Note
The DHL shipping method is the successor to DHL Warenpost and DHL (Old). What is new is that customs delivery to non-EU countries has been improved with DHL for you. The interface is based on the new DHL API.
The DHL Group is one of the most widely used service providers for domestic and international parcel delivery. Depending on the products you have booked with DHL as a business customer, you can use a variety of shipping methods, delivery services and parcel sizes available.
To ship your products with the shipping service provider DHL in Germany, to EU member states or non-EU countries, you connect your account in the DHL Business Customer Portal to Xentral. Then, you can print shipping labels for individual delivery notes or within various logistics processes.
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Manual creation of shipping labels for individual delivery notes
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Automatic creation of shipping labels within various logistics processes
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Reliable shipping of various parcel sizes from Warenpost (small package) to bulky goods (domestic and international)
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Transparent feedback of tracking numbers to your online stores and sales platforms
The Xentral shipping method DHL offers you the following features:
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Domestic and international shipping
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Feedback of the tracking number to your online stores and sales platforms
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Traceable tracking number
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Indication of product type for shipments to non-EU countries
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Shipment to EU countries by international parcel
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Domestic and international shipment of bulky goods and Warenpost (small package)
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Customs delivery to non-EU countries
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Use of Leitcodierung (specific postal barcode)
Shipping service providers are integrated into Xentral via so-called shipping methods and can then be used for your shipping processes.
At this time, Xentral offers two different shipping methods regarding DHL. In addition to the newer shipping method called DHL, which is described in this article, you have the option to set up and use the already existing shipping method DHL (Old) in Xentral. However, both shipping methods offer different services and products. Which interface you use depends on the requirements of your business and the products you sell. The following table illustrates the differences between shipping methods and should help you decide to use one or both shipping methods.
Important
The DHL (Old) shipping method accesses the technical interface that has been offered by DHL for a long time. This interface will be switched off by DHL in May 2025, so we expressly recommend that you no longer use or carry out an initial setup of DHL (Old) shipping method. The following decision guide is to be understood as a guide as long as all services available at DHL are not yet selectable in the newer Xentral DHL shipping method.
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Shipping method DHL |
Shipping method DHL (Old) |
|---|---|
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To use DHL in Xentral as a shipping method, you first create a new shipping method and then activate it with your existing contract data from DHL. It only takes a few minutes and a few steps to be able to ship your first products with DHL!
Important
Note that you must create a separate shipping method in Xentral for each product you have booked with DHL. For example, if you only want to process regular domestic shipments and bulky goods, a separate shipping method with the appropriate settings in Xentral is required for each product.
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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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Enter the information as described below.
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User name |
User name of your account in the DHL Business Customer Portal |
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Password |
Password of your account in the DHL Business Customer Portal |
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Billing number |
14-digit billing number for the product. How to find your billing number is described in this chapter. |
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Product |
Enter the identifier of the product you have booked on the DHL Business Customer Portal here. The following options are available: Paket National Paket International Warenpost National Warenpost International Warenpost International Premium Paket National Sperrgut Paket International Sperrgut Paket National Filialrouting - If the recipient of the package is not available, DHL does not return the package directly to the sender. Instead, DHL delivers the package to the nearest branch in which parcels can be picked up. This branch stores the package for up to seven days, giving the recipient another chance to collect the package. |
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Click on Next.
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Now enter the following information:
Project Filter (optional): Specify a project if you want to use a different printer for the shipping label per sales channel
Printer: Select the printer that should be used for the shipping label
Export printer: Select the printer that should be used for the customs documents for export shipments
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Click on Next. The shipping method will now be saved.
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.
If you have already set DHL 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 the pencil icon on the right of the shipping method you want to edit.
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At the bottom of the Expert settings section, activate the Show additional settings option.
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Carry out the settings as described below. Then, click on Save.
