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Introduction to Service Points

Service Points are designated locations where your package recipient can either pick up or drop off a parcel, rather than using their home, office, or business address as the pickup or dropoff location. Service points allow your customers to collect shipments at a time convenient to them. Service points are typically established in convenient and accessible locations such as retail stores, convenience stores, gas stations, or other centralized spots.

Service points are sometimes referred to as Pickup/Dropoff points, or PUDO. Services that support service points are often referred to as PUDO services.

Benefits

Customer-centric ecommerce companies and logistics providers who commonly use service points as part of their delivery solutions hold several advantages that benefit both consumers and businesses:

  • Convenience: PUDO services provide flexibility to recipients who may not be available at home during typical delivery hours. They can pick up or drop off their parcels at a time that best suits them.
  • Reduce Missed Deliveries: Since recipients can collect their items at their own convenience, it reduces the chance of missed deliveries and the need for re-delivery attempts.
  • Cost-Efficiency: PUDO services can be more cost-effective for businesses since they can consolidate deliveries to a central location rather than making individual trips to recipient addresses.
  • Reduced Environmental Impact: Centralized drop-off points can lead to more efficient routes, potentially reducing the carbon footprint of deliveries.
  • Expanded Delivery Options: PUDO service points can be particularly useful in areas where standard home delivery is challenging, like in rural or densely populated urban areas.

Using Service Points with ShipEngine

With ShipEngine, you can find service points and create PUDO labels.

  • Find service points: Use the /v1/service_points/ endpoint to list a range of available service points as well as get the details of a specific service_point_id. This includes details like address or geological location, hours of operation, features, and service_point_id. You can then display the service point details at checkout to allow your customers to select the most convenient location for them.
  • Create PUDO labels: You can add the service_point_id value for the specific PUDO property you use in your purchase label call, when shipping with a PUDO service.
    • There are three types of PUDO labels you can create: Home to Shop, Shop to Home, and Shop to Shop. Go to our Create PUDO Labels page for details on creating each type of label.

General Requirements

  • Use a carrier that provides PUDO services and a service that allows pickup and drop off at a service point. If you use an unsupported carrier/service, you'll receive an error when you submit your request.
  • Confirm any other PUDO shipping requirements with the carrier. For example, do they permit PUDO use only for certain services? Do they require an advanced option when using PUDO services?
  • Know the service point details. For instance, when you select some service points the carrier may require certain properties to appear in the purchase label request body.
  • To use the service_points endpoint, your account must be on an Advanced plan or higher.