Rate shopping across carriers

Before an order ships, an agent calls ShipEngine for rates from the carriers you use, reading the destination, weight, and service level from the order. It applies your rate rules, picks the option that fits your cost and speed preferences, and writes the choice back to the order. Orders that match a clear rule are rated and queued without review. When no service meets the requirement, a destination looks invalid, or rates come back far higher than expected, the agent holds the order and asks a fulfillment owner to choose a carrier or correct the address.

Label purchase and voids

Once a shipping method is set, the agent uses ShipEngine to buy the label, reading the order and chosen service, then records the label reference and cost on the order. It applies your rules about package type and insurance, and marks the order ready to pack. Standard domestic labels within your limits are bought and logged on their own. High value shipments, requests to void a label already used, or international orders needing customs detail the rules do not cover are routed to a person, who confirms the purchase or handles the paperwork before anything prints.

Tracking status updates

As ShipEngine reports tracking events, an agent reads each update and posts the current status to the matching order, so support and customers see where a package is. It applies your rules to set states like shipped, in transit, and delivered, and can notify a customer at the steps you choose. Normal progress updates flow through untouched. When a package stalls past your threshold, a carrier reports an exception or a return to sender, or tracking goes silent after pickup, the agent raises the shipment to a fulfillment owner to investigate rather than closing it out.