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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 name is only visible to you and your employees. Make sure that each label appears 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 to be assigned to your online stores and other sales platforms. You should not change this label! If you do change it, remember to change it exactly in the settings of your store and other platforms. An exception is if you work without online stores or sales platforms, in which case you can rename the type to your liking. |
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Module |
Specify the appropriate Xentral module here. In this case, it is DHL. It is also possible to assign a different module to the shipping method. Note, however, that all existing settings will be lost and the module name will update in editable receipts if you make a change here. |
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Project |
Optionally, specify a project assignment. This is required if you want to limit the shipping method to a specific sales channel or project (for example, a specific branch office). If not, this field remains blank and therefore applies to all projects and user groups. |
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Active |
Activate this option after you have carried all the necessary settings for the shipping method. NoteYou can disable shipping methods that are no longer in use later. However, note that disabled shipping methods are only shown in receipts that have already been created. In newly created documents and in user interfaces such as the order overview or in customer data, a disabled shipping method is no longer available. You can also delete shipping methods, but 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 |
Use this option to disable the postage check in the order for the order traffic light. If the postage check remains active, a red light icon is generated for orders if at least one postage item is not included in the order lines. This usually 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 a lot of orders manually in Xentral, it may be useful not to enable this option, so that the postage is always reliably deposited on the order, especially for high-priced articles or international shipments. |
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Printer parcel 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 it's right at your desk or at the packing table in the warehouse. |
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Printer export |
From the drop-down menu, select the printer to use by default for customs forms (CN23). NoteNote that this setting is only relevant for shipping methods where export shipments to non-EU countries are included in the corresponding DHL product. |
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Shipping mail 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 (picking / order picking) and Stage 2 (pack) at dispatch station areas, you activate the check boxes Email to inform your customers about the status of order processing. No dispatch 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 by email. You must create this template in advance in the Settings > General 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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Text template |
This setting is only available if you have selected the Custom text template option when for the setting Shipping mail to buyer. Select a specific text template to be sent for this shipping method. For example, this could be information tailored specifically to the shipping service provider or information for self pick-up, which may differ depending on the branch office. |
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Deliveries supported |
When setting up the DHL 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. This allows you to manually select the shipping method during all important steps of order processing in Xentral. |
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Returns supported |
ImportantImportant: This option cannot be selected for the DHL shipping method. If you only use the DHL shipping method and would like to offer returns via DHL as a shipping service provider, you need to set up the separate DHL Retoure shipping method in Xentral. |
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Preferred return shipping method |
Select a preferred shipping method for returns. If you create a return to an order in Xentral with the shipping method DHL, the shipping method selected here will automatically be preselected for the return order. This setting applies to cases in which you manually create returns in Xentral and also generate the return parcel label yourself and send it to your customers. NoteIf you want to learn more about how your customers can easily and independently file returns, take a closer look at our article on the Xentral returns portal. |
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Sender name / Sender street / Sender House number / Sender city / Sender ZIP code / Sender Email |
Enter your company name in the Sender name field and enter your company's address details in the remaining fields. The information you provide here will appear as the sender address on your parcel labels. ImportantApply the data requested here, including the email address, exactly as they are stored in your account in the DHL Business Customer Portal. |
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Sender country (2-digit) |
Enter the ISO country code for the country you are shipping from. For Germany, the correct ISO code is DE. |
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Standard height / standard width / standard length |
What are the typical parcel dimensions of your shipments? Enter the appropriate values in cm here and Xentral will then use them as default values for creating the parcel label and registering the shipment with DHL. WarningThe measurements you enter here must be within the respective tariffs and parcel sizes of the product booked with DHL. Make sure that this is the case before using DHL as a productive method in your day-to-day business. If the values are higher than those allowed in the tariff or product, you may experience problems with registering the shipment and creating the parcel label in Xentral. |
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Adjust weight in |
Creating the parcel label requires an accurate calculation of the total weight of the shipment, including packaging material. 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, resulting in a total value for the registration of the shipment that is taken into account when creating the parcel label and automatically reported to DHL. Decide if the additional weight of the packaging material should be calculated in kg or %, using the following setting named Adjust weight to. |
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Adjust weight to |
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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Export product type |
This setting is only relevant for shipments to non-EU countries. Select the description of the goods shipped here. This description will be printed on the customs documents CN 22/23. The following product types are available here:
For more information on the required customs documents and their contents, please contact DHL directly. |
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Description if "Other" is selected |
This setting is relevant if you have selected the option Other for the setting Export product type. Here, you have the option to define your own product type and enter your own description for the shipped products. |
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Activate DHL routing |
Routing is a type of address verification by DHL. We strongly recommend that you activate this option to minimize the potential for error in address data and reduce the risk of incorrect deliveries. For more information on routing, please contact DHL directly. NoteIn case of missing routing, DHL will require a surcharge for incorrect or inconclusively identifiable addresses. NoteDo you already know about address validation in Xentral? With this tool, you can identify early on in the order processing if there are errors in customer addresses and thus intervene proactively. You can find all important information about this in this article. |
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Save tracking number in sales order |
Activate this option to apply the tracking number directly to the corresponding sales order in Xentral after the shipping label has been created, so that the tracking number is permanently stored in your system and you do not have to rescan the parcel label after it has been created to collect this data in Xentral. |
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Provisional return shipping method |
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Print provisional return label together with shipping label |
Important
Check the parcel labels and their prices regularly in the DHL Business Customer Portal. You can do this at the end of the day, for example, or discuss them with your DHL contact person when you start working with DHL. Pay particular attention to the following settings, as they affect the package rate:
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Billing numbers of your booked DHL products
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Routing
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Parcel dimensions (standard height / standard width / standard length
After carrying out all the settings as described above, you can test the parcel label printing in the dispatch center or in an individual delivery note by following these steps.
