This article contains all important information for integrating the shipping platform Sendcloud in Xentral.
Do you already have existing contracts with one or multiple shipping service providers? Then, you can use Sendcloud to carry out the shipping process with Sendcloud and manage all those contracts in one central place. Also, if you want to use new shipping providers without having to set up direct contracts, you can easily to so with the help of the various plans offered by Sendcloud.
The integration of Sendcloud in Xentral works simply by creating a shipping method in Xentral and setting it up using your Sendcloud login data. When you start creating shipping labels with the shipping method Sendcloud later, Xentral requests the shipping label from the Sendcloud API. It only takes a few seconds until the shipping label is available directly in Xentral and can be printed out. Afterwards, you carry out the remaining shipping process directly in Xentral as usual.
Note
Are you not working with Sendcloud yet or do you wish to gain more insight into the available features and advantages of this solution? Then visit the Sendcloud website to learn more about a possible cooperation and request a free test version. A Sendcloud account is mandatory for using the integration in Xentral.
Below, we have listed some reasons that might make the integration of Sendcloud in Xentral a good choice, depending on your own workflows and business needs.
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Variety of shipping service providers: Do you already have existing contracts with one or multiple shipping service providers? In this case, integrating Sendcloud allows for a much better overview. In Sendcloud, all of your existing contracts, products and shipping labels are available in one central dashboard and easily accessible.
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Simple possibilities for expansion: Do you already know today that you want to cooperate with more shipping service providers in the future? Then, you can use Sendcloud to easily book products of additional service providers without having to go through the complicated process of negotiating individual contracts.
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Flexible conditions and internationalization: With Sendcloud, you profit from flexible rates for different shipping volumes, for example for start-ups. This way, you can easily integrate new shipping service providers without direct contracts or further risks. Sendcloud also has you covered regarding your future plans for expansion by offering access to a variety of international shipping service providers whenever you might need it.
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Seamless integration in Xentral: You only need to set up the Sendcloud shipping method once in Xentral instead of having to carry out time-consuming settings for each individual shipping service provider.
To use Sendcloud in Xentral, you first create a new shipping method. Then, you use your Sendcloud credentials to set up the shipping method.
Important
An active contract with Sendcloud is mandatory for integrating Sendcloud. Otherwise, the credentials required for the setup in Xentral are not available to you. These credentials consist of the Public key and Secret key. Below, we explain how both is generated in detail.
The first step consists of generating the credentials that you need for setting up the Sendcloud integration in Xentral. To do so, proceed as described below.
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Log into the Sendcloud customer portal. Click on this link to get there.
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On the bottom left, click on the menu entry Settings and then on Integrations.
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Select the option Sendcloud API and click on Connect.
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Enter a name for the integration.
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Click on Save.
The Public key and Secret key are displayed.
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Copy those credentials and save them in a secure place that you have permanent access to.
Warning
Follow this step carefully. The credentials are only displayed once in the Sendcloud customer portal. You cannot display them there again later.
In this next step, you create a new shipping method in Xentral and enter the credentials that you have generated in the Sendcloud customer portal as described in chapter Generating credentials in Sendcloud.
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Use the Smart Search to search for Shipping methods.
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Click on + NEW in the upper right corner.
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Click on Sendcloud.
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Enter the credentials Public key and Secret key that you have previously generated in the Sendcloud customer portal.
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Click on Continue.
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In the next step, carry out the following settings:
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Project filter (optional): Specify a project if you want to use a different printer for the shipping label per sales channel.
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Printer: Select the printer that should be used for the shipping label.
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Export printer: Select the printer that should be used for the customs documents for export shipments.
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Click on Continue.
The shipping method is now saved in Xentral.
After carrying out the settings described above, you can now either carry out further expert settings or go directly to a delivery note to create a shipping label for test purposes.
If you have already set up Sendcloud as a shipping method or the basic settings described above are not sufficient for your requirements, you can carry out additional settings for the shipping method in expert mode.
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Use the Smart Search to search for Shipping methods,
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Click on the pencil icon on the right of the shipping method for which you want to carry out settings.
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For the option Sender address, select the sender address that should be printed on the shipping label. The addresses that you have created under Settings > Addresses in the Sendcloud customer portal are available for selection here.
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In the Expert settings section, activate the Show additional settings option.
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Carry out the settings. The following table contains more detailed information on the available options.
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Finally, click on Save.
