1. Knowledge Base
  2. Getting Started
  3. Step 13: Packing and Shipping

Create a Parcel Account

To ship orders via Infoplus, you will need to set up the parcel account in Infoplus and then connect it to the matching account in Easypost.

What is a Parcel Account?

A parcel account is a relationship with a shipping company such as UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc. In order to automate the shipping process in Infoplus, you will need to connect your existing Parcel Accounts to the Infoplus system through a third-party app 

Pro Tip: There is a difference between a parcel account and a carrier. A parcel account is the shipping account (eg: relationship) you have with a shipping company such as UPS, FedEx, etc. whereas a carrier is the specific services those shipping companies provide, such as UPS Ground, FedEx 2-Day Air, etc. 

What if I Ship Orders via a Third Party Parcel Account?

If you are a 3PL and utilize parcel accounts for third-party billing, you can set up each client's parcel account in Infoplus. See: Create a Third-Party Parcel Account to learn how to implement third-party parcel accounts. 

How to Create a New Parcel Account

The first step when you need to create a new parcel account is to set up the connection between the company (FedEx, UPS, etc.) and Infoplus through a third-party webhook called EasyPost. For more detailed instructions on the information required to set up an EasyPost account, navigate to this Knowledge Base article. 

Please Note: Infoplus should have created an EasyPost account for you during your onboarding process. If you do not currently have an EasyPost account, please reach out to our support team and they will create an account for you. 

Create a Parcel Account in EasyPost

1. Log in to your Easy Post account

2. Navigate to the Carrier table

  • See your username (email address) in the top left corner
  • Click on the down arrow under your username
  • A drop-down will appear, click on Carrier Accounts

3. Select the Carrier you want to add to Infoplus from the list on the right

4. Enter the details for your account

  • Each carrier will have different requirements in Easy Post to set up and connect your account. To see some examples of carriers that have unique requirements, take a look at our article on Information Needed to Set Up a Parcel Account. 

5. Click save

If you do not have an EasyPost account, please reach out to our Support Team to get one created.

Pro Tip: On the Shipment table, if the status is not updating, then the webhook was not set up correctly in EasyPost.

How to Connect the New Parcel Account to Infoplus

1. Navigate to the Parcel Account table in Infoplus in one of two ways:

  • Click the period button on your keyboard and type in Parcel Account 
  • On the homepage, navigate to Apps>Shipping>Manifest Setup>Parcel Account

2. Click 'Create New' in the top right corner.

3. There are 5 required items to fill in on the Parcel Account table:

  • Name: The value entered in this field will be how the account shows up in the rest of Infoplus. (eg Infoplus USPS, Infoplus UPS 12345, etc)
  • Carrier Company: This is a drop-down list of all of the Carrier Companies that are available in Infoplus.
  • Account No: This is the account number that the carrier company assigned to your account.  If USPS, just put USPS.
  • Manifest Partner Id: This value comes from EasyPost. It is the Account ID that EasyPost assigns after the account is created (see example below).

Note: this value must be unique for each parcel account when rate shopping. If you attempt to rate shop with duplicate Manifest Partner IDs, you may experience issues with rate shopping.


  • Manifest Partner Credentials: This is the API Key from your EasyPost account. 
    • To find the API Key, click the down arrow under your username in EasyPost, then click on "API Keys" 

  • Your API Keys should already be set up, there will be a Production API Key and a Test API Key. Copy the API Key for the site you want to set up the new parcel account, most likely your Live Production Site. 

  • Copy the API code and paste it into the Manifest Partner Credentials box in Infoplus

Please Note: if the account is being set up in a Test Infoplus site, use the Test API Key, and if in a Live Infoplus site, use the Production API Key. Test API Keys will not charge you when you are producing labels testing processes out.

How Infoplus Sets Default Parcel Accounts:

Infoplus uses a structured process to identify the default parcel account that should be used based on the level of importance.

Order Source:

When an order comes into the system, the Order Source is the first touch to establish what default parcel account needs to be applied. This is the highest level for assigning the Parcel Account. 

Line of Business:

The next level is the Line of Business. The LOB owns the order and will apply its default parcel account if there is no Order Source Parcel Account applied. 

Warehouse:

Last is the Warehouse default parcel account. If the system does not see a default parcel account tied to the Order Source or to the Line of Business, then the Warehouse default parcel account acts as a catch-all and assigns its default parcel account to the order.

Example: If you have a specific default parcel account set for the warehouse and a different default parcel account set for the order source, Infoplus will use the default parcel account assigned to the order source for that order, because it overrides the warehouse's default parcel account. 

This allows the client to dictate which parcel accounts are used in the different scenarios to ship these products. 

Here is a diagram of the hierarchy Infoplus uses to choose which default parcel account to use:

image (3)-1

  • LOB (Line of Business): If you do select a LOB to assign this parcel account to, you will restrict this parcel account to only be used for the selected Line of Business. You can only specify one LOB per parcel account. However, You can create the same parcel account multiple times and assign it to other LOBs

Note: If you create a parcel account and assign an LOB to the parcel account record, DO NOT add the Parcel Account as a default to the Line of Business record, as this will produce the following error:

Error: "The selected LOB is not allowed because a different LOB is already assigned to a different Parcel Account"

To move past this error you must remove the LOB value from the Parcel Account record. This will allow you to edit and save changes to the Parcel Account.
At that point, a user should set the default on the LOB record for this Carrier.

  • Order Source: Restrict to only use this Parcel Account for a certain order source

Note: You must select a LOB in order to select an order source 

Pro Tip: Once the Parcel Account is created, it is suggested, at a minimum, run the Lookup Parcel Rate process to confirm you are able to pull rates. Another way to test is to create a test order and ship it out. If you are using a Production API Key, make sure to void the label after.

How to Edit an Existing Parcel Account

You can edit an existing parcel account at any time.

  1. Go to the Parcel Account table and click on a specific Parcel Account, then click Edit:
  2. Make the desired changes and click Save

What to Do if You Have Multiple Parcel Accounts for the Same Carrier

If you have multiple Parcel Accounts for the same Carrier (eg 2 UPS accounts) you will need to assign an override for the additional accounts. You can override via Order Source, Line of Business, or Warehouse. 

  1. Order Source -- override set up in order source table
  2. Line of Business -- override set up on parcel account table
  3. Warehouse -- override set up in warehouse table

Pro Tip: To view your order, warehouse, and LOB overrides for Parcel Accounts, go to the Parcel Account Table, click on the specific parcel account, and scroll to the bottom to see what overrides are currently set up and active for that account: