This guide shows how to configure Canada Post in Shipi. You connect your own Canada Post business account, so Shipi can show Canada Post rates at checkout and create Canada Post labels with options such as signature, insurance and cash on delivery.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| What you need | Canada Post API key and password, customer number; contract ID if you have a contract; Zonos account key for US shipments |
| Where to get them | The Canada Post Developer Program (API keys) and your Canada Post business account |
| Services | 22 domestic, USA and international Canada Post services |
| Live rates | Yes; contract prices when you enter a contract ID |
| Labels | PDF, 8.5×11 or 4×6 |
| Options | COD, insurance, signature, do not safe drop, leave at door, card for pickup, non-delivery handling |
| Setup steps in Shipi | Carrier Account → Packing → Rates → Shipping Label |
Development or production key? The Canada Post Developer Program gives you two API keys. Use the development key with Test Mode and the production key with Live Mode. A mix-up is the usual reason for login errors.
In this guide: What you need · Add Canada Post · Account information · Ship-from address · Packing · Services · Label settings · First label · Troubleshooting · FAQ
What you need to configure Canada Post
- A Canada Post business account. Your customer number is on your account profile.
- Join the Canada Post Developer Program with that account. Each API key has a username and a password; Shipi calls them API Key and API Password.
- If you have a commercial agreement with Canada Post, your contract ID.
- If you ship to the United States, a Zonos account key. Canada Post works with Zonos to handle duties on shipments to the US.
Step 1: Add Canada Post in Shipi
- Sign in to Shipi and click Carriers in the left menu. The Shipping Accounts page opens.
- Click Add Shipping Account. If you haven’t added any account yet, the page shows the carrier list straight away.
- In the Add New Shipping Account window, search for Canada Post and click it.
- The setup form opens. Its steps are listed in the Setup Steps panel on the left: Carrier Account → Packing → Rates → Shipping Label. Click Next at the bottom of each step, and Save Settings on the last one.
The left panel also has a Book a call button. The Shipi team can set up Canada Post with you for free.
Step 2: Canada Post account information
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Shipping Account Name * | Any name to recognise the account, for example Canada Post – Toronto |
| Execution Mode * | Test Mode uses Canada Post’s development system (development key). Live Mode creates real shipments (production key). |
| Canada Post API Key * | The username part of your API key |
| Canada Post API Password * | The password part of your API key |
| Canada Post Account number * | Your Canada Post customer number |
| Contract ID | Only if you have a contract. With it, Shipi creates contract shipments and gets contract rates. Without it, Shipi creates non-contract shipments paid with the payment method on your Canada Post account. |
| Zonos Account Key (Required for US Shipping) * | Used on shipments to the US. If you never ship to the US, the field is still required: type any text, such as N/A. |
| Weight Unit | KG_CM or LB_IN |
Step 3: Ship-from address
The Shipping From Address section is under the account fields on the first step. Canada Post uses it as the sender on every label, so enter the address your parcels leave from.
If you already have saved addresses
- Shipper addresses saved in your Address Book appear as cards. Click a card to use it for this account; it gets a green Default badge.
- Click Edit on a card to change it, or + Add New Address to add another.
If you don’t have a saved address yet
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Shipper Name * | The contact person, printed on the label |
| Company Name * | Your business name |
| Mobile / Contact Number * | A phone number the carrier can call about the shipment |
| Email Address * | Your shipping contact email |
| Address Line 1 * | Street and number |
| Address Line 2 | Unit, floor or building (optional) |
| Country * | The country you ship from |
| State * | Choose from the list for that country |
| City * | Your city |
| Postal/Zip Code * | Your postal code |
| Tax ID / GSTIN | Your VAT, EORI or other tax number, if customs documents need it (optional) |
| House Number | Only if your address has the house number separate from the street (optional) |
The + Add New Address window has the same fields, plus + Add Custom Field to store any extra reference with the address.
