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Shipping Integrations

Pointless POS supports two shipping integrations: Shippo for multi-carrier rate quoting, label purchase, and tracking; and ShipDay for posting completed orders to an external fulfillment system.

Shippo​

Shippo is the default shipping provider. It connects your POS to multiple carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS, and others) through a single API, enabling rate quoting at checkout, label purchase, and package tracking.

What Shippo Provides​

FeatureDescription
Multi-carrier rate quotesLive rates from all connected carriers, shown with service level, cost, and estimated delivery days
Address validationDestination address is validated and auto-corrected (ZIP+4, standardized formats) before label purchase
Label purchaseBuy labels directly from the POS; tracking numbers and costs are applied to the order
Package trackingLook up tracking status (Pre-Transit, In Transit, Out for Delivery, Delivered) with full scan-event history
Smart package groupingAuto-pack order items into configured box profiles using bin-packing; ships-alone items stay isolated

Setup​

Shippo is configured server-side in your appsettings.config:

<add key="ShippingActiveProvider" value="shippo" />
<add key="ShippoApiKey" value="shippo_test_YOUR_API_KEY" />

Test vs. Live Mode​

ModeAPI Key PrefixBehavior
Testshippo_test_Simulated labels, no real charges, rates are realistic but not purchased
Liveshippo_live_Real labels purchased, real charges applied

Use test mode during development and staging. Switch to live mode only when ready to ship real orders.

Carrier Accounts​

Your Shippo account manages carrier accounts (USPS, FedEx, UPS credentials). Connect carriers through the Shippo dashboard. Once connected, their rates appear automatically at checkout — no additional configuration in Pointless POS is needed.

Product Shipping Dimensions​

Products need shipping dimensions to appear in rate quotes. In the product editor's Web Editor, enter:

  • Shipping Length (inches)
  • Shipping Width (inches)
  • Shipping Height (inches)
  • Shipping Weight (ounces)

Items without at least a length or weight are excluded from shipping — they won't appear in rate quotes or package breakdowns.

Shipping Cost Attribution​

Shipping cost is tracked at two levels:

  • Order total — The cost of all labels purchased for the order, stored in ShippingTotalCost.
  • Per item — Each line item's share by weight proportion, enabling per-product shipping cost reporting.

ShipDay​

ShipDay is an order-posting integration that sends completed POS orders to ShipDay's fulfillment system. It is not a label-printing provider — it handles order routing to a fulfillment partner.

Enabling ShipDay​

ShipDay access is controlled per client type:

  1. Navigate to Admin > Clients > Client Types.
  2. Open the client type for the user role that should post orders.
  3. Under General Look Up, toggle POST Ship Day Orders to ON.
  4. Save the client type.

How It Works​

  1. An order is completed in the POS (payment processed, transaction closed).
  2. Staff click the POST To ShipDay button on the order's function bar or timeline.
  3. The order is sent to ShipDay's API via POST /ShipdayAPI/postOrder.
  4. The order timeline shows a "Send to ShipDay" event marking the post.
  5. ShipDay's fulfillment system receives and processes the order.

ShipDay in the Order Timeline​

After posting, the order timeline displays the ShipDay event alongside other delivery milestones (scheduled, confirmed delivery). This gives staff visibility into the order's fulfillment status from within the POS.

Shippo vs. ShipDay​

ShippoShipDay
PurposeMulti-carrier rate quotes, label purchase, trackingPost completed orders to fulfillment system
Label printingYesNo
Carrier ratesYes (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.)No
Package trackingYes (status lookups, scan events)No
Address validationYes (auto-correct at checkout)No
SetupAPI key in appsettings.configToggle in Client Type settings
When it runsAt checkout (customer selects rate)After order completion (staff action)