ShipEngine's Canada Post integration supports domestic and international delivery services for both Commercial and Solutions for Small Business accounts. As a dedicated Canada Post partner, we offer seamless integration with Canada Post's API so that you can get rates, create labels, manifest your shipments, and more!
Only Available for ShipEngine Accounts Based in Canada
At this time, ShipEngine's Canada Post integration is only available for ShipEngine accounts that are registered in Canada.
Connection Requirements:
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An active Commercial or Small Business account with Canada Post.
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Your Canada Post account login credentials.
Shipment Requirements:
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Daily manifesting required for Commercial account holders! Failure to manifest shipments may result in additional monthly invoice fees. (Small Business accounts have no manifest requirements and cannot close End of Day forms in ShipEngine.)
Learn more about creating manifests through the ShipEngine API.
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Valid recipient phone numbers required for all international shipments.
Once you confirm you have a Commercial or Small Business account with contract rates, you are ready to connect the account to ShipEngine.
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Click the Canada Post tile.
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Select either Solutions for Small Business Account (Venture One) or Commercial option and click Connect.
You will be redirected to the Canada Post login page to continue the setup process.
Once you log in to Canada Post, you should see a screen that displays the methods of payment on your account.
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Select the Use Saved Credit Card option (for Small Business Accounts) or the Pay by Account option (for Commercial Accounts).
Then, click the Continue button. You cannot select your credit card as payment when configuring a Commercial Account.
Account Not Recognizing Commercial Rates
If you do not see the Pay by Account option, this means that your Canada Post account is not recognizing your Commercial rates.
If Canada Post confirms that you have a Commercial account with contract rates, please see the section below: Create a Canada Post Business Profile
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Review Canada Post's Terms and Conditions, then click Agree and Continue.
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Click the Edit link next to Canada Post in the ShipEngine dashboard to review your account's Payment Method configuration.
To connect a Canada Post Commercial account to ShipEngine, you must have created a Business Profile in Canada Post that uses your commercial contract number. If you have used your Commercial Canada Post account with another shipping provider, it's likely you have already created this. However, if you're new to Canada Post or recently upgraded from a Solutions for Small Business account, you'll need to create a new user profile that uses the contract information.
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Go to the Canada Post business login page and click Sign Up.
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Choose a new Username, enter your current Customer Number and Postal Code/Zip Code, then enter the Verification Code.
Click Sign Up to proceed.
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Enter your current Agreement Number, then click Agree and Continue.
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Fill out the required Profile Information. This information can be the same as the information in your original account profile. Click Agree and Continue once complete.
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Review the information you entered, then click Save.
ShipEngine's integration with Canada Post supports these standard features:
ShipEngine's integration with Canada Post allows for the following additional features:
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Feature |
Description |
|---|---|
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Paperless Label Support |
You can request a paperless label download link instead of a label PDF when creating a label. Add the Paperless supported for the following services:
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Canada Post limits Customs Descriptions to 45 characters.
When a customs description exceeds the limit, you will be unable to create labels. Instead, you will receive the following error: /rs/0004597532-8157624/0004597532/shipment: cvc-simple-type 1: element {http://www.canadapost.ca/ws/shipment-v8}customs-description is not a valid instance of the element type. Value is 'ZEBCO QUANTUM XP318-02 HANDLE ASSEMBLY (BLACK)'
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Canada Post limits item SKU length in customs declarations to 15 characters.
Adding a SKU to customs declarations is optional, but recommended.
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ShipEngine does not electronically submit customs documentation for international shipments. You must print and include any necessary customs documents with your shipments.
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Voiding Labels: Manifested labels cannot be voided in ShipEngine. However, you can void them in your Commercial Canada Post account.
If you want to void an un-manifested label, you must wait 60 minutes after creating the label before voiding.
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Return labels are only available for Commercial Canada Post accounts. They are not supported for any shipments made using a Small Business account. Return labels cannot be voided, cannot include carrier insurance, and will always require Signature confirmation.
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Canada Post uses a specific formula called Volumetric Equivalent of Actual Weight. This accounts for the weight and dimensions of the package and charges for the shipment based on volume when applicable.
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Label Messages: Canada Post supports Label Message 1 & 2 only. Label Message 3 will not appear on Canada Post labels.
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The Card for Pickup confirmation option is not currently supported.
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Deposit Location: You may incur extra fees if you drop off packages at a deposit location that is not considered to be your nearest drop-off location. Use the Canada Post Find a Deposit Location tool to find your nearest deposit location.
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Special characters can prevent label creation. You may need to remove special characters such as & @ ` ~ | ! % * < > to create the label.
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ShipEngine does not currently support creating multi-package shipments for Canada Post. You must instead split items into multiple shipments or create multiple labels for an order.
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Canada Post Commercial accounts created after May 1, 2021 will default to the credit card payment method. This change does not affect Canada Post Commercial accounts opened prior to this date.
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Canada Post COVID-19 service delays: Please visit the Canada Post COVID-19 updates page for the most recent information about service disruptions and other related news.
Here are some common issues, potential causes, and troubleshooting tips.
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Issue |
How to Troubleshoot or Resolve |
|---|---|
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Error: Method of payment Account/Credit Card is not available |
What it means: The payment method selected for the Canada Post integration is not valid, the credit card on file needs to be updated, or you have reached the credit limit of your account. What to do: Check your Canada Post account and make sure the credit card is up to date or there is still a balance on the account payment method. IMPORTANT: Be sure to close any open End of Day forms for your Canada Post shipments before you update your billing information! If shipments are not closed prior to the change, they may be caught in a suspended or unfinished state. |
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Error: A system error has occurred. Please try again later. If the problem persists, please contact the Canada Post help desk. |
What it means: Your billing information in your Canada Post account was changed prior to closing out your shipments for the day. What to do: Contact Canada Post for assistance with closing those shipments. If you changed account settings since the last time you created shipments, Canada Post does not allow you to manifest from a third-party application like ShipEngine. Shipments created after the change should manifest without issue. |
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Error: /rs/soap/shipment/v7: cvc-simple-type 1: element unit-weight value '0.000' is not a valid instance of the element type |
What it means: This error message occurs when ShipEngine rounds the weight value for an international shipment and the calculation ends up with a value of 0. This can happen if you have a lightweight shipment that contains a customs line item that has a high quantity (such as a 100g package with a customs quantity of 500.) What to do: Adjust your customs declaration so that the name reflects that it is a multi-pack but the quantity is only 1. For example, use "Pack of 500 Paperclips - Qty 1" instead of "Paperclips - Qty 500." |
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Error: Rejected by SLM Monitor |
What it means: This error is caused by the Canada Post's servers throttling your requests. You may also receive this error in the event of a Canada Post server maintenance or outage. What to do: In either instance, if you receive this error, your best option is to wait a few minutes and try again. Typically, Canada Post allows 20 requests per minute. If you receive this error frequently, you can request a limit increase on your Canada Post account. |
