Glossary

 

address validation

The verification and correction of postal addresses to help ensure parcels are rated accurately and delivered on time.

See Validate an Address.

APV

Automated Package Verification. APV is a USPS® program that verifies that postage is accurate and applies adjustments if necessary.

See USPS Automated Package Verification.

auto refill

Automatic replenishment of a postage account by a pre-defined amount whenever the balance falls below a pre-defined threshold.

See When does auto refill trigger?

CBDS

Cross-Border Delivery Service.

See Pitney Bowes Cross-Border Delivery Service (CBDS).

cubic pricing

Rates based on parcel size and shipping distance instead of on parcel weight.

See What is USPS cubic pricing?

delivery line

The portion of the address that includes any of the following: street name, street number, apartment number, PO BOX, secondary address, urbanization name.

This is also called the delivery address line.

delivery point
A 2-digit number used by USPS in combination with the 9-digit ZIP code to identify a deliverable address. You can find more information on delivery points at the Wikipedia Delivery Point page.
developer

Owner of an account that give access to the PB Shipping APIs. Developers are also referred to as integrators.

See Developer Account.

dimensional (DIM) weight pricing

Applies to parcels that are large and relatively light for their sizes. Rates are based on volume and a volumetric divisor.

See What is USPS dimensional weight pricing?

Harmonized System Code

A tariff-classification number for a commodity based on the six-digit Harmonized System (HS). Most countries use the six-digit Harmonized System as the basis for their tariff classifications and add additional digits for more detail.

To retrieve a predicted HS Code, use the Predict HS Code API.

HS Code
See Harmonized System Code.
IMb

Intelligent Mail barcode. A barcode used by USPS to sort and track letters and flats.

See What is an IMb?

IMpb

Intelligent Mail package barcode. A barcode used by USPS to track a parcel.

See What is an IMpb?

Importation costs

For a CBDS Shipment, the duties and taxes charged at a destination country’s border. Importation costs might also include a disbursement fee.

See How does CBDS issue invoices?.

induction postal code

The postal code where a shipment or shipments are tendered to a carrier. This can be different from the Sender’s address.

The Create Shipment API specifies induction postal code in the rates.inductionPostalCode field. The Create Manifest API specifies induction postal code in the inductionPostalCode field.

last line
The city, state, and postal code portion of an address.
manifest

An end-of-day document that combines all the days shipments on a single form or electronic record, depending on the carrier.

See Create a Manifest.

merchant

A shipper within the Pitney Bowes system. When you print a label through the PB Shipping APIs, you do so on behalf of a merchant.

See Merchant Accounts.

OAuth

A standard for token-based authentication and authorization. The PB Shipping APIs use OAuth to identify and authenticate the developer account making an API request.

See Generate an OAuth Token.

QR code

A two-dimensional barcode used to print a shipping label.

See QR Code.

refill

Adding funds to a PB Postage Account through either the Refill API or the Merchant Portal.

See How do I fill my PB Postage Account with funds?

soft pack

A flexible package that adheres and conforms to the item being packaged.

See How are rates calculated for USPS soft packs?

Transportation costs

For a CBDS Shipment, the international shipping charges and any accessorial charges.

See How does CBDS issue invoices?.