Live rates display an estimated shipping price from your direct carrier contract in Sendcloud before you create a shipping label. This article explains how Live rates work, which carriers support them, and what to do if a rate is unavailable or differs from your carrier invoice.
How live rates work
When you connect a supported direct carrier contract to your Sendcloud account, Live rates are automatically enabled for that carrier. No additional setup is required.
Live rates are calculated in the following way:
- You enter the sender, receiver, and parcel information in Sendcloud.
- Sendcloud checks whether you have an active direct contract with a carrier that supports live rates.
- Sendcloud sends the shipment information to the carrier using the credentials connected to your carrier contract.
- The carrier calculates an estimated price based on your contract.
- Sendcloud displays the price next to the available shipping method.
The calculation normally takes a few seconds. Every time a new calculation is needed, Sendcloud requests a new price from the carrier.
💡 Tip: Complete the shipment details before selecting a shipping method. Missing information can prevent the carrier from returning a price.
Requirements for seeing live rates
Live rates appear automatically. You do not need to activate an additional setting or purchase an add-on.
However, all of the following conditions must be met:
- You have your own direct contract with a supported carrier.
- The carrier contract is activated in Sendcloud.
- The carrier credentials entered in Sendcloud are valid and up to date.
- The receiver’s address is complete.
- A valid parcel weight has been entered.
- The selected shipping service is included in your carrier contract.
Required address information
Make sure the receiver's address contains:
- Street name and house number
- City
- Postal code
- Country
- State, province or region when required (for example, in Italy and Spain)
If the receiver's address is incomplete, Sendcloud cannot request a price from the carrier, so no live rate will be be displayed.
Parcel dimensions
We strongly recommend entering the parcel's length, width and height. Carriers may use these dimensions to calculate the parcel's volumetric weight.
If no dimensions are provided, Sendcloud may use default dimensions of 10 × 10 × 10 cm for the rate request.
Supported carriers
Live rates are available for direct contracts with the following carriers:
- UPS
- FedEx
- DHL Express
- GLS Italy
- GLS Spain
- TNT Italy
- SEUR
- NACEX
For carriers that do not support live rates, contract prices may need to be added to Sendcloud using another pricing method, such as a contract price file.
Carrier-specific information
UPS
UPS live rates require a modern UPS connection using OAuth authentication.
If your UPS contract was connected using older credentials, reconnect the UPS contract in Sendcloud.
Sendcloud requests negotiated contract rates from UPS. However, UPS may return a public list price when negotiated rates are not enabled for the selected service on your UPS account.
If a UPS price is much higher than expected, contact your UPS account manager and ask them to confirm that negotiated rates are enabled for the relevant service and account.
Reconnecting your UPS contract can resolve missing prices, but it will not add a service to your negotiated UPS agreement. Contract changes must be handled directly by UPS.
FedEx
FedEx returns rates are linked to the account number connected to your direct contract.
Sendcloud may need to request a rate separately for each FedEx shipping method. If many methods are available, some prices may take longer to appear.
The displayed price breakdown may show the fuel surcharge separately, while other discounts or surcharges are included in the total.
DHL Express
DHL Express calculates an account-specific estimate for each shipping method.
Fuel, insurance, signature, and age-check costs may be displayed separately. Other costs may be included in the base amount.
If the displayed price differs from your expected contract price, first check the parcel dimensions and volumetric weight.
GLS Spain
GLS Spain calculates a single price using information such as the origin and destination countries, postcodes, weight, volume, and number of parcels.
It does not provide a detailed surcharge breakdown.
Parcel dimensions may not be fully reflected in the live rate. The final invoice can therefore be higher for large or bulky parcels.
GLS Italy
GLS Italy can take longer to return a price than other carriers.
If no price appears, refresh the page and try again. International shipments may not always receive a live price.
SEUR, NACEX, and TNT Italy
These carriers support live rates for activated direct contracts.
Their calculations may contain fewer surcharge details than calculations from UPS, FedEx, or DHL Express.
As a result, the final carrier invoice may contain additional charges that were not included in the live estimate.
Where live rates appear
Live rates can appear in the following areas of the Sendcloud panel:
- The new shipment or Create label form
- The Edit order view
- The Incoming orders view
- The manual return form
The price is normally displayed next to the shipping method and may be labelled as an Indicative total price.
Using live rates through the API
Live rates can also be requested through Sendcloud API v3 by using the shipping options endpoint and enabling quote calculation.