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Setting |
Explanation |
|---|---|
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Designation |
Here you can find the name of the shipping method, as it is displayed in Xentral, for example during order processing. The designation is only visible to you and your employees. Make sure that each designation exists only once in Xentral so that the shipping method can always be uniquely identified. |
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Type |
This is an internal field label that is required for mapping to your online stores and other sales platforms. ImportantDo not change this type! |
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Module |
Select the correct module from the drop-down menu. The module name must be identical to the name of the shipping method that you are currently setting up. |
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Project |
Optional: Assign a project. This assignment is required if you want to limit the shipping method to a specific sales channel or project (for example, a specific branch office). Leave the field empty in case the shipping method should be used across all projects. |
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Active |
Activate this option after you have carried all the necessary settings for the shipping method. NoteYou can deactivate shipping methods that are no longer in use later. Note, however, that deactivated shipping methods will only be displayed in receipts that have already been created. In newly created receipts and in user interfaces such as the sales order overview or in the customer data, a deactivated shipping method is no longer available for selection. You can also delete shipping methods. However, this will also delete the shipping history. Therefore, you should only delete incorrectly created shipping methods that you have not used productively. |
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No postage check |
You can use this option to deactivate the postage check in the sales order. If the postage check remains active, a red sales order traffic light icon will be displayed in case no postage item is included in the sales order. This prevents the postage item from being forgotten during manual order creation. Consider whether you want to activate or deactivate this option based on your own workflows and how you work with Xentral. If you typically create many orders manually in Xentral, it may be useful not to activate this option, so that the postage is always reliably included in the sales order, especially for high-priced products or international shipments. |
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Printer shipping label |
Select the printer you want to use by default for the shipping labels from the drop-down menu. Note that only printers that you have already set up in Xentral can be selected here. Depending on how and where the shipping process is handled in your company, you can choose exactly the printer you need here - whether directly at your desk or at the packing table in the warehouse. |
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Printer export |
Only relevant for international shipping: From the drop-down menu, select the printer that should be used for customs documents (CN23) by default. |
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Shipping email to buyer |
Determine rules regarding the way shipping notifications should be sent to your customers by email as soon as the shipment is on its way. The following three options are available: Default behavior: The existing logistics settings from the project are used. You can carry out these settings in the Settings > Basic Settings > Projects > Open Project > Tab: Settings > Tab: Logistics / Shipping menu. In the Stage 1 (Pick/Order Picking) and Stage 2 (Pack) sections, you can activate the check boxes named Email to inform your customers about the status of sales order processing. No shipping mail: No shipping information will be sent by email for this shipping method. Custom text template: For this shipping method, the selected text template will be sent via email. You need to create this template in advance in the Settings > Basic Settings > Receipts > Text templates menu. Then select the desired template from the Text template drop-down menu. This selection will not use the project’s logistics settings for this shipping method. |
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Deliveries supported |
When setting up the shipping method, this option is activated by default. Once you have carried out all the other necessary settings and set the shipping method to Active, you can select the shipping method in sales orders, delivery notes and in the dispatch center. |
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Returns supported |
Activate this option to allow the creation of returns for sales orders originally created using this shipping method. |
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Preferred return shipping method |
Select a preferred shipping method for returns. If you create a return for a sales order in Xentral with the present shipping method, the shipping method selected here is automatically preselected in the return order. This setting is only relevant in cases of manual return creation. |
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Default height / Default width / Default length (in cm) |
Enter the default dimensions of your packages here. If needed, you can change the weight later in the Shipping label tab of a delivery note before creating the shipping label. |
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Default weight |
Enter the default weight of your packages here. If needed, you can change the weight later in the Shipping label tab of a delivery note before creating the shipping label. |
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Adjust weight in |
To create the shipping label, an accurate calculation of the total weight of the shipment including packaging material is required. Xentral, automatically calculates the shipment weight in the background by adding up the total weight of the items included in the sales order. The present option adds a weight specified by you. This creates a total value for the shipping registration, which is taken into account when creating the shipping label and automatically reported to the shipping service provider. Decide whether the additional weight of the packaging material should be expressed in kg or %. Use the following setting called Xentral to define the extra weight more precisely. |
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Adjust weight by |
This setting allows you to specify your details for the Adjust weight in setting. Enter the additional weight of the shipment in kilograms or percentages here, depending on the previous selection. Which calculation method and which specific values you choose depends on the packaging type of your products and the packaging materials you use. |
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Product |
Select the product for the respective weight from the drop-down menu. You can view the available shipping products in the Sendcloud customer portal. Alternatively, you can select the product each time you print a shipping label in Xentral by activating the option Selection in parcel label dialog. You should also activate this option in case you do not have separate contracts with a specific shipping service provider but only cooperate with Sendcloud. |
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Tracking no. from position |