Step 4: Packing
The Package Settings step tells Shipi how to turn an order’s items into parcels for Canada Post. Shipi works from your product weights and dimensions, so make sure your products have them.
| Option | How it packs | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Pack Items Individually | Every item goes in its own parcel. | Each product ships in its own box. |
| All in one box | All items go in one parcel, whatever their size. | Your orders always fit in one box. |
| Weight Based Packing (Heavy Items First) (default) | Fills a parcel, heaviest items first, up to Max Weight (kg) (25 by default), then starts a new parcel. | You don’t use fixed box sizes. |
| Box or tube or envelope or packet packing | Fits the items into the boxes you define, using their dimensions. | You ship in a few standard box sizes. |
Adding your boxes
With the box option selected, click + Add Box and fill in:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Name * | Any name, for example Small Box or Large Mailer |
| Type * | Box (rigid box), Tube (rolled items such as posters), Envelope (documents and thin, flat items) or Packet (soft mailer bag for items that don’t need a box, such as clothes) |
| Weight of Box (kg) * | What the empty packaging weighs |
| Max Weight (kg) * | The most the box can hold, items and packaging together |
| Width (cm) * | Left to right |
| Height (cm) * | Bottom to top |
| Depth (cm) * | Front to back |
Each box appears as a card with Edit and Remove buttons.
Packing settings greyed out? Your store uses one central packing configuration for all its shipping accounts. Click Edit Configuration, then Yes, Edit Settings. Your changes then apply to every shipping account in the store.
More detail and examples: how shipping package configuration works in Shipi.
Step 5: Services (Rates step)
This step lists the Canada Post services Shipi supports. Only the services you tick are used: in rates at checkout and in the service list when you create a label.
- Type in Search services… to find a service, or use the All, Domestic and International tabs.
- Tick the box on a service card to switch it on. Each card shows the service code in brackets, for example
[CODE]. - Click the gear button on a ticked service to open Configure:
:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Display Name | Your own name for the service, used instead of Canada Post’s name in the service list when you create a label. Leave empty to keep the standard name. |
| Price Adjustment % | Saved with the service, but it isn’t added to Canada Post rates at the moment: rates show Canada Post’s own price. |
On a new account Shipi ticks Regular Parcel, Expedited Parcel, Priority, Expedited Parcel USA, Priority Worldwide Parcel USA, Xpresspost International, International Parcel Air and Priority Worldwide parcel Int’l for you. Untick any you don’t use.
| Destination | Services (code) |
|---|---|
| Canada | Regular Parcel (DOM.RP), Expedited Parcel (DOM.EP), Xpresspost (DOM.XP), Xpresspost Certified (DOM.XP.CERT), Priority (DOM.PC), Library Materials (DOM.LIB) |
| USA | Expedited Parcel USA (USA.EP), Priority Worldwide Envelope / pak / Parcel USA (USA.PW.ENV, USA.PW.PAK, USA.PW.PARCEL), Small Packet USA Air (USA.SP.AIR), Tracked Packet – USA (USA.TP), Xpresspost USA (USA.XP) |
| International | Xpresspost International (INT.XP), International Parcel Air / Surface (INT.IP.AIR, INT.IP.SURF), Priority Worldwide Envelope / pak / parcel Int’l (INT.PW.ENV, INT.PW.PAK, INT.PW.PARCEL), Small Packet International Air / Surface (INT.SP.AIR, INT.SP.SURF), Tracked Packet – International (INT.TP) |
Step 6: Shipping label settings
The tick boxes set the default options for every label. You can change most of them per label.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cash on Delivery | Canada Post collects the order value from the receiver. |
| Insurance | Adds Canada Post coverage for the value of the goods. |
| Signature | The receiver must sign on delivery. |
| Do not safe drop | Canada Post won’t leave the parcel at the door without a signature. |
| Leave at door | Canada Post leaves the parcel at the door. |
| Card for pickup | Canada Post leaves a card and holds the parcel at the post office for the receiver to collect. |
| Automatic Label Generation | Tick it to create the label as soon as an order with one of this account’s shipping options reaches Shipi. Leave it unticked to create labels yourself from Shipments. |
| Shipment Content * | The description of the goods, for example Books. Type plain text: the {prod_names} hint under the field doesn’t apply to Canada Post. |
| Email address to sent Shipping label * | Where Shipi emails the label (and invoice, if there is one) each time a label is created. Separate several addresses with commas. If an automatic label fails, Shipi emails the error instead. Leave empty if you don’t want emails. |
| Shipping Label Format (PDF) * | 8.5×11 (letter paper) or 4×6 (thermal label) |
| Non Handling delivery * | What happens to a US or international parcel that can’t be delivered: NONE, Return at Sender’s Expense, Return to Sender or Abandon. Expedited Parcel USA always uses Return at Sender’s Expense. |
Before you switch on automatic labels: create one test label and check the service and price are right. Automatic and bulk shipments use your default service when the order has no service chosen at checkout.
