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Set Up ShipEngine Carriers

ShipEngine accounts that are based in the US include access to USPS and UPS services automatically. However, these services are disabled until you activate them by adding your billing information. Then you can start purchasing labels, comparing rates, and tracking packages.

To set up ShipEngine Carriers:

  1. Log in to the ShipEngine dashboard.
  2. Go to Connections, then Carriers.
  3. Click the Connect Carriers button in the ShipEngine Carrier Accounts section.
Connections Screen, grayed out tiles
  1. Add your billing information in the pop-up window, then click the Continue button.
Set up modal
  1. Review the USPS Terms and Conditions, then click the Agree and Activate Account button.

Using Your ShipEngine Carriers

Once activated, your ShipEngine carrier tiles will display your Carrier IDs. These IDs are unique to your ShipEngine account and are what you'll use throughout our API to do things like purchasing labels, comparing rates, and tracking packages.

Activated Tiles

To get started using your new carriers, check out our Postman collection.

ShipEngine Carrier Balance

Your ShipEngine Carrier Balance will display to the right of the ShipEngine Carrier Accounts section.

Link to Balance and Set

This balance pays for carrier services, such as:

  • Purchasing shipping labels
  • Carrier-provided insurance

Your ShipEngine Carrier Balance does not apply to non-carrier charges, such as:

  • Third-party insurance
  • API usage charges

Add Funds to your ShipEngine Carrier Balance

In the Carriers section of the Connections page:

  1. Click the Add Funds button next to your ShipEngine Carrier Accounts balance. This will open the Add Funds pop-up window.
add funds link under dashboard, connections, carriers
  1. Enter the amount of funds you would like to add, then click the Purchase button.
add to balance option: purchase-funds

Alternatively, you can set up auto-funding to ensure your postage balance never falls below a set threshold amount. This will help you avoid errors that interrupt your shipping workflow.

  1. Go to the Auto-Funding tab of the Add Funds window, and toggle the setting to on.
  2. Enter the balance amount to trigger the auto-fund purchase, the amount to fund, and the maximum number of times the auto-fund can occur each day.
  3. Click the Save button.
Add-to-balance option: set up auto-funding