To make sure that the tracking number is applied correctly, you need to specify the correct position of the tracking number in the Sendcloud shipping method. The number of characters entered here will be cut off from the tracking number (e.g. in case of 4 and abcdef, ef remains). ImportantIf you have a separate contract with DPD and integrate this shipping service provider via the shipping method Sendcloud, it is mandatory to enter the value 8 in this field. |
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Tracking no. length |
Enter the number of characters of the tracking number. If you leave the field empty, the tracking number will be applied completely (including all characters). |
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Apply tracking |
Activate this option to save the tracking number in Xentral directly to the corresponding sales order after the shipping label has been created. This means that the tracking number is permanently saved in your system and you do not have to rescan the shipping label after creation to record this data in Xentral. |
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Deactivate extra insurance |
Activate this option to hide all settings that are relevant to additional insurance for a shipment when creating the shipping label in the Shipping label tab of delivery notes. If this option remains deactivated, you can use these fields to communicate additional information regarding the insurance amount to the shipping service provider during the registration of the shipment. |
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Exclude JIT components from CN22 |
Activate this option to exclude the individual components of just-in-time bills of material from the CN22 form in case products of this nature are included in the shipment. If this option is activated, only the main or head product of the bill of materials is listed. In this case, make sure that all required and relevant data for customs processing (customs tariff number, country of origin, weight) are correctly maintained in the product master data of this main product. Otherwise, errors will occur during creation of the shipping label. More information on just-in-time bills of materials is available in the article Bill of materials. |
Once you have carried out all the settings as described above, you can test the shipping label printing in the dispatch center or in an individual delivery note. To do so, proceed as follows.
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Click on the pencil icon on the right to open a delivery note in the Delivery note module.
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Open the Details tab.
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Scroll down until you reach the Delivery note section.
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Select the Sendcloud shipping method from the Shipping method drop-down menu.
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Click on Save.
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Open the Shipping label tab of the delivery note.
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If you have selected the option Selection in parcel label dialog for the Product setting of the shipping method, select the desired shipping product in the Product field.
Note
Only products that you have booked via a contract with the respective shipping service provider or that you have access too via a Sendcloud plan are available for selection here. In addition, the product selection is limited based on the weight of the shipment. In case you have not activated the option Selection in parcel label dialog, but have created individual Sendcloud shipping methods for each shipping service provider in Xentral (e.g. “Sendcloud DHL” or “Sendcloud DPD”), you select the specific shipping product in step 4 (see above). Afterwards, the respective Product is preselected in the Shipping label tab of the delivery note.
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Click on Print shipping label.
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Download the shipping label. Now, you can open it and check for any errors.
Important
After your test print is complete, you can cancel the shipping label in your Sendcloud account. To do so, proceed as follows.
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Log into the Sendcloud customer portal.
You are automatically directed to the Incoming orders menu.
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Open the tab Created labels.
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Activate the checkbox to the left to select one or multiple shipping labels for cancellation.
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At the upper left, click on the arrow icon right next to the button Print label.
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Click on Cancel.
A note informing you on the conditions for refunding shipping label costs and the cancellation periods Click on Ok, cancel to confirm the cancellation.
In this chapter, we have listed the error messages that can occur when using the Sendcloud shipping method in Xentral.
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Error message |
Explanation and solution |
|---|---|
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parcel_items: ",,,,,,," |
This error message is passed directly from Sendcloud to Xentral.This specific error occurs if the information regarding the country of origin is not maintained correctly in the product master data, or missing completely. In addition, missing information on product weights in the product master data can cause this error, ultimately making it impossible to create a shipping label. Go to Sell > Products > Open product > Tab: Details. Make sure that the correct ISO code of the country of origin is specified in the Country of origin field in the Manufacturer section. The code usually consists of two digits. The item weight is entered in the Weight (in kg) field in the Stock/dimensions section. ImportantThe country of origin must be entered in ISO code format. Otherwise, the exact same error will occur repeatedly. |
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Quantity must be at least 1 |
This error message occurs during creation of a shipping label in case the delivery note contains positions with the quantity 0. Remove the respective positions from the delivery note by outsourcing the positions that cannot be delivered right now to a partial delivery or to a partial order. Then, you can create the shipping label as desired. |
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No shipping product available for this delivery note configuration |
This error message occurs when the dimensions and/or weight of your shipment do not match any of the shipping products that you have booked in Sendcloud, e.g. if the shipment is too big. First, check in the Sendcloud customer portal which products you have booked and which limitations apply. When in doubt, contact the Xentral support team to request assistance. |
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User not allowed to announce |
This error message is passed directly from Sendcloud to Xentral. It appears in cases where the setup of your Sendcloud account has not been fully completed or if you have not yet provided a payment method for billing and payment of your shipping labels in Sendcloud. Start by checking the status of your account by logging into the Sendcloud customer portal. More details on solving this issue is available in the Sendcloud API FAQs. |