Create a PB Presort Shipment¶

HTTP Request¶

POST /v1/shipments

Summary¶

This operation creates a post-paid label for a parcel that is part of a PB Presort pickup. Postage for a PB Presort label is not charged at the time of print.

Prerequisites¶

To use PB Presort, a merchant must be enrolled with a PB Presort facility and receive a Mailer ID, Job number, and other information required for shipping through PB Presort. To enroll a merchant, please see Onboard a Merchant to Print PB Presort Labels.

Things to Consider¶

The label generated is a post-paid label and incurs no charges unless used.
PB Presort labels are supported for domestic shipments only. Note that domestic destinations include US territories/possessions, Freely Associated States, and APO/FPO/DPO. PB Presort does not require a customs form for these destinations.
Pitney Bowes verifies addresses for accuracy against current USPS data and makes corrections to delivery lines and last lines when possible. You can optionally limit the extent of corrections by enabling minimal address validation through the MINIMAL_ADDRESS_VALIDATION option in the shipmentOptions array. For a comparison of complete and minimal address validation, see What is minimal address validation?

IMPORTANT: If you enable minimal address validation, the shipper takes 100% responsibility for any undelivered packages due to violation of carrier-addressing guidelines and is responsible for any surcharge or adjustment fee levied by the carrier for such a violation.
For available services, parcel types, and labels, see the tables on the PB Presort reference page.

When issuing the API call, you must set the following:

Field	Requirement
`fromAddress`, `toAddress`	The following address fields are required: `addressLines` `postalCode` `countryCode`
`parcel.dimension`	Set this to the correct dimensions. Dimensions are required for PB Presort shipments. For limits on parcel dimensions, see PB Presort Services and Parcels. Important: Entering incorrect dimensions might result in an undeliverable package or an additional postage fee.
`rates.carrier`	Set this to: `PBPRESORT`
`rates.serviceId`	See Services and Parcels on the PB Presort reference page.
`rates.specialServices`	See Special Services on the PB Presort reference page.
`rates.parcelType`	See Services and Parcels on the PB Presort reference page.
`documents`	See Labels on the PB Presort reference page.
`shipmentOptions`	The following options are required in the `shipmentOptions` array: SHIPPER_ID: The merchant’s Shipper ID. PERMIT_NUMBER: The merchant’s permit number for flats.

Depending on the parcel type, you can print merchant-defined reference fields on shipping labels by setting the PRINT_CUSTOM_MESSAGE_1 and PRINT_CUSTOM_MESSAGE_2 options in the shipmentOptions array.
For the LGENV parcel type, the label will have an IMb.
For the PKG parcel type, the label will have an IMpb.
PB Presort does not support the following:
- Rating is not supported for PB Presort shipments. Instead, use the rate charts provided by Pitney Bowes.
- Refund requests are not supported for PB Presort labels. A Void Shipment request for a PB Presort label will fail.
- The Transaction Reports API does not retrieve PB Presort labels.
- FUTURE_SHIPMENT_DATE is not supported.
Tracking events show up only after PB Presort uploads the Shipping Services File to USPS. Tracking information can take a while to appear.

You can use the Track a Package API to retrieve tracking events. You must set the carrier query parameter to USPS in the Tracking API request.
You must provide the pickup driver with a physical pickup slip that identifies the parcels in the pickup (similar to a USPS manifest). You can optionally create the physical pickup slip using the Create a PB Presort Pickup Slip API.

Request URLs¶

Sandbox: https://api-sandbox.pitneybowes.com/shippingservices/v1/shipments
Production: https://api.pitneybowes.com/shippingservices/v1/shipments

Request Headers¶

Name	Description
Authorization	Required. OAuth token generated using the Generate an OAuth Token API.
Content-Type	Required. The media type of the request entity. Set this to `application/json`.
X-PB-TransactionId	Required. A unique identifier for the transaction, up to 25 characters. Important: You must ensure this is a unique id.
X-PB-ShipmentGroupId	Required. The job number that represents the agreement between the merchant and PB Presort. This was provided by Pitney Bowes during merchant onboarding for PB Presort.
X-PB-Integrator-CarrierId	Required. The merchant’s Mailer ID (MID), as provided by Pitney Bowes during merchant onboarding for PB Presort.
X-PB-UnifiedErrorStructure	Recommended. Set this to `true` to use the standard error object if an error occurs.

