How to set up USPS as a shipper

[BarbBatto]

If you are having trouble, as I did, setting up USPS as a shipper on your shopping cart, it may be because you have not regestered correctly with USPS.

In order to set up an account at USPS to install USPS as a shipper on your shopping cart, you must register onto USPS in two different places. First create a general user account at USPS.com. After logging on, if you are on the home page, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Look for "Other USPS Sites". Click on "Resources for Developers." On the "Welcome to the Web Tools API Portal" page, click on the "Register Now" bottom. Register for USPS Web Tools. Once registered, you???ll receive an email with your assigned Web Tools User ID and password. This is the ID you must enter on the Manage Shipping Rates page. You???ll then have access to the most popular APIs. Log back on with your new id information and return to the "Welcome to the Web Tools API Portal" page. Scroll down to "Easy as 1,2,3" and click on "Step 3. Permissions." Just follow the instructions.

I have found the techs at the USPS Internet Customer Care Center very helpful, call 800.344.7779.

[jjones]

very helpful post... USPS user ID's for the API are usually formatted 123ABCDE1234 and are not your login username, which most people try to use...

[stitchingbuddyqueen]

Ok I have done all of this twice for USPS. I have added the stamps.com extension. It all works except for the fact that the shipping that easy cart gives is like 2.50 above the actual cost. I have tried changing the weight, the packaging, everything. Nothing works. I want to use the live shipping, that is why I bought the premium edition. What am I doing wrong?

[matt_corley]

There are usually a couple of key reasons for USPS giving a rate that is different from that in the cart:

1. Make sure the box type is your own packaging and the dimensions you are checking are what are being sent from the cart. A good example of when this can be very different is when you have multiple products of different size, they may be "boxed" differently in the cart than in real life. This is due to the box packing problem, which is considered a hard problem in programming and we can only do so much to make the packing as accurate as possible.

2. Do you have a handling cost setup? We have global handling costs and by the product handling costs, which can throw things off from time to time.

3. Stamps.com could be giving you a discounted rate on USPS shipments? This would contribute to the lower rate.

I would also recommend submitting a support ticket about this as it normally is specific to a user's system and account.

[SiteCrafter]

Does USPS charge for the use of their live shipping API that WP EasyCart relies on? (I can't ask them - it's a holiday.)

[tikitekki]

The above post containing instructions to get USPS working is no longer valid. I've registered for the "legacy APIs" (are you going to be implementing the NEW USPS APIs? I got this software expecting to be able to connect to USPS and so far I cannot). I got my username/password email. When I enter by Web API username and click the checkbox to connect it just spins and spins and never returns. I've tried this many times. Please advise. If this no longer works then I would like to get a refund and will turn to another shopping cart solution.