This guide shows how to configure SMSA Express in Shipi. You connect your own SMSA Express account and Shipi creates SMSA shipments and labels for your orders, with cash on delivery when you need it.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| What you need | SMSA account number, API username and password |
| Where to get them | Your SMSA Express account manager |
| Service | SMSA Express (one service) |
| Live rates | Not available for SMSA in Shipi |
| Labels | PDF (one file, all pieces) |
| Test mode | None: every label is a real SMSA shipment |
| Setup steps in Shipi | Carrier Account → Package → Shipping Services → Shipping Label |
Check Cash On Delivery before your first label. It is set to Enable by default, so SMSA collects the order value from the receiver. Set it to Disable if your customers pay online.
In this guide: What you need · Add SMSA · Account information · Ship-from address · Packing · Services · Label settings · First label · Troubleshooting · FAQ
What you need to configure SMSA Express
- An SMSA Express business account (account number).
- API access for that account: SMSA gives you an API username and password. Ask your SMSA account manager.
- Weights on your products, in kilograms.
Step 1: Add SMSA Express 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 SMSA Express and click it.
- The setup form opens. Its steps are listed in the Setup Steps panel on the left: Carrier Account → Package → Shipping Services → 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 SMSA Express with you for free.
Step 2: SMSA account information
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Shipping Account Name * | Any name to recognise the account, for example SMSA – Riyadh |
| Account No * | Your SMSA account number |
| User Name * | The API username from SMSA |
| Password * | The API password from SMSA |
Step 3: Ship-from address
The Shipping From Address section is under the account fields on the first step. SMSA 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 SMSA. 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: Shipping services
This step lists the SMSA 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 SMSA’s name in the service list when you create a label. Leave empty to keep the standard name. |
| Price Adjustment % | SMSA doesn’t return live rates in Shipi, so this has no effect. |
There is one service, SMSA Express. Tick it so it appears when you create a label.
Step 6: Shipping label settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shipping Label Generation Time | Create Label Manually: you create each label from Shipments. Create Label immediately once order placed: Shipi creates the label as soon as an order with one of this account’s shipping options reaches Shipi. |
| Sent Shipping Label to Email Address? * | 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. |
| Weight/Dimension Unit * | KG (the only option) |
| Cash On Delivery * | Enable (default): SMSA collects the order value from the receiver. Disable: no collection. |
| Planed Shipment Days from Label Generation * | Same Day, +1, +2 or +3 days: the ship date sent to SMSA |
| Shipment Content * | The description of the goods, for example Perfume |
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.
Automatic labels start from the shipping option the customer picked at checkout. SMSA has no checkout rates in Shipi, so create SMSA labels from Shipments instead.
After you save
Click Save Settings. The account appears on the Shipping Accounts page with its name, shipper, address and the SMSA 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 SMSA 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 SMSA account and a 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.
SMSA options on the label screen:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cash On Delivery | Enable or Disable for this shipment |
| Service | SMSA Express |
| Shipment Content | The goods description for this shipment |
Troubleshooting
| Message or problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Invalid Credentials | Check the Account No, User Name and Password from SMSA. |
| Shipping Service Not Found | Tick SMSA Express in the Shipping Services step and choose it on the label screen. |
| Error while fetching shipping label. Contact Our Support… | SMSA created the shipment but the label couldn’t be downloaded. Contact Shipi support with the order number. |
| Something Went Wrong. Contact Our Support… | SMSA returned an unexpected answer. Contact Shipi support with the order number. |
| The receiver was asked to pay cash unexpectedly | Cash On Delivery was on. Set it to Disable in the account (or per label). |
Frequently asked questions
Your SMSA account number and the API username and password SMSA gives you with API access. Ask your SMSA Express account manager for them.
Yes. Cash On Delivery is set to Enable by default, so SMSA collects the order value. Set it to Disable in the account settings if your customers pay online.
No. SMSA has no test mode in Shipi, so every label is a real SMSA shipment. Check your settings carefully before creating the first label.
No. SMSA doesn’t return live rates in Shipi. Charge shipping with your store’s rates or a Flat Rate account and create SMSA labels in Shipi.
Yes. Enter their addresses in Sent Shipping Label to Email Address, separated by commas. Shipi emails the label every time it creates one.
Related guides
- How to set up flat rate shipping in Shipi
- How to configure shipping accounts in Shipi
- How shipping package configuration works in Shipi
- How the Address Book works in Shipi
Last updated: September 24, 2026