStation API account balance.