USPS API Updates Scheduled

[batteryman]

Hello guys,

I'm sure that everyone got this email regarding the new changes. I am posting this just incase someone didnt get it and wanted to review it. Not really sure how much this will affect us.

[FONT=MS Sans Serif][FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]Dear Customer, [/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial]On May 14, 2007, the United State Postal Service will implement changes in accordance with the Federal Register, to adjust postage prices to cover operational costs and respond to changes in the marketplace.

The Postal Service will be implementing the rebranding of its international product line. A staging environment will be available to test the new Application Program Interfaces (APIs) along with a User Guide, starting April 19th. To test, please go to:
http://stg-production.shippingapis.com/
https://stg-secure.shippingapis.com/

The rebranding effort will align our international products with our well-known and trusted domestic products – Express Mail, Priority Mail, and First Class Mail. Below are explanations as to how each existing international API will be affected by these changes.

Global Label Express and Global Express Mail V2
A new API (‘ExpressMailIntl’) will be implemented as part of the rebranding. ‘ExpressMailIntl’ will mirror the schema of the current Global Label Express with the following changes:

• All references to Global Label Express will be altered to show Express Mail International.
• A new Flat Rate Envelope option will be available via the existing Container tag.
• A new PO Box tag will be available to indicate that an international address is a Post Office Box.
• The To Phone will only be required if the International Address is flagged as a PO Box.
• There will be a new Merchandise option available via the Content Type tag.
• When the Non-Delivery Option tag in the response indicates Redirect, the Alternate Return Country tag must equal the To Country value.
• The SDR (Special Drawing Rights) Value will be removed from the request but will be returned in the response, based on the Value of Contents sent in the request.
• A required “Agreement” tag must be included in the ExpressMailIntl request. This tag will indicate whether or not the shipper has agreed to the Customs Information and will provide for an electric signature.
• After May 13th, Global Express Mail V2 API will no longer be available.

Global Label Airmail and Global Label Priority Large Flat Rate Envelope
A new API (‘PriorityMailIntl’) will be implemented as part of the rebranding. ‘PriorityMailIntl’ will mirror the schema of the current Global Label Airmail with the following changes:

• All references to Global Airmail Parcel Post will be altered to show Priority Mail International.
• A new Flat Rate Box option will be available via the existing Container tag.
• The existing Global Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Envelope will be available via the Container tag of the new Priority Mail International API (this option will follow the 4 pound/$400 limits of the current Global Label Priority API).
• A new PO Box tag will be available to indicate that an international address is a Post Office Box.
• The To Phone tag will only be required if the International Address is flagged as a PO Box.
• There will be a new Merchandise option available via the Content Type tag.
• When the Non-Delivery Option tag in the response indicates Redirect, the Alternate Return Country tag must equal the To Country tag (not applicable when the Container is Flat Rate Envelope).
• The SDR (Special Drawing Rights) Value tag will be removed from the request but will be returned in the response, based on the Value of Contents sent in the request.
• A required “Agreement” tag must be included in the ExpressMailIntl request. This tag will indicate whether or not the shipper has agreed to the Customs Information.
• After May 13th, Global Label Priority Mail API will no longer be available.

Global Label Priority

A new API (‘First ClassMailntl’) will be implemented as part of the rebranding. In effect, the current Global Priority Mail variable option will no longer be available. Although a completely different international product, ‘FirstClassMailIntl’ will mirror the schema of the current Global Label Priority with the following changes:

• All references to Global Priority Mail will be altered to show First Class Mail International
• The existing Large Flat Rate Envelope option will now be available as a Flat Rate Envelope in the Priority Mail International API via the Container type (not via the First Class Mail International API)
• A new PO Box tag will be available to indicate that an international address is a Post Office Box.
• The To Phone tag will only be required if the International Address is flagged as a PO Box.
• There will be a new Merchandise option available via the Content Type tag.
• A required “Agreement” tag must be include in the ExpressMailIntl request. This tag will indicate whether or not the shipper has agreed to the Customs Information.
• The label is now single ply, 4 inches by 6 inches.

