ShipEngine is an official FedEx Compatible Diamond Solution that supports FedEx domestic and international shipping for accounts shipping from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. Visit the FedEx website to open an account today!
Connection Requirements:
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An active account with FedEx.
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Your FedEx account number.
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Your FedEx account shipping address (located in your FedEx account admin details).
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The email address and phone number associated with your FedEx account.
International Shipping Requirements:
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To ship internationally, you must also upload a signature and letterhead image file to ShipEngine. See the Upload Letterhead and Signature section below for details.
Note
For instructions on programmatically connecting FedEx to your account via ShipEngine's API, go to our FedEx Guide in the ShipEngine developer documents.
To connect your FedEx account to ShipEngine via the dashboard:
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Select the FedEx tile.
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Click to view the FedEx End-User License Agreement, then check the box next to "I have read and agree to the terms of service." Then, click Continue setup.
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Enter your FedEx Account Number and default Shipping Address.
If you do not know your FedEx Shipping Address:
Log in to your FedEx account and click on your profile name. Then go to Administrative Tools > FedEx Accounts and click on your account number. The FedEx Shipping Address will be listed on this page.
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Click Connect.
*PDF End of Day/manifest provided only for FedEx Ground Shipments that meet certain criteria.
ShipEngine's integration with FedEx allows for these additional features when you use standard FedEx services:
Feature |
Description |
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Invoiced carrier |
FedEx bills you for only the labels you use, which are invoiced monthly to you on your account. FedEx does not charge your account when you create the label in ShipStation. Any FedEx labels you create in ShipEngine that are NOT used to ship a package will not be billed on your invoice. However, you may still wish to void labels you don't use for improved accuracy in your shipment records. |
Electronic Trade Documents (ETD) |
ShipEngine will automatically try to submit customs information electronically through FedEx's ETD program. Labels created using ETD will have ETD printed somewhere on the label. If ShipEngine is not able to submit customs information through ETD (either because it's not enabled for your FedEx account, or because the destination country does not support ETD), you will need to print any necessary customs forms. |
Third-party and Recipient billing |
You may bill label charges to an account other than the FedEx account connected to your ShipEngine account. This is called Third-party billing. Use Advanced Options to enable third party billing. |
Bill duties and taxes to payor of shipping charges |
Enable this option to have the costs of duties and taxes billed back to your FedEx account. If used in conjunction with third-party or recipient billing, the billed account will be responsible for the duties and taxes. |
Collect on Delivery |
When you create FedEx shipping labels, enable Collect on Delivery so that FedEx will collect funds from the recipient when they deliver the package. |
Saturday Delivery |
When you create FedEx shipping labels, use Advanced Options to allow for package delivery on Saturdays. Visit the FedEx help page on Saturday Delivery for more information and restrictions. |
Alcohol shipping |
When you create FedEx shipping labels, use Advanced Options to let FedEx know the package contains alcohol. Visit the FedEx help page on Alcohol Shipping for more information and restrictions. |
Dry Ice shipping |
When you create FedEx shipping labels, use Advanced Options to let FedEx know the package contains dry ice. You must use your own packaging when you ship dry ice. Visit the FedEx help page on Dry Ice Shipping for more information and restrictions. |
FedEx Ground Economy (US-based accounts only) |
You can use FedEx Ground Economy services (formerly called SmartPost) to create labels in ShipEngine if your FedEx account is configured to do so. |
FedEx One Rate® (US-based accounts only) |
ShipEngine supports the use of FedEx One Rate® flat-rate package options for domestic shipments. See our FedEx One Rate article for more information. |
FedEx Ground Collect (US- and Canada-based accounts only) |
FedEx Ground shipments have the option to use FedEx Ground Collect. When FedEx delivers the parcel to the recipient, the recipient supplies their account placard. FedEx will scan this placard and that will then bill the receiver's account. Currently available in the US and Canada. For more information about FedEx Ground Collect, review the FedEx Ground Collect information page. |
One Rate Package Types (US-based accounts only):
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FedEx® One Rate Envelope
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FedEx® One Rate Extra Large Box
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FedEx® One Rate Large Box
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FedEx® One Rate Medium Box
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FedEx® One Rate Pak
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FedEx® One Rate Small Box
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FedEx® One Rate Tube
Confirmation Options:
FedEx One Rate® package types are available to apply to your outbound shipments in ShipEngine.
See the FedEx One Rate® website for more information and restrictions. Additional fees may apply when you add certain shipping options.
Not Available for Return Labels
You cannot use FedEx One Rate® options when creating return labels.
To ship using FedEx One Rate®:
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Select an applicable FedEx Express service type.
Shipping services that support One Rate package types include:
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FedEx 2Day® and FedEx 2Day® A.M.
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FedEx Express Saver®
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FedEx First, Priority, and Standard Overnight®
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Select your desired FedEx One Rate package type.
Available package types include:
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FedEx One Rate® Envelope
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FedEx One Rate® Extra Large Box
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FedEx One Rate® Large Box
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FedEx One Rate® Medium Box
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FedEx One Rate® Pak
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FedEx One Rate® Small Box
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FedEx One Rate® Tube
Use the List Carrier Package Types endpoint to find the corresponding package codes.
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To simplify international shipping, FedEx uses Electronic Trade Documents (ETD). ETD submits international documentation (like customs forms) electronically so you don't have to print and attach documents to the shipment. To use the FedEx ETD option in ShipEngine, you must add your letterhead and signature images to your account.
Image Requirements
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Both Letterhead and Signature images must be in either GIF or PNG format.
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Dimensions for the Signature image are a maximum of 240 x 25 pixels (3.5 x 0.5 in).
