How to configure APC Postal Logistics (APC) in techSHIP [Guide]

This article covers the existing APC Postal Logistics integration, including the EU product identifier requirements effective November 1, 2026.

The APC Postal Logistics integration supports:

• Rate Shopping

• Label References

Information to be Provided

Have the following credentials and account information available before configuring APC Postal Logistics:

Specifications and Constraints

Operational Details

APC Postal Logistics supports small parcel shipping through the services configured for your account. Select a service appropriate for the shipment destination and your account subscription.

EU Product Identifiers

Starting November 1, 2026, at 00:00 UTC, techSHIP validates product identifiers when processing consumer shipments originating outside the European Union and destined for an EU member state, regardless of order value.

Every shipment item within this scope must have:

Manufacturer Product Identifier and UPC values have leading and trailing spaces removed and are limited to 50 characters when sent to APC Postal Logistics. Use identifiers within this limit to preserve the complete value.

The validation applies to Direct consumer and Private receivers. It does not apply to shipments classified as Business, Government, Reseller, or Other, shipments destined outside the EU, or shipments originating within the EU. Classify the receiver according to the actual shipment.

Available identifiers are sent during shipment processing before and after the enforcement date. Rate Shopping does not validate these identifiers; obtaining a rate does not confirm that the shipment can be processed.

Configuring a Baseline Account

A Baseline Account serves as the fundamental connection point between techSHIP and the carrier's system. It acts as a template that holds the credentials and fundamental properties required to process shipments.

The techSHIP AI Assistant is available from the Carrier page for supported Carrier configuration tasks. For detailed conceptual information and advanced configuration, refer to 📄 techSHIP AI Assistant: Overview & Availability [Information].

Adding a Carrier

Before adding an account, you must ensure the Carrier entity is available for your location.

1. Click My Carriers from the left menu under the Carriers category.

2. Click Add Carrier.

   

3. Select the desired Carrier.

You may encounter additional messages depending on the carrier status or your plan:

• Subscription Required (⭐): If the carrier has a star icon, you will see a message stating "To use this carrier, a subscription upgrade is required." Press Contact to Upgrade to proceed.

  

• Carrier Suspended: If the carrier has not been used for an extended period, you will see a message stating “This carrier is currently on hold...” Click Request Assistance to reactivate it.

  

• Setup Fee Waived: If a carrier from the same carrier group is already installed in your location, you can add this carrier without incurring additional fees.

  

4. If needed, update the carrier Name.

5. Click Add Carrier.

   

If the purchase confirmation appears, complete the following steps:

• Review the purchase notice and any applicable charge information.

• Optionally enter a PO Number.

• Select I am authorized to complete this purchase on behalf of my organization.

• Click Purchase to confirm the Carrier addition.

Once the Carrier is added, you will be automatically redirected to the Carrier page to continue setting it up.

6. Enter the Code of the Carrier as it appears in your host system.

The Code of the Carrier must match exactly the value defined in the host system. Any discrepancy (including casing or extra spaces) may prevent the carrier from working correctly.

7. Click Save.

   

If your facility utilizes the centralized Pickup Schedule, we highly recommend adding this new carrier to your calendar now. While not required to process labels, this ensures accurate induction metrics for your Insights dashboards. To learn more, see 📄 Understanding the Centralized Pickup Schedule & Expected Induction Logic [Information].

Adding a Baseline Account

From the Carrier page, click Add Account to create a new Baseline Account.

You will be redirected to the Baseline Account page to complete the setup.

Entering incorrect values will prevent the system from generating shipping labels.

General Tab

In the General tab, define the administrative properties:

• Name: Enter a descriptive name for the account.

Enter a descriptive name based on unique properties. E.g.:

• Carrier Name - Account Number (CarrierX - 123456789)

• Carrier Name - Consolidator Name (CarrierY - MyConsolidator)

• Carrier Name

• Usage: Select the most suitable option:

  • Test: Used for sandbox or onboarding purposes.

  • Production: Used for live shipping.

Keep the Status field set to its default Active value. An account must be Active to remain fully editable. For detailed conceptual information on account statuses, refer to 📄 How to Inactivate and Activate a Carrier Baseline Account [Step-by-Step Guide].

Carrier Tab

Credentials

In the Baseline Account's Carrier tab, complete the Setup fields using the information supplied by APC Postal Logistics:

• Auth Token: Enter the API authorization token.

• User Id: Enter the account user ID.

• Account No.: Enter the billable account number.

• Passcode: Enter the account passcode.

• Warehouse: Enter the assigned warehouse code.

Sender Address

Complete Sender address with the shipping origin information for the account.

Request Settings

• Rate timeout (seconds): Optionally specify the maximum time allowed for a rate request. Requests exceeding this timeout are excluded from Rate Shopping.

• Request limit per second (default 10): Set the request limit for the account. If no value is configured, the integration uses 10 requests per second.

General options Tab

Labels

Configure Label mode in the Baseline Account's General options tab.

Supported label formats are ZPL, PDF, and PNG. The PNG (API only) option is identified as API-only in the interface.

Finalizing the Setup

Once you have entered the required information, click Save.

