Connect Carriers

ReturnMate integrates with carriers across Australia, New Zealand, North America, and globally to automate label generation, tracking, and pickup booking. This guide covers setting up each supported carrier.

Supported Carriers

Australia

New Zealand

North America

Global

Before You Begin

You'll need from your carrier:

• Account Number — Your carrier account ID
• API Key/Username — Authentication credentials
• API Secret/Password — Secret key for API access
• Contract/Service codes (if applicable)

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Australian Carriers

Australia Post

Getting API Credentials

1. Log in to your Australia Post eParcel account
2. Navigate to Settings → API Access
3. Generate API credentials if not already created
4. Copy your API Key and API Secret

Configuration in ReturnMate

1. Go to Settings → Carriers
2. Click Add Carrier and select Australia Post
3. Enter your credentials:

4. Click Test Connection to verify
5. Save your configuration

Services

• Parcel Post — Standard delivery (2-6 business days)
• Express Post — Priority delivery (next business day metro)
• eParcel — Contract rates for high volume

StarTrack

Getting API Credentials

1. Contact your StarTrack account manager
2. Request API access for your account
3. Receive your API credentials via secure email

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → StarTrack
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• Premium — Standard road service
• Express — Air freight for time-critical
• Fixed Price — Contract negotiated rates

TNT (FedEx Australia)

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → TNT
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• Road Express — Ground freight
• Overnight Express — Next business day
• Sensitive Express — Fragile/high-value items

TGE (Team Global Express)

Configuration

1. Contact your TGE account representative for API credentials
2. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → TGE
3. Enter your credentials:

Mainfreight (AU & NZ)

Mainfreight supports both Australian and New Zealand domestic shipments, including dangerous goods.

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → Mainfreight
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• Domestic Freight — Standard road freight
• Cross-dock — Hub-to-hub transfers
• Dangerous Goods — Full DG compliance with documentation

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New Zealand Carriers

NZ Post / CourierPost

NZ Post handles domestic New Zealand parcels via their ParcelLabel API. Supports CourierPost and Pace services.

Getting API Credentials

1. Register at the NZ Post Developer Portal
2. Create an application and request access to ParcelLabel, ShippingOptions, and ParcelTrack APIs
3. Copy your Client ID and Client Secret

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → NZ Post
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• CourierPost Overnight — Next business day delivery
• CourierPost Standard — 2-3 business day delivery
• Pace — Economy parcel service

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North American Carriers

FedEx (Global)

FedEx integration covers US domestic, Canadian, and international shipments across 220+ countries. For Australian domestic, use the TNT integration instead.

Getting API Credentials

1. Register at FedEx Developer Portal
2. Create a project and request production credentials
3. Copy your API Key and Secret Key

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → FedEx
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• FedEx Ground — US domestic ground (2-7 days)
• FedEx Express Saver — US domestic (3 days)
• FedEx 2Day / Overnight — Express US domestic
• FedEx International Economy — Global (4-6 days)
• FedEx International Priority — Global (1-3 days)

UPS (Global)

UPS integration covers US domestic, Canadian, and international shipments. Full support for labels, rates, tracking, and pickup booking.

Getting API Credentials

1. Register at UPS Developer Portal
2. Create an application with Ship, Rate, Track, and Pickup API access
3. Copy your Client ID and Client Secret

Configuration

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Add Carrier → UPS
2. Enter your credentials:

Services

• UPS Ground — US domestic ground (1-5 days)
• UPS 3 Day Select — US domestic (3 days)
• UPS 2nd Day Air / Next Day Air — Express US domestic
• UPS Worldwide Express — Global express
• UPS Standard — Canada/Mexico ground

USPS

USPS covers US domestic shipments. Ideal for lightweight consumer returns.

Configuration

Services

• Priority Mail — 1-3 day delivery
• First-Class Package — Lightweight parcels under 1lb
• Parcel Select Ground — Economy ground service

Canada Post

Canada Post covers Canadian domestic shipments.

Getting API Credentials

1. Register at the Canada Post Developer Program
2. Request API credentials for your merchant account
3. Copy your API Key and Customer Number

Configuration

Services

• Regular Parcel — Standard delivery (2-9 days)
• Xpresspost — Express delivery (2 days)
• Priority — Next business day

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Testing Your Connection

After adding a carrier:

1. Click Test Connection on the carrier settings
2. Verify you receive a success message
3. Generate a test label to confirm full functionality

Test Mode

Use sandbox/test environments during initial setup:

• Labels are free in test mode
• Tracking numbers are simulated
• No actual shipments are created

Switch to Production when ready to process real returns.

Default Carrier Settings

Configure your default carrier preferences:

1. Go to Settings → Carriers → Defaults
2. Set:
   • Default Carrier — Used when no specific carrier is selected
   • Fallback Carrier — Used if primary is unavailable
   • Service Level Mapping — Match return reasons to service levels

Intelligent Carrier Routing

ReturnMate automatically routes shipments based on:

• Customer location — Selects the best carrier for the origin country
• Dangerous goods — Routes DG shipments to DG-certified carriers only
• Package dimensions — Avoids carriers whose size limits would be exceeded
• Cost optimisation — Compares live rates across carriers and selects the cheapest option

This means your team doesn't need to manually pick a carrier for each RMA — the system handles it based on the rules you configure.

Carrier-Specific Requirements

Package Limits

Troubleshooting

Connection Test Fails

1. Verify credentials are entered correctly
2. Check for typos in account numbers
3. Ensure API access is enabled on carrier side
4. Confirm you're using correct environment (test/prod)

Label Generation Errors

Common causes:

• Invalid destination address
• Package exceeds size limits
• Account not authorised for service type
• Rate limit exceeded
• Dangerous goods with a non-DG-certified carrier

See Tracking & Label Issues for more help.

Related Articles

• Carriers & Label Formats
• Tracking & Label Issues
• Approvals, Labels & Tracking