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Click on the pencil icon on the right to open a delivery note in the Stock > Delivery note menu.
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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 DHL shipping method from the Shipping method drop-down menu.
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Click on Save. You will then be redirected to the Parcel label tab of the delivery note. If necessary, adjust the address details and click onPrint shipping label.
Warning
Make sure to always activate the Activate DHL routing check box in the Parcel label tab. Without routing, DHL will calculate a surcharge for incorrect or inconclusively identifiable addresses and errors may occur during delivery.
After your test print is complete, you can cancel the parcel label in the DHL Business Customer Portal by following these steps.
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Log into the DHL Business Customer Portal.
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Click on Parcel & goods in the upper left corner, then click on Shipment overview.
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Open the Printed shipments tab.
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Use the check box on the left to select the parcel label you want to cancel, then click on Cancel above the table.
Would you like to give your customers the opportunity to receive their shipments at a Packstation, in a post office or in a parcel shop? In this case, you will need specific data to submit to DHL, which your customer will need to provide. This information will then be transferred to DHL in Xentral in the fields provided so that the shipment can be addressed correctly.
When a package is shipped to a Packstation, your customer must at least provide you with their postal number, as well as the number of the Packstation and the postal code of its location. When printing the shipping label, enter the information in the Xentral parcel label dialog as follows:
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In the Name field, specify the recipient's first and last name.
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In the Name 3 field, enter the recipient's Postnummer. The Postnummer is the recipient's six- to ten-digit customer number, which your customer will find on their DHL customer card or in their DHL customer account.
Note
In case of an incorrect Postnummer, DHL may check the customer’s email address. This only works however in case your customer has provided the email address and has not objected to the transfer of the email address to DHL.
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In the Street field, type the text “Packstation”.
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Enter the number of the Packstation in the House number field (always three digits).
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In the ZIP code/Place fields, enter the ZIP code and the location of the Packstation.
Expand the box below to see the mandatory fields for correctly entering the information listed again based on sample address data.
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Name |
Max Mustermann |
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Name 2 |
(Optional) |
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Name 3 |
1234567890 |
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State |
(Optional) |
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Phone |
+49 823 123000000 |
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Street |
Packstation |
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House number |
123 |
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ZIP code |
56667 |
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Place |
Musterstadt |
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Weight |
2.0 |
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Width |
20 |
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Length |
30 |
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Height |
5 |
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Country |
DE |
If a parcel is shipped to a parcel shop or post office, your customer must at least provide you with the address details and number of the post office or parcel shop. When printing the shipping label, enter the information in the Xentral parcel label dialog as follows:
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In the Name field, specify the recipient's first and last name.
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In the Street field, type the text “Postfiliale”.
Note
Even if it is a parcel shop, you enter “Postfiliale” here.
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Enter the number of the parcel shop or post office in the House number field.
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In the Name 3 field, enter the recipient's Postnummer. The Postnummer is the recipient's six- to ten-digit customer number, which your customer will find on their DHL customer card or in their DHL customer account.
Note
In case of an incorrect Postnummer, DHL may check the customer’s email address. This only works however in case your customer has provided the email address and has not objected to the transfer of the email address to DHL.
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Enter the number of the post office or parcel shop (always three digits) in the House number field.
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In the ZIP code/Place fields, enter the ZIP code and the location of the post office or parcel shop.
Expand the box below to see the mandatory fields for correctly entering the information listed again based on sample address data.
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Name |
Max Mustermann |
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Name 2 |
(Optional) |
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Name 3 |
1234567890 |
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State |
(Optional) |
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Phone |
+49 823 123000000 |
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Street |
Postfiliale |
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House number |
123 |
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ZIP code |
56667 |
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Place |
Musterstadt |
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Weight |
2.0 |
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Width |
20 |
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Length |
30 |
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Height |
5 |
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Country |
DE |
If you want to use visual age checks for your DHL shipments, first make sure you have booked a suitable product with this service in your DHL Business Customer Portal.
