Units and Settings

Create and manage units and settings

Overview

Creating and managing units and settings.

Configure your account's default settings for units of measurement, customs declarations, and label formats. These settings apply across your account and can be customized per shipment when needed.

Units of Measurement

Set your preferred units for dimensions and weight. All package and shipment forms will use these units by default.

Field Required Format Description
Mass Unit Yes Select Weight measurement unit: pounds (lb) or kilograms (kg).
Distance Unit Yes Select Length measurement unit: inches (in) or centimeters (cm).
Currency No Select Default currency for displaying shipping costs.
Changing Units
Changing your units will affect how measurements are displayed in forms going forward. Existing shipments will continue to show their original values. Be consistent with your unit choice to avoid confusion.

Customs Declaration Defaults

Set default values for international shipment customs declarations. These defaults can be overridden for individual shipments.

Field Format Description
Contents Type Select Type of goods being shipped: Merchandise, Gift, Documents, etc.
Incoterm Select International Commercial Terms: DDU (buyer pays duties) or DDP (seller pays duties).
Certify Signer Text Name of person certifying the customs declaration.
Certify Checkbox Certify that the information provided is accurate.
Tax ID Number Text Your business tax identification number for customs.
EORI Number Text Economic Operators Registration and Identification number (EU/UK).
What are Incoterms?

DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): The recipient pays import duties and taxes. This is the most common option.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): You (the sender) pay all import duties and taxes. Use this when you want to provide "landed cost" pricing to customers.

Shippo Label Settings

Configure default label format and handling options for Shippo-generated shipping labels.

Field Format Description
Label File Type Select Default label format: PDF 4×6 (default), PDF 8.5×11, PNG, ZPL, etc.
Non-Delivery Option Select What carriers should do if delivery fails: Return to sender, Abandon, etc.
Label Format Guide
  • PDF 4×6: Standard thermal printer size (most common)
  • PDF 8.5×11: Full page for regular printers
  • ZPL: For Zebra thermal printers
  • PNG: Image format for custom printing workflows
You can override this per-shipment if needed.

QuickBooks Field Mappings

If you have QuickBooks integration enabled, you can map QuickBooks transaction fields to Shippo extra options. This automatically populates reference fields when creating shipments from QuickBooks data.

How Field Mapping Works

When you create a shipment from a QuickBooks Invoice, Estimate, or Purchase Order, the app can automatically populate certain Shippo reference fields with data from the QuickBooks transaction.

Example Mappings

Invoice Number → Reference 1 QuickBooks invoice number appears in Shippo Reference 1 field
Customer Name → Reference 2 Customer display name appears in Shippo Reference 2 field
PO Number → PO Number Reference Purchase order number appears in Shippo PO Number reference field

Available QuickBooks Fields

You can map from these QuickBooks data sources:

Custom Fields

Any custom fields you've defined in QuickBooks

Invoice/Estimate Fields

  • Customer ID
  • Customer Display Name
  • Invoice Number
  • Transaction ID

Purchase Order Fields

  • Purchase Order Number
  • Transaction ID

General Fields

  • Department Name
  • Department ID

Available Shippo Reference Fields

You can map QuickBooks data to any of these Shippo fields:

Field Format Description
Reference 1 / Reference 2 Text Main reference fields visible on most labels
Customer Reference Text Customer account reference (FedEx, UPS)
PO Number Text Purchase order number
Department Number Text Internal department identifier
Invoice Number Text Invoice reference
RMA Number Text Return merchandise authorization

Additional advanced reference fields are also available for mapping. See the Shippo Extra Options documentation for the complete list.

Validation
The app validates that invoice-specific fields only map to invoices/estimates, and PO-specific fields only map to purchase orders. This prevents incompatible mappings.
Overriding Mapped Values
Even with field mappings configured, you can always manually edit any reference field when creating a shipment. The mapping just provides a helpful default.

Best Practices

Units of Measurement

Choose units that match your packaging supplies and scale measurements. If your scale shows pounds and your boxes are measured in inches, use those units to avoid constant conversions.

Customs Defaults

If you ship internationally frequently, set up your customs defaults to save time. You can always override them for specific shipments that need different settings.

QuickBooks Mappings

Start with the most useful mappings first (like Invoice Number → Reference 1). You can always add more mappings later as you identify which reference fields your carriers require or which are most helpful for tracking.