The request must include complete sender and receiver address information, together with the required parcel information.
Live rates are not supported through Sendcloud API v2. An integration that uses API v2 will not receive live rates.
Where live rates are not displayed
Live rates are not displayed in:
- The Shipping prices page
- Analytics
- The label details after a label has been created
- Tracking emails
- Your webshop checkout through this feature
Why can the price differ from your carrier invoice
A live rate is an estimate calculated before the parcel is shipped. The final price on your carrier invoice may differ.
Common reasons for price differences
Common reasons include:
- Additional surcharges: The carrier may add residential, remote-area, congestion, or address-correction fees.
- Incorrect weight: The carrier may reweigh the parcel after collecting it.
- Volumetric weight: The carrier may charge based on the parcel’s dimensions instead of its actual weight.
- Missing dimensions: The dimensions used for the estimate may differ from the parcel’s real dimensions.
- Carrier-specific calculations: Some carriers include more surcharges in their live calculation than others.
- Contract conditions: A particular service, destination, or surcharge may not be covered by your negotiated contract price.
The price displayed in Sendcloud is an indication provided by the carrier. Your carrier determines the final invoiced amount.
When investigating a difference, compare the shipment information entered in Sendcloud with the information used by the carrier:
- Actual parcel weight
- Parcel dimensions
- Sender and receiver postcodes
- Selected shipping service
- Additional options such as signature or insurance
- Surcharges shown on the carrier invoice
What to do when no price appears
If a shipping method displays no price or shows Unknown, follow the checks below in order.
1. Check the receiver’s address
Confirm that the street, house number, city, postal code, and country are complete.
For destinations that require one, also enter the state, province, or region.
An incomplete address is the most common reason why no live rate appears.
2. Check the parcel weight
Enter a valid parcel weight. Do not leave the weight empty, and make sure the selected weight unit is correct.
3. Check the parcel dimensions
Enter the parcel’s length, width and height as whole numbers.
Avoid entering zero, negative values, or unrealistic dimensions.
4. Check the carrier contract
Go to your carrier settings and confirm that the correct direct contract is active.
Make sure the account number, credentials, and other authentication details are still valid.
5. Check whether the shipping service is included in your contract
A carrier may return prices for some shipping methods but not for others.
If only one shipping method is missing a price, that service may not be enabled or priced under your carrier contract.
6. Refresh and try again
Live rates depend on the carrier’s system. If the carrier is responding slowly or is temporarily unavailable, a price may not appear.
Wait briefly, refresh the page, and open the shipping method menu again.
7. Check for uploaded contract prices
If contract prices have already been uploaded for the carrier, Sendcloud may display those prices instead of requesting live rates.
Uploaded prices and live rates cannot be combined for the same carrier contract.
FAQ
Do I need to activate live rates?
No. Live rates appear automatically when you have an active direct contract with a supported carrier and the shipment contains all required information.
Are live rates Sendcloud rates?
No. For a direct carrier contract, the rate is calculated by the carrier using your own carrier account.
Will Sendcloud invoice me for the displayed price?
Normally, no. When you use your own direct carrier contract, the carrier invoices you directly.
Sendcloud only displays the estimate returned by the carrier.
Is the displayed price guaranteed?
No. It is an indicative price based on the information available before the parcel is shipped.
The carrier can add charges after measuring, weighing, or processing the parcel.
Why does the price change when I refresh the page?
Sendcloud requests a new price from the carrier whenever a new calculation is made.
The price may change when shipment information, carrier surcharges, or carrier-side pricing changes.
Why do some shipping methods have a price while others do not?
The carrier may not offer every shipping method for the selected destination, parcel, or contract.
A missing price for one method does not necessarily mean there is a problem with the carrier connection.
Can I display these rates in my webshop checkout?
Not through this feature. Live rates are available in supported areas of the Sendcloud panel and through Sendcloud API v3.
Checkout shipping prices are configured separately.
Can I use both uploaded prices and live rates?
Not for the same carrier contract. If uploaded contract prices are present, they may take priority over live rates.
For example, you cannot normally use uploaded prices for international shipments and live rates for domestic shipments under the same carrier contract.
Still no live rate?
Contact Sendcloud Support and include the following information:
- The affected carrier
- The shipping method
- The sender and receiver countries and postcodes
- The parcel weight and dimensions
- A screenshot showing the missing or unexpected price
- The price you expected, when applicable