✅ 1. You Are Using TEST (Sandbox) Credentials
FedEx sandbox labels never appear in the live FedEx dashboard.
Check:
- If your request uses
KEY,PASSWORD,ACCOUNT_NUMBER,METER_NUMBERfrom the test environment → the labels will not sync to your live FedEx account.
Fix: Switch to production credentials.
✅ 2. You Are Using “Ship” (Label) Only – NOT Creating a Pickup
FedEx only shows shipments in the FedEx panel if:
- A pickup is scheduled, OR
- The shipment is manifested into their system.
API-generated labels without a pickup remain “local only”.
Fix:Enable Pickup API to the shipment.
✅ 3. You Did Not Use the ACCOUNT NUMBER Linked to Your FedEx Login
If you accidentally used:
- Another account number
- A third-party account
- A reseller account (some aggregators)
Then the labels will not show in your FedEx dashboard.
✅ 4. You Are Using ‘Pending Shipment’ or ‘Open Ship’ API
Labels created with these APIs:
OpenShipServiceValidateShipmentRequest
DON’T appear in the dashboard until completed.
✅ 5. Missing “SmartPost” (Ground Economy) Support
FedEx Ground Economy (SmartPost) shipments never appear in the regular FedEx panel because USPS handles last-mile delivery.
✅ 6. You Are Not Using the New API (Legacy APIs behave differently)
FedEx has two API generations:
| API | Dashboard Visibility |
|---|---|
| Legacy (Web Services SOAP) | Often shipments don’t appear |
| New REST Shipping API (2023–2025) | Shows more consistently |
If you’re using the older SOAP API, you may not see shipments in panel.
🧪 7. Check Your Shipping Label Response
Look for:
CompletedShipmentDetailMasterTrackingIdPackageTrackingNumbers
If the response has no tracking number, FedEx will not show it in the panel.
🏁 How to Make Your API Labels Visible
Do the following: