What information should you include when creating an order? What if your API keys aren't working? We answer those questions and more on this page.
Here are some typical problems that API users, resellers, and merchants run into. And some areas/features that just get overlooked while developing integrations. Some of the recommendations and solutions here may seem obvious, but they're ones that we've sent to a number of developers in the past – so it's worth taking a look here before reaching out to our team.
API Keys or Requests Aren't Working
If your requests don't seem to work, you may be using Sandbox credentials for our live server, or the reverse. We don't have any restrictions on where our API can be accessed from, so that won't be an issue.
Removing any idempotency keys from your request while testing can also make sure you're getting the right results – and not old cached ones. These keys add a level of complexity, so only add them once you have a good idea of how the API works and can send requests successfully.
If you're writing API requests manually, check that the Authorization header name is correct. It's easy to use a different header name like Authentication instead of the accepted Authorization, for example.
If your keys still aren't working, we recommend reducing your call down to a simple curl command so we can take a look and see what's going on. If you're using the request builder on our endpoint documentation, you'll see a curl command listed which you can try out or copy and paste to show us how you're using the API!
PO Boxes
In Australia, Sendle can only pickup from and send to physical street addresses. For more information about Sendle and P.O. Boxes, take a look at our Why can’t I send to post offices and PO boxes? article.
For International deliveries, there are also extra considerations to keep in mind around PO boxes, which are detailed on our International post offices and P.O. Boxes article.
Address Lines
When creating orders we accept address_line1 and address_line2. Only address_line1 is required, and address_line2 is used for extra address information. Your system should accept two address lines from both the sender and receiver, and (if it's given) should send us the second line when creating an order.
Label Info vs Receiver Info vs Private Info
When creating an order there's three places for general order information:
customer_referenceshows up on the label. This can be used for order numbers, to help merchants pick and pack their orders, etc.descriptionis viewable on the receiver's Sendle dashboard and in emails. Include something here that helps the receiver identify the order – for example an order number, store name, and/or some order contents.metadatais a set of JSON values that get stored with the order and can be seen when you view the order later. The receiver can't see this information and it won't be shown on the label.
If you're already setting either customer_reference or description, but not the other, it probably doesn't hurt to copy the same info to the other field. Setting description lets receivers know what's on the way when tracking the parcel, so try to keep it human-friendly!
Sending Orders to a Company
If you're sending the parcel to a company and don't have a person to deliver it to, when creating the order send the company name in the receiver's name field, and leave the receiver's company field blank. Setting both fields to either the company name or receiver's name will result in it being listed twice on the label.