Request / Response Elements¶

The API call sends and receives a Shipment Object. The following table describes all possible fields in a Shipment Object.

Important

Some fields in the Shipment Object do not apply to this operation and are marked accordingly.

Important

Please see the Things to Consider on this page before creating the PB Presort shipment.

Name	Data Type	Description
fromAddress	Address Object	Required. Origin address. If you want a different address to appear on the label from the one listed here, see How do I print a return address that is different from the origin address?
toAddress	Address Object	Required. Destination address. FedEx, UPS: If you are shipping with FedEx or UPS to Puerto Rico or an international destination, and if the importer is different from the final recipient, this is the address of the importer. Enter the recipient’s address in the `soldToAddress` object. If importer’s address is the same as the final recipient, the `toAddress` and `soldToAddress` must match.
altReturnAddress	Address Object	PB Expedited, CBDS Only. Applies as follows: PB Expedited: If you are sending an international shipment and if you have set the NON_DELIVERY_OPTION shipment option to `redirect`, then enter the address that a returned parcel should go to. CBDS: For a Create Shipment request, this is the address used to return a parcel from the CBDS Consolidation Center. If omitted, the `fromAddress` is used. The `altReturnAddress` is not returned in the response.
parcel	Parcel Object	Required. Contains physical characteristics of the parcel.
rates	Array[Rates Object]	Required. Specifies the carrier, service, parcel, and other information. In a response, this field also contains the service charges. Important: In a request, the `rates` array can contain only one rates object.
documents	Array[Documents Object]	Conditional. Defines the label, manifest, or other shipping document created by the API call. This field is required, except in the following cases: This field does not apply to Rate Parcel requests. This field does not apply to the Create CBDS Shipment request if the merchant prints the first-label prior to invoking the API.
shipmentOptions	Array[Object]	Required. Each object in this array defines a shipment option. Specify each option as a name-value pair in the array. The `SHIPPER_ID` option is required. For any additional requirements for a carrier or service, please see the Things to Consider section on the carrier’s Create Shipment page.
name	String	The name of the shipment option.
value	String	The value of the shipment option.
customs	Object	Conditional. For shipments that use customs forms, this object contains the customs information. This field is required for the following carriers in the following situations: PB Expedited: Required for shipments to international destinations. Conditional for shipments to APO/FPO/DPO, U.S. Territories, and FAS, as explained in this FAQ. CBDS: Required for all shipments. FedEx: Required for shipments to international destinations and Puerto Rico. UPS: Required for shipments to international destinations and Puerto Rico.
customsInfo	Customs Info Object	Customs clearance information used to fill out a commercial invoice. In the Customs Info Object, make sure to include the fields marked Required.
customsItems	Array[Customs Items Object]	Information about each commodity in the shipment, used for customs clearance. In the Customs Items Object, make sure to include the fields marked Required. The maximum number of objects in this array is 30.
domesticShipmentDetails	Domestic Shipment Details Object	CBDS Only. Required if the merchant prints the first-mile label prior to invoking the Create CBDS Shipment API. This object contains information about the first-mile leg of the shipment.
soldToAddress	Address Object	FedEx, UPS Only. The final recipient of a the shipment. Required for a shipment from the U.S. to Puerto Rico or to an international destination. Otherwise optional. This address must match the `toAddress.countryCode`, with the exception of shipments to Canada and to U.S. satellite countries. If the final recipient’s address is the same as the importer’s address, the entries in the `soldToAddress` object must match the entries in the `toAddress` object.
shipmentType	String	Return Labels Only. Set this to `RETURN`. Required for Expedited Returns and Standard Returns.
references	Array[Object]	Merchant-defined values. Applies to the following: PB Standard: Optional. See References Array in PB Standard. CBDS: Conditional. See References Array in a CBDS Request.
hazmatDetails	Hazmat Details Object	PB Standard Only. If shipping hazardous materials with PB Standard, use this object.
shipmentId	String	RESPONSE ONLY. Unique identifier for the shipment, generated by the system in response to shipment purchase.
parcelTrackingNumber	String	RESPONSE ONLY. Tracking number assigned to the shipment by the system.

