As of January 4, 2010 United States Parcel Service sent out a mass email to all USPS online customers about a new update they have made to their system effectively immediately.
“Dear Web Tools integrator,
Effective January 4, 2010, USPS will enact a Price Change. While there will be no structural changes to existing Web Tools requests and responses, there could be other changes that might affect your interface with Web Tools. ”
Specifically this changes up the names of some of the methods USPS is offering for online shipping quotes.
WHO DOES THIS EFFECT?
This effects any customers who have ecommerce and have USPS Real Time Shipping Rates turned on in their sites. If you do not have ecommerce, or do not have USPS turned on, you can ignore this email.
WHAT EXACTLY HAS CHANGED?
USPS has made an update to how their API code base functions when your website calls to their server to get real time shipping quotes. Specifically in addition with some new methods they are offering (now offering flat rate boxes), they have also changed up the names of some of their shipping methods.
HOW DOES THIS EFFECT MY SITE?
Since they have changed the names and some of the services they are offering again (they did this last year too), anyone who does not opt to have the update being offered below applied, there are some instances where a customer may select one shipping method (i.e. Priority), but USPS will return a wrong shipping method with different pricing.
UPDATE PACKAGE:
To ensure that any of our ecommerce customers who are using USPS that your shipping rates continue to function properly, we are offering an update package which resolves these issues plus offers allot of additional new functionality. This includes:
1. Update to the USPS methods offered.
2. Update to the USPS method names to avoid issues described above.
3. Shipping insurance is now included as an optional feature for you to turn on / off and allows you to set insurance prices.
4. Owners can add different shipping and handling rates on a per shipping method basis (i.e. add $2 for S&H for express, but $0 for priority).
5. Owners can choose which shipping methods to show / use based upon order weight.
6. Owners can opt to turn PRIORITY FLAT RATE boxes on / off.
