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Using Carrier Service

Learn how to complete your shipment workflow all within Fulfillment

Nicholas Guttormson avatar
Written by Nicholas Guttormson
Updated this week

What is Carrier Service?

Within Fulfillment, you can generate and print shipping labels, removing the necessity of re-entering information on a carrier's web portal. Carrier Service communicates with the carrier to create labels using the Advance Ship Notice (ASN).

💡 Tip: Carrier Service is compatible with major carriers including UPS, USPS, FedEx, Purolator, and Canada Post.


Why Use Carrier Service?

Manually navigating multiple carrier web portals and copying data can be time-consuming and lead to errors. Carrier Service offers a powerful solution that allows you to compare and book the most competitive shipping rates based on location and desired delivery date. Once you've selected your preferred option, you can instantly generate and print the carrier label all within Fulfillment.


Set up Carrier Service

To begin using Carrier Service, first ensure your Fulfillment and Carrier accounts are connected. Find step-by-step instructions in our Setting Up Carrier Service guide.

🔔 If you need additional assistance, reach out to your Implementation Consultant, use our Chat feature, or send an email support@spscommerce.com for help!

After Carrier Service is set up, you will notice new fields on your ASN. These fields will enable you to book and print Carrier labels seamlessly from Fulfillment.


Using Carrier Service

First, create an ASN since Carrier labels generate from this document. Then, follow the steps below to complete the newly available fields. It is best practice to view your document in Full View to complete these the following steps.

  1. When you have pulled up your ASN, select the Carrier tab. Ensure that the checkbox is selected. Complete essential fields such as the Carrier, Service Type, and Delivery Date.

    • Note: To ensure Carrier Service is used automatically every time, enable Auto Sourcing. If you don't need Carrier Service for a particular document, you can easily toggle it off during creation.

  2. Some Trading Partners allow Third Party Billing. If you have this as an option on your ASN, click the checkbox to view 3 additional fields.

    • Note: If you regularly use Third Party Billing, Auto Sourcing can streamline your document creation process.

  3. Select the Order tab to begin entering pack details. Scroll down to Pack Info and click the icon.

  4. Scroll down further to Carrier Service Pack Information and fill out the corresponding fields to pre-populate that data on future ASNs.

  5. Scroll back up to click the Check for Errors icon to ensure you have completed all required fields.

  6. Click the More Options icon, then select Book Shipment to book your shipment and generate your Carrier labels.

  7. You booked a shipment! You will see a green pop up box to let you know the booking went through.

⚠️ Important: Booking your shipment does not send your ASN. Once your shipment has physically left your warehouse or facility, you still need to click Send for your Trading Partner to receive the ASN.


Rate Shopping

If you do not have a preferred Carrier or Service, use the Shop Shipping Rate feature to find the best available rates.

To use this feature, click the More Actions icon and select Shop Shipping Rate. Make sure all required fields are completed beforehand. If any required information is missing, an error message will appear indicating which fields need to be filled in before you can view shipping options.

💡 Tip: If you have set up multiple carriers (like UPS and FedEx), leave the Carrier and Service Type fields blank in the Carrier tab. This ensures rate shopping compares all your available options.

After completing all required fields, a pop-up window will appear, showing all the shipping options available from your connected carriers.

  1. You can filter the results by Carrier and Service Type if needed.

  2. Click Select to choose your preferred shipping option.

  3. Once selected, you’ll return to the Advance Ship Notice screen, where you can Book Shipment and Send your Advance Ship Notice as usual.


Discard Carrier Shipment

If you have booked your shipment but have not yet sent your ASN, you can discard the shipment to make changes. This is useful if your shipment details change. For example, you may have initially planned to ship two items but are now only shipping one.

To discard a carrier shipment, click the More Options icon on the Advance Ship Notice and select Discard Booked Shipment. This option replaces the Book Shipment option once a shipment is booked. Clicking it will discard your current shipment booking, allowing you to edit the changed information.

After selecting Discard Booked Shipment, a pop-up will appear asking you to confirm you want to cancel the booked shipment. This pop-up will display the Document ID, Document type, Trading Partner, and the Shipping Type you selected, helping you verify that you are canceling the correct shipment.

After making your changes, simply re-book the shipment by clicking the Book Shipment button again under the More Options icon.

⚠️ Important: Once you have printed your shipping labels, do not make changes to the ASN. If a change is absolutely necessary, you must discard the shipment, re-book, and then print new shipping labels to ensure accuracy.


Accessing Labels

There are 3 ways you can access your labels: after booking a shipment, within the Advance Ship Notice, and within the Transactions tab. You can also access multiple labels at once in the Transactions tab.

  1. After Booking a Shipment

    Click Print Carrier Label(s) from the pop-up.

  2. Within the Advanced Ship Notice

    Click the Print Shipping Documents icon in the top right corner of the document.

  3. Within the Transactions Tab (single document)

    1. Locate an Order or Advance Ship Notice that you want to print a label for.

    2. Click the More Actions icon on the right side of the document.

    3. Click the Print Shipping Documents icon.

  4. Within the Transactions Tab (multiple documents)

    1. Locate the Advance Ship Notices that you want to print labels for.

    2. Click the check boxes to select the documents.

    3. In the Actions Panel at the bottom of the screen, click the Print Shipping Documents icon.


Simplify Your Carrier Service with Auto Sourcing

Auto Sourcing is your key to faster, more consistent shipping. It lets you set default information that remains the same across your documents. You can set your preferred Carrier, Service Type, or Third-Party Billing in Carrier Service to eliminate the need to manually select these options for each new document.

Ready to automate? Get started with Auto Sourcing Basics!


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