Sample Request¶

curl -X POST .../v1/shipments \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <oauth_token>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-PB-TransactionId: 24c7d104-31de-4f6f-8bd0" \
-H "X-PB-ShipmentGroupId: 123456789" \
-H "X-PB-Integrator-CarrierId: 987654321" \
-H "X-PB-UnifiedErrorStructure: true" \
-d '
{
    "fromAddress": {
        "company": "Supplies",
        "name": "John Smith",
        "phone": "303-000-0000",
        "email": "john@example.com",
        "residential": false,
        "addressLines": [
            "4750 Walnut Street"
        ],
        "cityTown": "Boulder",
        "stateProvince": "CO",
        "postalCode": "80301",
        "countryCode": "US"
    },
    "toAddress": {
        "company": "Shop",
        "name": "Mary Jones",
        "phone": "620-555-0000",
        "email": "mary@example.com",
        "residential": false,
        "addressLines": [
            "4588 W Fulton"
        ],
        "cityTown": "Garden City",
        "stateProvince": "KS",
        "postalCode": "67846",
        "countryCode": "US"
    },
    "parcel": {
        "weight": {
            "unitOfMeasurement": "OZ",
            "weight": 3
        },
        "dimension": {
            "unitOfMeasurement": "IN",
            "length": 12,
            "width": 0.25,
            "height": 9
        }
    },
    "rates": [ {
        "carrier": "PBPRESORT",
        "serviceId": "BPM",
        "parcelType": "LGENV",
        "currencyCode": "USD"
    } ],
    "documents": [ {
        "size": "DOC_6X4",
        "printDialogOption": "NO_PRINT_DIALOG",
        "type": "SHIPPING_LABEL",
        "contentType": "URL",
        "fileFormat": "PDF"
    } ],
    "shipmentOptions": [ {
        "name": "SHIPPER_ID",
        "value": "9024324564"
    },{
        "name": "PERMIT_NUMBER",
        "value": "SHFL"
    },{
        "name": "MINIMAL_ADDRESS_VALIDATION",
        "value": "false"
    } ]
}'

Sample Response¶

{
    "fromAddress": {
        "company": "Supplies",
        "name": "John Smith",
        "phone": "303-000-0000",
        "email": "john@example.com",
        "residential": false,
        "addressLines": [
            "4750 Walnut St"
        ],
        "cityTown": "Boulder",
        "stateProvince": "CO",
        "postalCode": "80301-2532",
        "countryCode": "US",
        "carrierRoute": "C033",
        "deliveryPoint": "99"
    },
    "toAddress": {
        "company": "Shop",
        "name": "Mary Jones",
        "phone": "620-555-0000",
        "email": "mary@example.com",
        "residential": false,
        "addressLines": [
            "4588 W Fulton St"
        ],
        "cityTown": "Garden City",
        "stateProvince": "KS",
        "postalCode": "67846-9775",
        "countryCode": "US",
        "carrierRoute": "C007",
        "deliveryPoint": "84"
    },
    "parcel": {
        "weight": {
            "unitOfMeasurement": "OZ",
            "weight": 3.0
        },
        "dimension": {
            "length": 12.0,
            "width": 0.25,
            "height": 9.0,
            "unitOfMeasurement": "IN"
        }
    },
    "rates": [ {
        "carrier": "PBPRESORT",
        "parcelType": "LGENV",
        "inductionPostalCode": "80301",
        "specialServices": [],
        "serviceId": "BPM",
        "baseCharge": 0.0,
        "currencyCode": "USD",
        "destinationZone": "4",
        "totalCarrierCharge": 0.0
    } ],
    "documents": [ {
        "contentType": "URL",
        "contents": "https://.../6ad8a496574a4cc2ac66d9d9af31138e.pdf",
        "fileFormat": "PDF",
        "size": "DOC_6X4",
        "type": "SHIPPING_LABEL"
    } ],
    "shipmentOptions": [ {
        "name": "SHIPPER_ID",
        "value": "9024324564"
    },{
        "name": "PERMIT_NUMBER",
        "value": "SHFL"
    },{
        "name": "MINIMAL_ADDRESS_VALIDATION",
        "value": "false"
    } ],
    "parcelTrackingNumber": "0070698765432100221106510123814",
    "shipmentId": "PBPRESORT2200122647812392"
}

Sample PB Presort Label¶

The following is a sample label for a BPM Large Envelope.

Error Codes¶

For a list of all PB Shipping APIs error codes, see Error Codes.