Overview
- Australia Post’s integration with Starshipit allows you to use all of Starshipit's features including generation of packing slips and shipping labels, auto-correction of addresses, branded tracking and notifications and many more.
- Australia Post and StarTrack Courier (part of AusPost) offer three types of on demand or same/next day courier services:
- Australia Post On Demand
- StarTrack Courier 2U2Day
- StarTrack Courier Ad hoc
- Each of the services has different service codes.
- This article outlines how to integrate with all three types of courier services.
1. Request your AusPost API key
To set up any of these services, you will first need to request your API credentials from the Australia Post developer centre.
To generate an AusPost/StarTrack API key and secret, please read this guide.
2. Enter your API details in Starshipit
- Open the Starshipit web portal.
- Go to Settings > Courier > Add a new courier > AusPost On Demand.
- Tick Enable AusPost On Demand.
- Enter the information from the AusPost developer centre in the following fields:
- Account No
- API Key
- Password
- Set the pick-up time (this can be set as either a specific time or the time between the label printing and the pick-up, e.g. if I set an offset of 30 minutes and print the label at 14:00, the pick-up will be scheduled for 14:30)
- Tick Use the API.
3. Setting the pick-up date/time values
The following services require a pick up date:
- AusPost On Demand AFT, TON, SAT
- StarTrack non-Ad hoc
When printing with these services, if the stored pick-up date is in the past now, it is not used - in this case, today is automatically used (or the next possible Saturday, for Saturday services).
As long as the service's printing/booking window has not ended for the day (e.g. up to 11:00 for AFT), the print will succeed.
However, if the service's printing/booking window has passed for the day, an error is shown that you are outside the day's printing/booking window.
In this case, to be able to print, you must change the pick-up date to the next valid day. (The next valid day might not be the next actual day, e.g. in the case of Sunday being the next day).
You can change the pick-up date via the New Order page (in the options alongside the service, when you select it), or in Settings > Couriers > AusPost On Demand. Either way, the pick-up date is stored to the same setting field.
The following services require a pickup date and pick up time:
- AusPost On Demand NOW
- StarTrak Ad hoc – any
There are two ways to set this:
- As a fixed pick-up date/time
- As an offset number of minutes from the time of printing/booking
If the fixed option is used:
When printing with these services, we default the pick-up date/time exactly as per the stored setting.
The print will succeed as long as the pick-up date/time is not in the past and the service's printing/booking window has not ended for the day (e.g. up to 14:00 for NOW).
However, if the pick-up date/time is in the past or the service's printing/booking window has passed for the day, an error is shown.
In this case, to be able to print, you must change the pick-up date/time to the next valid day. (The next valid day might not be the next actual day, e.g. in the case of Sunday being the next day).
You can make this pick-up date/time change via the New Order page (in the options alongside the service, when you select it), or in Settings > Couriers > AusPost On Demand. Either way, the pick-up date/time is stored to the same setting fields.
In effect, you must set a current/future pick-up date/time at least once per day.
If the offset option is used:
When printing with these services, if the current time is more than offset minutes before the pick up service window start time of the day, then that pick up service window start time is used (e.g. if you have the offset as 10 minutes and print at 07:50 or earlier, then the pick-up time will be set to the pick up service window start time of 08:00 for the NOW service).
Otherwise, the current time plus the offset minutes is used as the pick-up time.
If the current time plus offset minutes is after the pick up service window end time (15:00 for the NOW service), an error is shown.
In this case, to be able to print, you must change the pick-up date/time to the next valid day.
4. Courier Services and Service Codes
The only differences between Australia Post On Demand, StarTrack 2U2Day and StarTrack Ad hoc are the service codes to set up and how AusPost/StarTrack operates the services.
Australia Post On Demand Services
The services are:
- NOW - Now
- AFT - Afternoon
- TON - Tonight
- SAT - Saturday
Add each service in the courier settings page.
The services have different pick-up windows (when the parcels are picked up) from the printing windows (when the label can be generated in Starshipit).
Printing/booking windows for AusPost On Demand
| NOW | Mon-Fri until 14:00 |
| AFT | Mon-Fri until 11:00 |
| TON | Mon-Fri until 15:00 |
| SAT | Sat until 11:00 |
When printing (which also books) beyond these times, the next possible pick-up date would need to be used.
Pick-up windows for AusPost On Demand
| NOW | Mon-Fri 08:00 to 15:00 per scheduled pick-up times or purely ad hoc on the same day |
| AFT | Mon-Fri until 12:00 |
| TON | Mon-Fri until 16:00 |
| SAT | Fri per nominated time, or Sat until 12:00 |
StarTrack Courier 2U2Day
The services are:
- 2USD - SameDay
- 2UPM - Afternoon
- 2UPBM - PM (Afternoon) Brisbane Multi-piece
- 2UTW - Twilight
- 2USA - Saturday
Add each service in the courier settings page.
The services have different pick-up windows (when the parcels are picked up) from the printing windows (when the label can be generated in Starshipit).
Printing/booking windows for StarTrack 2U2Day
| 2USD | Mon-Fri until 08:00 |
| 2UPM | Mon-Fri until 11:00 |
| 2UPBM | Identical to 2UPM |
| 2UTW | Mon-Fri until 15:00 |
| 2USA | Sat until 11:00 |
When printing (which also books) beyond these times, the next possible pick-up date would need to be used.
Pick up windows for StarTrack 2U2Day
| 2USD | Mon-Fri 08:00 to 09:00 per scheduled pick up times |
| 2UPM | Mon-Fri 11:00 to 12:00 per scheduled pick up times |
| 2UPBM | Identical to 2UPM (usually) |
| 2UTW | Mon-Fri 15:00 to 16:00 per scheduled pick up times |
| 2USA | Sat 11:00 to 12:00 per scheduled pick up times |
StarTrack Courier Ad hoc
The services are:
- STC - Standard Courier (< 25 kg)
- STW - Standard Wagon (< 125 kg)
- STH - Standard Half Tonne Van (< 500 kg)
- STV - Standard Full Tonne Van (< 1 tonne)
- EXTC - Express Courier (< 25 kg)
- EXTW - Express Wagon (< 125 kg)
- EXTH - Express Half Tonne Van (< 500 kg)
- EXTV - Express Full Tonne Van (< 1 tonne)
- IMTC - Immediate Priority Courier (< 25 kg)
- IMTW - Immediate Wagon (< 125 kg)
- IMTH - Immediate Half Tonne Van (< 500 kg)
- IMTV - Immediate Full Tonne Van (< 1 tonne)
Add each service in the courier settings page.
Printing/booking windows for StarTrack Ad hoc
| STC / STW / STH / STV | Mon-Fri until 16:00 |
| EXTC / EXTW / EXTH / EXTV | Mon-Fri until 17:00 |
| IMTC / IMTW / IMTH / IMTV | Mon-Fri until 18:00 |
Pick-up windows for StarTrack Ad hoc
| STC / STW / STH / STV | Mon-Fri: 08:00 to 16:00 |
| EXTC / EXTW / EXTH / EXTV | Mon-Fri: 08:00 to 17:00 |
| IMTC / IMTW / IMTH / IMTV | Mon-Fri: 08:00 to 18:00 |
Other relevant information for you:
To learn more about Startrack Courier services by Australia Post, click here.
For more information on APIs and their importance, click here.