Note
The Xentral shipping method DHL does not currently support the visual age check service. If you need this service, you must use the DHL (Old) shipping method. This article will show you how to carry out the necessary settings to use the visual age check.
The customs documents CN22 and CN23 are required for deliveries to destination countries outside the European Union. If you use the DHL shipping method described here, these documents are automatically generated and printed when you create a shipping label for an export shipment in Xentral. Unlike the DHL (Old) shipping method, the items contained in the shipment are listed in detail and separately within the customs documents. The customs tariff number and weight are also indicated for each position of the delivery note.
Important
Create an additional user account for your company for your main account in the DHL Business Customer Portal. This is necessary because the login data of the main account must be renewed regularly and therefore need to be changed in the Xentral settings every time. With a newly created and thus separate account, this is not necessary.
You can use different characters, such as special characters in the user's password.
Steps:
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Log into the DHL Business Customer Portal with an administrator account.
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Click on your user name in the upper right corner. Then, click on Manage users.
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Click on Create new user.
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Enter the user name and other personal information.
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Activate the most important rights for the user so that shipping labels can be printed from Xentral and your employees have the ability to create daily reports, returns and complaints in the business customer portal.
Note
The Ship parcel & goods, Contract Data Overview and Delivery monitor rights are mandatory for creating parcel labels in Xentral, while other rights are optional.
To set up the DHL shipping method in Xentral, you will need some of your DHL contract details. You can find both your customer number and your business data as well as the booked product numbers (billing numbers) in the Contract Data section of the DHL Business Customer Portal. Alternatively, you can view this data on your monthly statement from DHL.^
Note the following information about your contract details:
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Your Customer number usually consists of 10 digits.
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Your Billing number identifies the products you have contractually booked with DHL. It usually consists of 14 digits and is composed of your customer number followed by the usually four-digit product identifier.
In the DHL Business Customer Portal, you can carry out additional settings for printing shipping labels and other shipping documents by clicking onParcel and goods in the upper left corner, then Settings > General settings. In the General settings section, you will find a number of possible settings.
In this menu, make sure to select the correct formats in the Print format fields.
Warning
Do not set the option You have local printer settings available for configuration. Would you like to use them? to Yes. Always select a virtual document printer, such as PDF Adobe. If you save a local printer configuration in the DHL Business Customer Portal, you cannot create shipping labels in Xentral.
In this chapter, we have listed the error messages that can occur when entering the address for the shipping label in the parcel label dialog, when registering a shipment and when processing export shipments.
The following errors may occur when entering the address in the Parcel label tab of a delivery note in Xentral.
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Error message |
Explanation and solution |
|---|---|
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Address cannot be routed. |
This error states that it is not possible for DHL to apply the routing encoding for the address that you have entered. Check your entries in the Street/House number and ZIP code/Place fields. In most cases, those entries contain an error. If routing is not possible despite correct information provided by your customer, the address may not be unique to DHL. In this case you can disable the routing for this shipment. WarningIf you disable routing, DHL may add a surcharge to deliver the shipment correctly. Also, you increase your risk of undeliverable shipments and returns. |
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Please provide a Postnummer. The Postnummer used is not valid. |
The Postnummer entered for delivery to a Packstation/parcel shop is incorrect or does not exist. Check that a Postnummer has been entered or that the field is empty, and make sure that the ZIP code has been entered correctly in the Name 3 field. |
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Packstation numbers are between 101 and 999. Please contact the recipient to request a correct number. The location is not known for this ZIP code. |
If this error occurred, an incorrect address or number was entered for delivery to a Packstation. Check the Packstation number and make sure that this number matches the Packstation address data (street and zip code) provided. WarningShipments with incorrect Packstation information cannot be routed. In this case, DHL may calculate a surcharge to deliver the shipment correctly and your risk of undeliverable shipments and returns is increased. |
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Branch numbers are between 401 and 999, please contact the recipient to request a correct number. |
If this error occurred, an incorrect address or number was entered for delivery to a parcel shop. Check the parcel shop number and make sure that this number matches the parcel shop address data (street and zip code) provided. WarningShipments with incorrect parcel shop information cannot be routed. In this case, DHL may calculate a surcharge to deliver the shipment correctly and your risk of undeliverable shipments and returns is increased. |
