Sendcloud: integration guide

About this guide

This guide describes how to set up a connection between shipping software Sendcloud and ChannelEngine.

Table of contents

Introduction

Features

Requirements

How to request an account

Install ChannelEngine on Sendcloud

• Select the integrator
• Account details
• Account name
• API key
• Configure the integration
• ChannelEngine' custom fields
• Configure the 'Weight' and 'Weight unit'
• Configure the 'Shipping method name'

How it works

How the data flows

FAQs

Introduction

Sendcloud gives you access to multiple carriers worldwide. By connecting Sendcloud to ChannelEngine, you allow it to acknowledge orders and manage shipments.

Features

Supported	Not supported
Order synchronization	Product synchronization
Get product content (weight and weight unit)	Offer synchronization
Create full shipments	Create partial shipments
	Create cancelations
	Create merchant returns
	Get and confirm channel returns

Requirements

NB: this integration is only suitable if you are currently creating shipments manually on ChannelEngine. If you are using a merchant plugin, or are connected with the ChannelEngine Merchant API, then we advise you to get in touch with Sendcloud. The best approach in those cases is to connect your system/ecommerce platform directly with Sendcloud.

• No merchant plugin, no integration with the ChannelEngine Merchant API – in other words, no ecommerce platform, WMS, or OMS in between.
• An active account on Sendcloud.
• An active merchant account on ChannelEngine.
• Products listed on ChannelEngine must contain a weight and weight unit as additional information.

How to request an account

You can sign up for your Sendcloud account for free, directly on their website. For more information, check out the Get started with Sendcloud guide.

Install ChannelEngine on Sendcloud

To establish a successful connection between Sendcloud and ChannelEngine, you need to set up your integration with ChannelEngine within your Sendcloud account. To do so, follow the steps below.

Select the integrator

On Sendclound, select ChannelEngine as the preferred integrator. Go to Sendcloud and navigate to User Panel, Settings, Integrations, click ChannelEngine, and click Connect.

Account details

Set up your integration by configuring the required details.

Name should correspond to your Sendcloud' shop name, while Account name and API key can be retrieved from your ChannelEngine account.

Retrieve your Account name and API key from your ChannelEngine account.

Account name

In the field Account name, add your ChannelEngine API URL subdomain. To retrieve it, access your ChannelEngine account and go to Dashboard, Settings, Merchant API keys. Copy-paste the subdomain from the API URL:

https://[youraccount].channelengine.net

API key

Add your ChannelEngine Merchant API key to the field API key. To retrieve it, access your ChannelEngine account and go to Dashboard, Settings, Merchant API keys and copy-paste the API key.

Note that if you have not added an API key to your ChannelEngine account, you can do so by selecting Add.

For more information on how to retrieve the API Key from ChannelEngine, refer to the Getting API access guide.

Configure the integration

Once your API credentials are successfully configured – though before you can proceed with your connection and start processing real time orders –, you must map three custom fields from your ChannelEngine product feed to your Sendcloud account: Weight, Weight unit, and preferred Shipping method name. You can do this by selecting Go to integrations.

You are then be redirected to the mapping page, as seen below:

ChannelEngine custom fields

Sendcloud requires information about the product's weight and weight unit to generate the correct parcel and label. Therefore, you need to provide those details as custom fields when updating your catalog on ChannelEngine.

There are three ways to add custom fields to ChannelEngine: via the interface, via a product feed, and via the API. For more information on this, check out the ChannelEngine: product custom fields/extra data fields article.

When you are done adding the Weight, Weight unit, and Shipping method name fields, go to Products, Custom fields on ChannelEngine to see an overview of your custom fields. Here you must configure the custom field with Key, Type, and IsPublic options, according to the information from your product feed.

Note that by default Key is empty, Type is set to Text, IsPublic is set to No, and you must adjust each option before saving.

Using the product feed example from above, the custom fields should be created in the following way:

• Custom field - Weight
• Key - weight
• Type - number
• IsPublic - yes

• Custom field - Weight unit
• Key - weight_unit
• Type - text
• IsPublic - yes

IsPublic must always be set to Yes for Sendcloud to have access to the custom fields created on ChannelEngine.

After saving all the newly created custom fields, you can see them listed on your ChannelEngine Custom fields page. Make sure to double check that all fields are configured correctly. Make sure to populate them with the correct information via the feed, plugin, or API.

Configure the 'Weight' and 'Weight unit'

Once your custom fields are created on ChannelEngine, you can map them on Sendcloud' mapping page. This enables Sendcloud to fetch the data for each product ChannelEngine is ingesting from your product feed. Based on the previous examples, the mapping on Sendcloud should be saved in the following way:

• Weight - weight
• Weight unit - weight_unit

Note that each of the mapping fields is configured with the title of the corresponding custom fields created on ChannelEngine. This tells Sendcloud the exact place from which the data should be ingested within your ChannelEngine product feed.

Configure the 'Shipping method name'

To automatically detect the shipping method selected by the buyer on each marketplace, you need to manually insert the text "SHIPPING_METHOD" to the Shipping method name field.

How it works

Once Sendcloud is connected with your ChannelEngine tenant, Sendcloud imports new orders from ChannelEngine every 10 minutes – starting at xx:00. It acknowledges them right away, and marks them as shipped on ChannelEngine as long as the products ordered contain a weight and weight unit.

If a weight and/or weight unit were not provided, orders get stuck with the status 'In progress' on ChannelEngine – remaining in the Incoming orders panel on Sendcloud. It is also possible to add those details manually on Sendcloud. After saving the changes, it creates the parcel and label automatically and marks the order as shipped on ChannelEngine.

How the data flows

FAQs

Why are my orders stuck on status 'New'?

Make sure to check the following:

• Your Sendcloud account is fully operational.
• You have followed the steps under the Account details section.

Why are my orders stuck on status ‘In progress’?

Make sure to check the following:

• You have followed the steps under the Configure the integration section.
• Go to your Sendcloud dashboard and check if the order shows up under the Incoming orders panel. If so, open the order, add the missing information, and save.
• If the problem persists, please reach out to Sendcloud’s support team.

Can I connect the ChannelEngine plugin to Sendcloud if my orders are being synced with my system?

No, that would create inconsistencies and both systems would overlap – causing errors when synchronizing orders. You can avoid that by switching the order synchronization off, but this is not advisable. In those cases we suggest connecting your system directly with Sendcloud instead.