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Dimensions for the Letterhead are a maximum of 700 x 50 pixels (7.5 x 1.6 in).
Contact your FedEx representative if you have questions about FedEx's signature image requirements.
To upload letterhead or signature images:
You can now ship international parcels with FedEx and your international documentation will be sent electronically!
Most FedEx shipping labels have three available fields in which you can insert a label message. The fields are labeled REF, INV, and PO, and they correspond to Label Messages #1, #2, and #3, respectively.
On FedEx Commercial invoices, Message #2 appears in the Special Instructions portion on the bottom left, and Message #3 appears under Purchase Order No. at the top right of the document.
Note
FedEx Ground Economy (formerly SmartPost) allows you to use only Message Field 1.
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ShipEngine is certified by FedEx.
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ShipEngine does not support "Cash Only" FedEx account types. You must be on a billed account to connect FedEx with ShipEngine.
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The Ship Date for created labels must be within 10 days of the current date.
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If you include carrier insurance and the declared value exceeds $500 USD, FedEx will require a Direct Signature for delivery regardless of the confirmation option you have selected.
This requirement will apply to each package valued at over $500 USD in a multi-package shipment, thus adding Direct Signature fees to those packages. If this multi-package shipment has only one master tracking number, check with FedEx billing support for details about the signature requirements/fees for each individual package.
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ShipEngine's address validation tool does not distinguish between Residential or Commercial addresses, so all addresses process as Commercial addresses. This may cause the estimated rates to be incorrect for some Residential FedEx shipments.
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When you get rates for FedEx on a Saturday, a Saturday-Pickup fee will be included in the estimated rate. This fee will only apply when the package is actually picked up on a Saturday.
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Label Message 3: To use Label Message 3, you must also use Label message 1 and 2.
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The Drop Off Type you select in the FedEx carrier settings can affect estimated rates. We recommend that you choose the same Drop Off Type you and your FedEx representative set up to use with your account. The available options are as follows:
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Regular Pickup: The shipper already has an every-day pickup scheduled with a courier.
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Request Courier: The shipper will call FedEx to ask for a courier.
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Drop Box: The shipper will drop the package in a FedEx dropbox.
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Business Service Center: The shipper will drop off the package at an authorized FedEx business service center.
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Station: The shipper will drop off the package at a FedEx Station.
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Here are some common issues, potential causes, and troubleshooting tips.
Issue |
How to Troubleshoot or Resolve |
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Error: Unable to register meter: Shipping address provided does not match our records |
To create FedEx labels or get rates from FedEx, ShipEngine must register each Ship From or Warehouse in your account with FedEx. This registry creates a meter number that we store on our backend. If a Ship From does not have a meter number yet, ShipEngine will attempt to register it when you get rates or create a shipment. This error message occurs when the address we're using to register does not match the FedEx account's Shipping Address. There are two ways you should try to resolve the error:
To ensure it worked, retry your request to create a label. The error message should clear up and allow you to successfully create a label. If you updated your Warehouse address, you can edit it again and set it back to your actual Ship From Address. We only need the address to match FedEx's Shipping Address when registering the Ship From Location for the meter number. |
Error: FedEx: Package - Minimum dimensions... |
This error means that the shipment dimensions do not meet FedEx's guidelines for this Ground Economy (formerly SmartPost) shipping service. SmartPost Parcel Select must meet the following criteria:
SmartPost Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter, and Media have the following restrictions:
For more information about SmartPost and these guidelines, see Service Details: FedEx Ground Economy. |
Error: Unable to create FedEx shipment. Drop off type is not allowed |
This error occurs when creating return labels if your FedEx account is set to use a Drop Off Type that FedEx does not support for returns. To resolve this issue, you'll need to change the Drop Off Type selected for your FedEx account. Go to Connections in the ShipEngine dashboard, and click the Edit link for your FedEx account. Then, set the Drop Off Type to Regular Pickup. You can then create return labels as needed. After you create your return labels, we recommend you set the Drop Off Type back to whatever you normally use. |
Error: FedEx: Commodity # - Commodity is required |
This error message occurs because customs information is absent from the international shipment, or the customs declaration contains characters that FedEx cannot process. The # in the error will indicate which customs line is causing the error. To resolve this error, check the request body and ensure customs information has been entered for the shipment. If no customs declarations exist, adding them should resolve the error. If the customs declarations are present, check for any special characters (like # $ or ’) and remove them. |
Error: Unable to create FedEx shipment. Incomplete commodity description #. |
This error means that the customs description for an item did not meet FedEx's keyword criteria and must be more descriptive. Update the customs declaration to clarify what the international shipment includes. The # will point to which customs line is causing the error. See FedEx's page on Commodity Descriptions for more details. |
The tracking number, barcode, and other information are absent from the label. |
This issue can happen if the address or label messages contain special or Unicode characters not supported by FedEx. In these cases, we submit the information to FedEx and FedEx creates a shipment as expected, but the label image itself is corrupted and multiple details are absent. To resolve the issue, you'll need to void the shipment, then correct the information as needed.
The most common cause of this issue is a line-break Unicode character in Address Line 1. To fix the character, completely erase Address Line 1 and retype it manually in your create label request. Once corrected, create a new shipping label. |
Negotiated rates do not appear in ShipEngine |
If your FedEx account has negotiated rates enabled, you will first need to create a FedEx label in ShipEngine. Once you have done so, ShipEngine will then display your account's negotiated rates. If you do not need to use this label, simply void the label afterward. If your negotiated rates still do not appear, remove and re-add your FedEx account in the Connections section of the ShipEngine dashboard. Then create another label with the re-added FedEx account. |