Pitney Bowes Cross-Border Delivery Service (CBDS)

Overview

The PB Cross-Border Delivery Service (CBDS) ships parcels from CBDS Hubs to international and domestic destinations and ensures international parcels comply with international regulations before shipment. CBDS is a post-paid service. CBDS provides:

  • International Outbound shipping from the U.S., Canada, and United Kingdom.

  • International Inbound shipping to Canada.

  • Return shipping from Canada to the U.S.

  • Domestic shipping within Canada.

Onboard to Ship with CBDS

To onboard a merchant to ship with CBDS through the Ecommerce APIs, contact either ClientSupportTechServices@pb.com or ShippingAPIBusinessDevelopment@pb.com, or contact the merchant’s implementation manager.

During onboarding, the merchant sets up delivery solutions to determine how parcels arrive at the CBDS Hub before they are shipped to their destinations.

API Operations for Shipping with CBDS

CBDS uses the API operations listed below. For the common sequence of operations used to ship a parcel, see this workflow.

CBDS operations use the following carrier ID: PBI

Operation


Method

Resource Path


Rate a Parcel

POST

/v1/rates

Create an International Outbound Shipment

POST

/v1/shipments?carrier=PBI

Create an International Inbound Shipment

POST

/v1/shipments?carrier=PBI

Create International Inbound Container Labels

POST

/v1/container-manifest/Batch?carrier=PBI

Create a Domestic Shipment (Canada Only)

POST

/v1/shipments?carrier=PBI

Create a Return Label

POST

/v1/shipments?carrier=PBI

Reprint a Lost or Damaged Label

GET

/v1/shipments/{shipmentId}?carrier=PBI

Retry a Label

GET

/v1/shipments?originalTransactionId={transaction_id}&carrier=PBI

Void a Label

DELETE

/v1/shipments/{shipmentId}?carrier=PBI&cancelInitiator=SHIPPER

Get Tracking Information

GET

/v1/tracking/{trackingNumber}?packageIdentifierType=TrackingNumber

Predict an HS Code

POST

/v1/crossborder/hs-classification/items

Get a Quote for a Shopping Cart

POST

/v1/crossborder/checkout/quotes

Manage Merchant Accounts

——

See API Operations for Merchant Accounts.

CBDS Services

CBDS offers the following services. Availability of a service depends on the merchant’s service agreement and on the shipping lane. For outbound shipping lanes, download the spreadsheets provided on this page.

International Outbound Services

International Outbound uses the following services:

Service ID


Description


Delivery Terms

Supported by Rates API?


Additional Info


PBXPE

Expedited DDP

DDP

Yes

Faster than Standard DDP and costs more. Does not support delivery to P.O. Boxes.

PBXPS

Standard DDP

DDP

Yes

More cost effective than Expedited DDP.

PBXUS

Standard DDU

DDU

Yes

Postal clearance is at the country of destination.

International Inbound Services

International Inbound uses the following services:

Service ID


Description


Supported by Rates API?


PBIBCS

Container Freight Station (CFS) Standard

Yes

PBIBS

PB Inbound Standard

Yes

Canada Domestic Service

CBDS Domestic uses the following services:

Service ID


Description


Supported by Rates API?


PBDS

Domestic Standard Service

Yes

Returns Services

CBDS Returns use the following services:

Service ID


Description


Supported by Rates API?


PBXRCS

Return Standard Consolidated

Yes

PBXRS

Return Standard Per Piece

Yes

Delivery Terms

Every shipment has a Transportation cost and an Importation cost. The Importation cost covers the duties and taxes charged at the destination country’s border. The Delivery Terms specify whether the merchant or the buyer pays the Importation cost. Each CBDS service class specifies one of the following delivery terms:

  • DDP: Delivered Duty Paid. The merchant pays both the Transportation and Importation costs. When a merchant creates a shipment that uses a DDP service class, the API returns estimates for both the Transportation and Importation costs.

  • DDU: Delivery Duty Unpaid. The merchant pays only the Transportation cost. The buyer is responsible for the Importation cost and might have to pay this upon receipt of the parcel. When a merchant creates a shipment that uses DDU, the API returns an estimate only for the Transportation cost.

CBDS Parcels

CBDS shipments use the following parcel type.

ID


Parcel Type

PKG

Package

CBDS Labels

USPS Labels Printed for CBDS Shipments

When printing a USPS label, note the following:

  • The value for the label size uses an uppercase X.

  • If you encounter a problem printing ZPL2 labels, see this topic.

  • Labels retrieved through URLs are available for 24 hours after creation.

Use the following options for USPS labels:

size


fileFormat


contentType


resolution


DOC_4X6

PDF


PNG
ZPL2

URL


BASE64
BASE64

not applicable


DPI_203, DPI_300 (default)
DPI_203 (default), DPI_300 (domestic labels only)

DOC_4X8

PDF


PNG
ZPL2

URL


BASE64
BASE64

not applicable


not applicable
not applicable

DOC_8X11

PDF


PNG

URL


BASE64

not applicable


DPI_300

PB Standard Labels Printed for CBDS Shipments

When printing a PB Standard label, note the following:

  • The value for the label size uses an uppercase X.

  • If you encounter a problem printing ZPL2 labels, see this topic.

  • Labels retrieved through URLs are available for 24 hours after creation.

Use the following options for PB Standard labels:

Label Size


File Format


Content Type


Resolution


DOC_4X6

PDF


PNG
ZPL2
BMP

URL


BASE64
BASE64
BASE64

DPI_203


DPI_203
DPI_203 (default), DPI_300
DPI_203, DPI_300, DPI_600 (default)

CBDS Domestic Labels

When printing a CBDS Domestic label, note the following:

  • The CBDS Domestic API might return different label options from those you send in the request. The API does so if the domestic carrier does not support the options you chose.

  • PDF labels can be returned as either URLs or BASE64-encoded PDFs.

  • The value for the label size uses an uppercase X.

  • Labels retrieved through URLs are available for 24 hours after creation.

Use the following options for CBDS Domestic labels:

Label Size


File Format


Content Type


Orientation

DOC_4X6

PDF


PDF
PNG

URL


BASE64
BASE64

portrait


portrait
portrait

CBDS Tracking

You can track CBDS parcels through the following:

See Also