Purpose: in this article, we explain how we invoice you for your shipments. In addition, we also give you an overview of other charges.
Maximum amount of shipments over discounted rates
Depending on your current active subscription plan, there is a maximum number of shipping labels you can generate. If you exceed the maximum amount of shipment over the discounted rates, you will receive an additional charge of €0.15 per label created above your limit. If you are a Free user, there will be no additional fee, as we don't have a limit.
| Free | Lite | Growth | Premium | |
| Max. shipments/month | No limit | 400 | 1.000 | 10.000 |
How do we charge you for your labels?
At Sendcloud, you are billed for the creation of the label. This means that if you create labels for parcels that you end up not shipping, Sendcloud will still charge you for those labels if you don't cancel them.
Although Sendcloud will not invoice any shipping costs when you use a direct contract, a label fee will still apply for label creation. Please refer to the table below for detailed pricing information.
| Free | Lite | Growth | Premium | |
| Shipping costs* | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Label fee | n/a | €0.10 | €0.09 | €0.08 |
* When shipping using Sendcloud's pre-negotiated shipping rates.
What are shipping costs
Sendcloud’s pre-negotiated rates are applied by default for shipping.
However, if you’ve connected your own carrier contract and use your own shipping rates, the shipping costs displayed in Sendcloud will show as €0.00.
What are label fees
This is a label processing fee that you pay per created label, including Unstamped Letters. Keep in mind that these are not the shipping costs, but the price for the creation of the label with our software. If you cancel the label, the label fee will also be cancelled.
VAT charging (for Austrian, Belgian, Italian and Spanish users)
The VAT amount will be charged if you do not fill in your VAT number in your Sendcloud panel, before issuing an invoice. In this situation, we also do not pay this amount back once you have filled in your VAT number, as we, Sendcloud, have already paid the VAT amount. See our article How do I change my invoice address and VAT number to fill in your information now. Once this is done, you can request VAT-free invoices for the upcoming invoices: Can I get a VAT-free invoice?
Label cancellation
If you have not used a shipping label, you can cancel it within 42 days after its creation to get a refund. Read our article, How do I cancel my shipment? For more information about label cancellation.
When do we invoice you?
Shipping costs are invoiced every two weeks or when you exceed your credit limit, on Monday. This invoice includes all the relevant costs of the previous two weeks.
Label fees are part of your subscription invoicing cycle and are therefore invoiced on a monthly basis. This invoice includes all label-related fees accumulated during the previous billing period.
When do we debit your account?
While the payment term is 14 days from the creation of the invoice, Sendcloud will make several attempts to debit your account:
- Our system will attempt to collect the money for the first time shortly after the invoice is created. This can be either right after it is sent to you and available in your Sendcloud panel, or after one or two days. This may vary per country or depending on your bank.
- If the first attempt fails, our system will try to debit your account again within 10 days.
Keep in mind that payment is due within 14 days from the date of the invoice. To avoid any extra costs, make sure you pay within this time frame.
Where to find and understand your shipping costs
You can view your invoices in your Sendcloud account via Account > Billing. Select the invoice you want and click View details to open it. From there, you can download your invoice in PDF or CSV format.
While the PDF provides a summary of your total costs, the CSV file gives a detailed breakdown of all shipments and charges.
How to view costs per shipment
When you create a shipping label, you see the initial shipping cost. However, carriers may apply additional charges (surcharges) after the shipment has been processed, for example due to weight corrections, dimensions, or delivery area.
Because of this, the final cost of a shipment may differ from the price shown at label creation.
- Invoice (PDF): Shows the total costs for your billing period, including shipping, surcharges, and other fees. It provides a summary, but does not include a breakdown per individual shipment.
- Invoice (CSV): Provides a detailed overview of all shipments. Each row represents a shipment and includes information such as the tracking number, base shipping cost, applied surcharges, and total cost per shipment.
Tip: Use the tracking number in the CSV file to identify exactly which shipment a surcharge was applied to and match it with your invoice.
Why are some surcharges added later?
Surcharges are determined by the carrier after they have processed and measured the shipment. This means they may not be visible when you create the label and can be added later, even after delivery.
These additional charges will appear in a later invoice and are included in the CSV file for detailed shipment-level insight.
For more details on how to download and read your invoice, see: How to download and read Sendcloud invoices .
FAQ
Based on which period of time is this fee calculated?
For monthly subscriptions, all labels created from the 1st to the last day of the month count toward your plan’s limit, as of the last day of the month. For yearly subscriptions, labels are counted from your subscription start date and compared to your plan’s annual limit (monthly limit × 12).
How can I check my usage, and will I be informed when reaching the limit?
You will get an in-app and email notification when you reach 80% and 100% of your limit. We also display a counter in your Sendcloud account which shows you exactly how many labels you have created that month, so you can see your shipping allowance at a glance.
What counts as a “shipment”?
Every shipping label you create count as a shipment. If a successfully generated label is cancelled afterwards, it will still count towards the total number of shipments within that time period. If label creation fails and the label status appears as “announcement failed”, the shipment will not be counted.
I have a seasonal business and fluctuating shipping volume - what should I do?
The best solution is to choose a yearly subscription. This allows you to use 12 times the monthly shipping limit over the entire year. Low-volume months can then offset your peak months, giving you more flexibility.
Can I upgrade my account when I notice I'm reaching the limit?
Sure, you can upgrade your account any time, even if you’re on a yearly subscription. Your shipping allowance will then immediately be increased to the limit of your new subscription. This way, you won’t get invoiced for exceeding your allowance because you switched to an upgraded plan.
Can I downgrade at any time?
Yes, you can downgrade your monthly subscription anytime to a plan that better suits your needs. However, keep in mind that downgrading will remove access to certain features. For yearly subscriptions, downgrades are only possible after the full 1-year term is completed.