After you save the Baseline Account, check whether the Registration tab or a registration status badge is available.

If neither is available, the Carrier does not use this Registration workflow in techSHIP. If registration is still pending, open the Registration tab and press Registration, then complete 📄 How to Register a Carrier Baseline Account [Step-by-Step Guide] before creating shipments.

From the Carrier page, you can now see the Baseline Account listed with the administrative status Active. The Active status is separate from the account's registration status.

The Baseline Account configuration is now saved. You can continue with Configuring a Client Account below to assign the Baseline Account to a specific Client.

Configuring a Client Account

Adding an Account

Before adding a Client Account, ensure that the Client has been created. For instructions creating a Client, see: 📄 10 - How to create a Client profile [Step-by-Step guide].

1. Click Clients from the left menu under the Clients section.

2. Click the Edit icon for the desired Client.

   

3. Click Add Accounts.

   

4. Optionally, use the Search box to search by Baseline Account Name or Carrier.

5. Select the Baseline Accounts that will serve as the foundation for your new Client Accounts.

6. Click Add Accounts.

   

   A toast notification will confirm the accounts were successfully assigned. Click the Refresh icon if recently added accounts are not displayed.

   

7. Click Edit on each newly created account.

   

8. Configure the available options in each tab (except Carrier).

   

For complete instructions on configuring this settings, see 📄 How to configure the Billing Account General Options tab [Step-by-Step guide].

Carrier options Tab

The Client Account uses the connection credentials from its Baseline Account. In Carrier options, configure the client-specific settings:

• Service code: Select the service to use for the client, or use the Rate Shopping option when appropriate.

• Reason for Export: Enter the client's default reason for export. An order-level value takes precedence.

• Parcel content: Select the default content category. An order-level selection takes precedence.

• Cost Center: Optionally enter the cost center to associate with the client's shipments.

• Default receiver type: Select the receiver classification normally used by the client.

An explicit order-level Receiver type takes precedence over Default receiver type. If neither has a value, techSHIP treats the receiver as Direct consumer.

Sender Address Override

Enable Override sender address under Addresses when the client requires a different shipping origin, then complete the displayed sender information. Otherwise, the account uses the Baseline Account's sender address.

Specifying Rate Shopping Service Codes

When using Rate Shopping, configure the services to include or exclude for this Client Account. Include services available under your APC Postal Logistics account subscription.

For detailed instructions on how to configure this, see: Include or exclude Service Codes when Rate Shopping [Step-by-Step Guide].

Label References

In the Client Account's General options tab, configure Reference 1 and Reference 2. The integration sends these two references to APC Postal Logistics.

Reference 3 and Reference 4 are not sent by this integration, even when the fields are visible in the interface.

For a comprehensive guide on how to use label references, see: Using order References in your labels [Step-by-Step guide].

Finalizing the Setup

Once you have entered the required information, click Save.

With the account configured and requirements verified, you can now proceed to process orders as described below.

Configuring an Order

The steps described in this section are not required for carrier setup, and they are offered as an optional review if further order-level configuration is required.

Follow the UI Navigation steps in 📄 05 - How to edit an order’s information - [Step-by-Step guide], using the carrier-specific values provided in this guide.

In the Order's Carrier settings, review Service code and the following fields under Options:

• Vat Number: Enter the importer VAT number when applicable.

• Reason For Export: Enter a shipment-specific reason for export to override the Client Account default.

• Parcel content: Select a shipment-specific content category to override the Client Account default.

• Receiver type: Select the actual receiver classification when it differs from the Client Account default.

Before processing an EU consumer import subject to the new requirements, ensure that every shipment item contains the SKU, Manufacturer Product Identifier, and UPC described above. Confirm that your Integrated system supplies these values or that they have been populated in techSHIP.

Click Save to apply the order-level changes, then continue with the standard shipping workflow.

Troubleshooting

• Missing authorization token: If processing reports that the access token is not set, complete Auth Token in the Baseline Account's Carrier tab using the token supplied by APC Postal Logistics.

• Missing EU product identifiers: From November 1, 2026, review the items and missing fields listed in the processing error. Populate each affected SKU, Manufacturer Product Identifier, or UPC before processing again. The integration does not substitute the SKU for the manufacturer's identifier or provide a UPC exemption code.

• SKU exceeds the permitted length: For an EU consumer import, correct any SKU exceeding 50 characters in the shipment item data. The integration rejects an overlength SKU rather than shortening it automatically.

• Unexpected consumer validation: Check Receiver type on the Order and Default receiver type in the Client Account. Use the classification matching the actual receiver; blank settings fall back to Direct consumer, and Private is also treated as a consumer.

• Rates are available but shipment processing fails: Review the shipment-item identifiers separately. The product identifier check runs during label creation and is not performed by Rate Shopping.

• An expected service has no rate: Confirm that your APC Postal Logistics account is subscribed to the service and that the Client Account's inclusion or exclusion settings allow it. Also review Rate timeout (seconds) in the Baseline Account if rate requests are being excluded because they exceed the configured limit.

• Incomplete destination address: Review the recipient's name, first address line, city, state or province, postal code, and country. The integration requires these values during rating and shipment processing.