After you save
Click Save Settings. The account appears on the Shipping Accounts page with its name, shipper, address and the Canada Post logo.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Status switch | On: the account is used for live rates. Off: Shipi leaves it out of rates. |
| Edit | Opens the setup form to change any setting |
| Delete (bin icon) | Removes the account |
| Custom Shipping Rule | Set a free-shipping threshold, choose one default domestic and one default international carrier account (with a service), and send chosen countries to a specific account |
Create your first Canada Post label
- Click Shipments in the left menu.
- Click Create Label next to an order, or Create Shipment to ship something that isn’t an order.
- Check the shipper and receiver details and the products, then choose your Canada Post account and a service.
- Click Get Rates to see the price of the selected service.
- Set the shipment options below if you need them, then click Create Shipment.
- Shipi shows the tracking number and the label to print. If you entered an email address in the settings, the label is emailed too.
Canada Post options on the label screen:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shipment Content | The goods description for this label |
| Service / Get Rates | The Canada Post service and its price |
| Insurance, Signature, Do not safe drop, Leave at door, Card for pickup | Enabled / Disabled for this label; the defaults come from the account |
Troubleshooting
| Message or problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Error while packing: Check whether the products having weights / dimensions. | One or more products has no weight or dimensions. Add them to the product (or the shipment) and try again. |
| API Credentials not found. | The API key, password or customer number is empty. Open the account with Edit and fill them in. |
| Connection Problem With Canada Post API. | Canada Post didn’t answer. Try again in a few minutes. |
| A Canada Post message about authentication | Check the API key and password, and that you use the development key in Test Mode and the production key in Live Mode. |
| Manifest Shipment Failed. / Trasmit request failed. | The shipment was created but the contract manifest step failed. Check the contract ID, then try again. |
| No Canada Post rates at checkout | Switch on the account’s status and tick the services you want. Contract rates need the contract ID. |
Frequently asked questions
Join the Canada Post Developer Program with your business account. Each API key has a username and a password; enter the username as the API Key and the password as the API Password in Shipi.
No. Without a contract ID, Shipi creates non-contract shipments paid with the payment method on your Canada Post account. Enter a contract ID only if you have a commercial agreement; then you get contract shipments and contract rates.
Canada Post works with Zonos to handle duties on shipments to the United States. Shipi sends your Zonos key with US shipments. If you don’t ship to the US, type any text such as N/A in the field.
Use the development key with Test Mode and the production key with Live Mode.
Yes. Set the Shipping Label Format to 4×6.
It tells Canada Post what to do with a US or international parcel it can’t deliver: return it at your expense, return it to sender, or abandon it.
Related guides
- How to configure shipping accounts in Shipi
- How shipping package configuration works in Shipi
- How to configure UPS in Shipi
- How to configure FedEx in Shipi
Last updated: September 24, 2026