Connecting your Royal Mail account with Shiptheory is very easy and can be done by following the steps detailed below in this guide.
Before you get started:
You will need to have a Royal Mail OBA (Online Business Account). If you do not yet have an OBA yet with Royal Mail, you can apply for one from Royal Mail here.
This guide is for connecting up your Royal Mail OBA to Shiptheory, if you currently have a Royal Mail PPI account, you will want to read our guide for connecting up Royal Mail PPI accounts.
1. Enable Royal Mail within your account:
The first thing you'll need to do is select Royal Mail as a carrier you'd like to use with Shiptheory. To do this, you will want to go to the carrier's page within your account. From this page, scroll down until you see the Royal Mail option and click to enable it within your account. It shouldn't be too far down, the list is in alphabetical order
2. Enter your Royal Mail OBA details:
Once enabled, you will be taken to the Royal Mail settings page. This is where you will enter your details to connect the account to Shiptheory.
The details you enter here will be used as part of an application that will be sent to Royal Mail for approval of its use with Shiptheory. All sections will need to be completed for the application to be approved.
The details you will need can be seen below:
| # | Information Required | Description |
| 1 | Royal Mail OBA Account Number | This is the account number associated with your Royal Mail account. |
| 2 | OBA Email Address | The email address that is associated with your Royal Mail account, this must match what you use to access Royal Mail. |
| 3 | OBA Company Name | The company name that used within your OBA to identify you with Royal Mail. |
| 4 | Which Services Do You Use? | Choose the services that you use with Royal Mail. You can hold down Ctrl on your keyboard to select multiple. |
| 5 | Enter your Collection Time | The latest time Royal Mail can collect/receive your shipments. Orders booked after this time will be done so for the next day. Please use the 24 hr format, such as 17:00. |
| 6 | Royal Mail Monthly Volume | How many parcels you approximately send with Royal Mail monthly. |
| 7 | Saturday Collection? | Does Royal Mail collect from you on Saturdays? |
| 8 | Default Commodity Description | A general commodity description for shipments being sent internationally*. Normally this information will come from your sales channel. Where not available, the default option will be used instead. |
| 9 | Default Country of Manufacturer ISO | A general Country of Manufacturer ISO for shipments being sent internationally*. Normally this information will come from your sales channel. Where not available, the default option will be used instead. An example for the UK would be, GBR. |
| 10 | Default HS Tariff | A general HS Tariff code for shipments being sent internationally*. Normally this information will come from your sales channel. Where not available, the default option will be used instead. An example would be, 152071. |
| 11 | Nature of Item | When sending internationally, customs require a "Nature of Item", which is your reason for sending items internationally. |
| 12 | Posting Location Number | This is a ten digit number usually beginning with a 9, it's also referred to as a "Poster Number". It is visible on some Royal Mail paperwork and should also be obtainable from your Royal Mail account manager. |
| 13 | OBA Postcode | This is the postcode from which you plan to send your Royal Mail orders, it will also be registered to your OBA Account. |
*Even if you do not ship internationally with Royal Mail, you will need to complete this information.
If you are unsure/don't know of any of the details, you can request them from your Royal Mail account manager.
3. Finalise the application:
Once you hit Save at the bottom of the page, it will create the application and you will be presented with the screen shown below. Your application can take a few days to process and we will let you know as soon as your OBA account is connected to your Shiptheory account.
One thing you can do to help speed the application process up is to make sure your Shipping Location is completed within your Shiptheory account. This should match the address you use with your Royal Mail account.
Do you have any questions about the information required for this application? One of our Support Team would be happy to give you a hand!