You can add insurance to a shipment when getting a rate, creating a shipment, or purchasing a label. You’ll set the insurance_provider property at the shipment level and the insured_value property at the package level (for multipackage shipments, you’ll need to do this for every package in the shipment).
Supported values for the insurance_provider property:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
none | This is the default value for this property and means the package will not be insured. Does not affect reimbursement from carriers that provide default coverage. |
funding_source | This option will assign the insurance provider available with ShipStation Carriers to the shipment (currently ParcelGuard, available for US-based accounts only). The response will auto-populate the insurance_provider field with parcelguard. |
parcelguard | This option will assign ParcelGuard as the insurance provider for the shipment. Using this value is functionally the same as using the 'funding_source' value. Currently available for US-based accounts only. |
carrier | This option will add the carrier’s insurance to the package if the carrier supports it. |
third_party | This option allows you to indicate the package is insured by a third-party insurance service. Using this value does not add insurance to a shipment. Use this option if you have your own parcel insurance account and wish to identify packages insured externally for reporting purposes. |
shipsurance | This option is available to US-based ShipStation API accounts that activated Shipsurance prior to July 10, 2024 and wish to continue using the Shipsurance coverage option. |
x_cover | This option will assign XCover from Cover Genius as the insurance provider for the shipment. Currently available for UK-based accounts only. |
If the insurance_provider property is set to anything other than none, you will also need to set the insured_value of each package in the shipment. For example:
{
"insurance_provider": "funding_source",
"packages": [
{
"insured_value": {
"currency": "usd",
"amount": 200
}
}
]
}This is an example of a purchase label request for a shipment insured with ParcelGuard.
POST v1/labels
POST /v1/labels HTTP/1.1
Host: api.shipengine.com
API-Key: __YOUR_API_KEY_HERE__
Content-Type: application/json
{
"shipment": {
"service_code": "usps_priority_mail",
"ship_to": {
"name": "Amanda Miller",
"phone": "555-555-5555",
"address_line1": "525 S Winchester Blvd",
"city_locality": "San Jose",
"state_province": "CA",
"postal_code": "95128",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "yes"
},
"ship_from": {
"company_name": "Example Corp.",
"name": "John Doe",
"phone": "111-111-1111",
"address_line1": "4009 Marathon Blvd",
"address_line2": "Suite 300",
"city_locality": "Austin",
"state_province": "TX",
"postal_code": "78756",
"country_code": "US",
"address_residential_indicator": "no"
},
"confirmation": "none",
"insurance_provider": "funding_source",
"packages": [
{
"weight": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "ounce"
},
"insured_value": {
"currency": "usd",
"amount": 200
}
}
]
}
}Example Response
The response will include the insurance_cost property that shows the insurance fee (add to the shipment_cost amount for the total cost of the label including insurance) and the URL to use if you need to file an insurance claim.
{
"label_id": "se-test-41817394",
"status": "processing",
"shipment_id": "se-41817394",
"ship_date": "2024-04-03T00:00:00Z",
"created_at": "2024-04-03T17:30:19.9541821Z",
"shipment_cost":
{
"currency": "usd",
"amount": 9.89
},
"insurance_cost":
{
"currency": "usd",
"amount": 2.18
},
"tracking_number": "9999999999999",
"is_return_label": false,
"is_international": false,
"batch_id": "",
"carrier_id": "se-0",
"service_code": "usps_priority_mail",
"package_code": "package",
"voided": false,
"voided_at": null,
"label_format": "pdf",
"label_layout": "4x6",
"trackable": true,
"carrier_code": "stamps_com",
"tracking_status": "unknown",
"label_download":
{
"pdf": "https://api.shipengine.com/v1/downloads/1/s_Tqsu9euEKub6Acc_9UIg/testlabel-2128732.pdf",
"png": "https://api.shipengine.com/v1/downloads/1/s_Tqsu9euEKub6Acc_9UIg/testlabel-2128732.png",
"zpl": "https://api.shipengine.com/v1/downloads/1/s_Tqsu9euEKub6Acc_9UIg/testlabel-2128732.zpl",
"href": "https://api.shipengine.com/v1/downloads/1/s_Tqsu9euEKub6Acc_9UIg/testlabel-2128732.pdf"
},
"form_download": null,
"insurance_claim":
{
"href": "https://www.dsiins.com/extclaims/Default.asp?cid=shipengine&psid=0&shipmentid=0"
}
}How you file a claim will depend on the type of insurance you added to the shipment.
- ParcelGuard: Go to the link provided in the shipment response
insurance_claimfield and follow the on-screen instructions. By following the link from the response, most of the claim fields will be auto-filled with the required shipment details. - XCover: Go to the link provided in the shipment response
insurance_claimfield and follow the on-screen instructions. - Carrier insurance: Follow the carrier’s claims process.
If you void a label for a shipment that includes ParcelGuard or XCover, the insurance cost will be immediately refunded back to your account balance.