International Rate (IntlRate)
Changes to the International Rate API (IntlRate) will be implemented in response to the International rebranding. The International Rate request will follow the same structural schema, with the addition of one optional tag, ValueOfContents. When ValueOfContents is provided in the request, one of two scenarios will occur in the returned response:

• An <Insurance> tag reflecting the insurance fee will be returned based on the amount sent in the <ValueOfContents> tag.
• An <InsComment> tag will be returned displaying one of the following three reasons why insurance is not available:

[FONT=Wingdings]§ [/FONT]“not available for service” or
[FONT=Wingdings]§ [/FONT]“not available for destination for service” or
[FONT=Wingdings]§ [/FONT]“not available for given value”

When applicable an Indemnity tag will also be returned in the response. Indemnity is free of charge with this service and is applicable for Priority Mail International. It will be returned if the Indemnity amount in the response is greater than the Insured Value sent in the request.

As applicable to the rebranding effort, the International Rate API will be modified to return the rebranded international products: Express Mail International, Priority Mail International, and First Class Mail International.

If you have any questions, concerns or technical inquiries, please contact the USPS Internet Customer Care Center via email at icustomercare AT usps DOT com or phone 1-800-344-7779.


Sincerely,
Patti Mason
Manager USPS.com

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[kobra]

DrByte has posted to this subject elsewhere and at that time there was no info about if this would affect script programming or just changes at UPS servers and what would be delivered to your cart.

I am sure that if they have published changes required to their API that this is being addressed

[ranger_lp]

Here are some more changes:

On May 14 2007, the United States Postal Service(r) will implement changes for Domestic Mail. In response to these changes, a new Domestic Rates Application Program Interface (API), RateV3, will be released by USPS Web Tools(r).



A staging environment will be available to test the new API on April 19th. Please go to:

http://stg-production.shippingapis.com/





RateV2 will still be available after the release of RateV3, and will suffice unless rates need to be calculated for Large Priority Mail packages. USPS is introducing a new dimensional weight pricing model for Large Priority Mail pieces. Dimensional weighting is a mechanism that converts the cubic size of a piece into a weight. If a large box is very light, it will be charged as a higher-weight piece, based on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standard. This change only affects Priority Mail pieces larger than 1 cubic foot, and traveling to destinations within zones 5-8. The Rate V3 API still requires dimensions if an item is large, regardless of the zone.





To capture the dimensional weight for Large Priority Mail pieces, RateV3 will require three new dimension tags for rectangular Priority Mail pieces: Length, Width, and Height; and four new dimension tags for non-rectangular pieces: Length, Width, Height, and Girth. Shippers will specify in the existing Container tag whether a Large Priority Mail piece is rectangular or non-rectangular.



RateV3 also implements changes to First Class Mail. A new tag, First Class Mail Type, will be used to specify whether a First Class Mail piece is a letter, flat, or parcel. Today, First Class Mail pieces are charged identical rates, regardless of the type of package. With the change, the postage for each type of First Class Mail piece will more accurately reflect the processing costs for each. The Machineable tag will also be applied to First Class Mail, in addition to Parcel Post.



An example of an XML request of the Rate V3 is:

<RateV3Request USERID="000AAAAA9999">

<Package ID="1ST">

<Service>FIRST CLASS</Service>

<FirstClassMailType>LETTER</FirstClassMailType>

<ZipOrigination>44106</ZipOrigination>

<ZipDestination>90210</ZipDestination>

<Pounds>0</Pounds>

<Ounces>0.75</Ounces>

<Size>REGULAR</Size>

<Machinable>false</Machinable>

</Package>

<Package ID="2ND">

<Service>PRIORITY</Service>

<ZipOrigination>44106</ZipOrigination>

<ZipDestination>20770</ZipDestination>

<Pounds>5</Pounds>

<Ounces>8</Ounces>

<Container>NONRECTANGULAR</Container>

<Size>LARGE</Size>

<Width>15</Width>

<Length>30</Length>

<Height>15</Height>

<Girth>55</Girth>

</Package>

<Package ID="3RD">

<Service>ALL</Service>

<ZipOrigination>90210</ZipOrigination>

<ZipDestination>20770</ZipDestination>

<Pounds>8</Pounds>

<Ounces>32</Ounces>

<Container>RECTANGULAR</Container>

<Size>LARGE</Size>

<Width>15</Width>

<Length>30</Length>

<Height>15</Height>

<Machinable>true</Machinable>

</Package>

</RateV3Request>





If you have any questions, concerns or technical inquiries, please contact the USPS Internet customer Care Center via email at [email protected] or phone 1-800-344-7779.



Sincerely,





Patti Mason

Manager, USPS.com