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Postnummmer or email address must be set. |
If this error occurred, no or an incorrect Postnummer was entered for delivery to a Packstation. Check the Packstation number and make sure that this number matches the Packstation address data (street and zip code) provided. When shipping to a Packstation, the email address is optional information. |
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Please enter a valid email address. Entering umlauts is invalid. If you entered a valid email address, the recipient has objected to receiving emails from DHL. |
This error occurs if you enter an invalid email address when creating the shipping label. Verify the correctness of the email address. It is also possible that the recipient of the shipment has objected to receiving emails from DHL. If the selected service does not require it, you can also remove the email address completely and continue to create the shipping label on a regular basis, for example for shipping to a Packstation as long as a correct Postnummer has been provided. |
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The address you entered cannot be routed. The ZIP code is invalid. Please use the format 99999. It is still possible to print a shipping label. The ZIP code could not be found. The value you entered is too long and has been shortened. |
The ZIP code for this country was entered incorrectly. Check if the ZIP code you entered is too long and has therefore been shortened. WarningShipments with incorrect ZIP code information cannot be routed. In this case, DHL may calculate a surcharge to deliver the shipment correctly and your risk of undeliverable shipments and returns is increased. |
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The specified street cannot be found. The specified street cannot be found. The entered value is too long and has been shortened. The location is not known for this ZIP code. The shipment cannot be routed. |
The street specified for the address is incorrect. Check the street for accuracy and format in connection with the house number and ZIP code. WarningShipments with incorrect ZIP code information cannot be routed. In this case, DHL may calculate a surcharge to deliver the shipment correctly and your risk of undeliverable shipments and returns is increased. |
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The wholesale recipient could not be found. Please check the spelling of the name. |
This error occurs when you address items to a recipient with their own ZIP code, which is usually a large customer who sends or receives more than 2000 shipments per business day via DHL or Deutsche Post and is therefore assigned their own ZIP code. If this error occurs, you should check carefully check the ZIP code, address and phone number you entered. |
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Error message |
Explanation and solution |
|---|---|
|
Please enter a weight. |
No weight was entered when creating the shipping label. However, this information is mandatory for registering the shipment and determining the correct parcel rate. In some cases, the cause of the error is that the weights are not correctly maintained in the item master data of the individual products. |
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The weight is smaller than in the CN23 form. |
For shipments to countries outside the EU member states, the weight input when creating the shipping label must match the data on file for the CN23 form exactly. Check your information and correct it if necessary. |
|
Error message |
Explanation and solution |
|---|---|
|
The ZIP code must not contain any special characters. Please check your input. The entered value is too long and has been shortened. Please note that the service advance order is mandatory for shipments with DHL Parcel International. |
This error occurs when a wrong ZIP code was entered. Check the country-specific particularities for ZIP codes and the required formats. |
|
The value/unit field must be in the format 0.00 and the value must be positive. Please note that discounts and payments via voucher are not customs-relevant. The weight of the shipment corresponds to the total net weight of the goods lines. Please enter the total weight of the shipment including packaging and filling materials here. Maximum allowable weight for Warenpost International: 1 kg. Shipments up to a maximum of 31.5 kg can be registered as DHL Paket International. |
This error occurs if you have entered a shipment weight that is too high for the service or tariff you have chosen and is therefore not allowed. First, make sure that you have not entered an incorrect weight indication. If the weight indication is correct but still too high, switch to a shipping method that supports this weight. In addition, check that you have entered the information in the value/unit field in the correct format.You can find the desired format directly in the error message and adjust your entries accordingly. |
|
The weight is too high. The weight of the shipment corresponds to the total net weight of the goods lines. Please enter the total weight of the shipment including packaging and filling materials here. The value/unit field must be in the format 0.00 and the value must be positive. Please note that discounts and payments via voucher are not customs relevant. The value entered is too long and has been shortened. Please note that the service advance order is mandatory for shipments with DHL Paket International. |
This error occurs if you have entered a shipment weight that is too high for the service or tariff you have chosen and is therefore not allowed. First, make sure that you have not entered an incorrect weight indication. If the weight indication is correct but still too high, switch to a shipping method that supports this weight. |
|
Exception in extension function java.util.MissingResourceException: Couldn't find 3-letter country code for -1 |
Make sure that the correct ISO code of the country of origin is specified in the Country of origin (ISO Code) field in the item master data. |