Pick the provider by region

Shippo works best for merchants comfortable activating carriers in the Shippo dashboard.Sendcloudis the EU-first option: quotes come from the carriers and contracts enabled in the merchant's Sendcloud panel. Missing or zero quotes are shown as unavailable rather than treated as a payable amount.EasyPost is the US-first option: connect the API key and sender address, then buy discounted USPS labels immediately; test keys can buy USPS test labels end to end.

Shippo setup

1. Create a Shippo account

Create a Shippo account, then generate a test or live API token in the Shippo API portal. Test tokens can retrieve rates for most carriers, but they can only purchase labels on the test carrier accounts Shippo provides, such as USPS. Carriers that route purchases through their own systems, including most EU carriers, reject test purchases until the carrier account is fully activated. Poste Italiane, for example, answers with errors such as “Dati non conformi: orgunits assenti” when the Poste business account behind the rate has no organizational units configured yet.

To validate the full WireGum flow with a test token, use a US ship-from address and buy a USPS test label. To buy real labels, use a live token after activating the carrier in Shippo.

2. Connect Shippo in WireGum

  1. Open Settings, then Shipping providers.
  2. Paste the Shippo API token.
  3. Add the ship-from address. Shippo needs this before it can return rates.
  4. Optionally create webhook registrations for tracking and transaction events.
  5. Open a paid order, enter parcel dimensions and use Get Shippo rates.

3. Activate carriers in Shippo

Some Shippo carrier accounts are available immediately, while others require accepting terms, connecting a merchant-owned carrier account, or completing a carrier-specific registration flow. Use Shippo as the source of truth before promising a carrier to a merchant.

CarrierAreaShippo automationSetup notes
Poste ItalianeItaly outbound, domestic onlyLabels and trackingShippo offers discounted rates. Label purchase needs an activated Poste account with organizational units configured; test tokens can quote but not buy.
DHL ExpressGlobalRates, labels and trackingUS outbound can use Shippo discounted rates. Own DHL accounts and non-US origins may need DHL account approval or whitelisting.
UPSGlobalRates, labels and trackingUPS terms must be accepted in Shippo. Own UPS accounts are used for negotiated rates.
FedExGlobalRates, labels and trackingA FedEx account or registration flow can be required before labels are available.
Deutsche PostGermany outbound, domestic and internationalRates, labels and trackingShippo lists a default carrier account on signup.
DHL GermanyGermany and Austria outbound, domestic and internationalRates, labels and trackingRequires DHL Germany business customer portal credentials for own-account use.
ChronopostFrance outbound, domestic onlyRates, labels and trackingUse when the merchant ships domestically from France.
ColissimoFrance outbound, domesticRates, labels and trackingUse when the merchant ships domestically from France.
Mondial RelayFrance outbound, domestic onlyLabels, tracking and location finderShippo lists discounted rates without requiring a separate carrier account.
CorreosSpain outbound, domestic onlyRates, labels and trackingUse when the merchant ships domestically from Spain.
Royal Mail TrackedGreat Britain and Northern Ireland domesticLabels, tracking, refunds and QR codesShippo lists Royal Mail Tracked as usable through Shippo's account.
DPD UKUK outbound, domestic onlyRates, labels and trackingCarrier restrictions apply for some islands, Ireland and parcel dimensions.
EvriUK outbound to the UK and selected EU countriesRates, labels and trackingWeight and remote-area restrictions apply.

This table is a WireGum shortlist for MVP planning. For the current full list, use the official Shippo carrier capabilities and carrier accounts documentation.

Sendcloud setup (EU-first)

  1. Select Sendcloud in Settings, Shipping providers, then paste the Sendcloud public and secret API keys.
  2. Keep at least one sender address in the Sendcloud panel: WireGum verifies it when the credentials are saved and quotes ship from the first available one.
  3. Enable carriers and contracts in the Sendcloud panel; WireGum lists compatible options that do not require customs or service-point input.
  4. Optionally create the webhook subscription so parcel events update tracking automatically.

Sendcloud returns one contract per carrier unless a contract is explicitly selected. A direct contract can return an empty quote when its rates have not been uploaded; WireGum marks that price as unavailable and preserves the selected contract when buying the label. The sendcloud:letter option remains the free way to test the label flow end to end.

EasyPost setup (US-first)

  1. Select EasyPost in Settings, Shipping providers, then paste an EasyPost API key (test keys start with EZTK, production with EZAK).
  2. Add the ship-from address in WireGum.
  3. Optionally create the webhook registration: EasyPost signs every event with HMAC v2 and WireGum verifies its timestamp, path and raw payload.
  4. Get rates on a paid order and buy: with a test key, USPS test labels work immediately without carrier setup.

Cross-border shipments

The line that matters is the customs boundary, not the national border. Shipping from Italy to France, Germany or Spain is an international shipment that clears no customs, because the EU is a single customs union: automated rates and labels work for those routes today, exactly as they do domestically. The same holds for any pair of countries inside one customs union.

Crossing a customs boundary is different. Those labels carry a customs declaration: a description, tariff code and country of origin per item, declared values, the shipper's tax identifiers and an incoterm. WireGum does not model those fields yet, so use manual fulfillment with the carrier's own tools for shipments that leave the customs union you ship from, such as EU to the UK, Switzerland or the United States.

Production activation checklist

  1. Save live provider credentials and confirm that WireGum reports them as verified.
  2. Create the signed or authenticated webhook and send a provider test event when available.
  3. Use a paid domestic order to request rates with the real parcel weight and dimensions.
  4. Buy one low-cost label, open the PDF and confirm the address, service, weight and dimensions.
  5. Confirm that an in-transit test or carrier event updates the shipment timeline only once.
  6. Keep manual fulfillment available until the first real delivery completes successfully.

Manual fulfillment fallback

When Shippo does not support the merchant carrier or route, create the label outside WireGum and record the carrier, tracking number, tracking URL and shipment status in the fulfillment queue. The order timeline and customer shipment email still use the same WireGum shipment record.