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How to Properly Update the ShipStation Shipping Pro Plugin to API v2
Table of Contents
This guide is designed to help WooCommerce users of the ShipStation Shipping PRO plugin smoothly transition to the new API v2 version and understand what steps to follow before, during, and after the update.
Before You Begin – Are You Still Using ShipStation API v1 #
If you’re a ShipStation Gold plan user (US, Canada) or Scale plan user (UK, AU, NZ, EU), and wish to continue using API v1, there’s no need to update the plugin.
Your current version will continue to work as expected.
- Important: Make sure your current ShipStation API v1 API key is still valid. Expired API keys will prevent shipping rates from displaying in the cart and checkout page.
Planning to Switch to ShipStation API v2 #
If you’re switching to ShipStation API v2, follow these best practices to avoid issues and ensure a smooth transition.
Recommended: Test on a Staging Site First #
Before updating the plugin on your live WooCommerce store:
- Create a staging site with the same plugins, theme, and settings as your live site.
- Ensure the staging site is under the same domain so it can share your ShipStation Shipping PRO plugin license key with the production site.
- On the staging site, update the plugin and verify:
- Live shipping rates appear properly in the cart and check out page.
- All features are working as expected.
- Live shipping rates appear properly in the cart and check out page.
Once testing is successful, you can confidently proceed with the update on your live site.
ShipStation Shipping Pro API v1 and v2 #
Keep in mind: #
- ShipStation API V1 and V2 use separate API keys, which are not interchangeable.
- Settings from the original ShipStation Shipping (API v1) PRO plugin will not transfer to the API v2 version of the plugin.
📍We strongly recommend saving a copy of all your current settings before updating:
- Take screenshots or a short screen recording of your current plugin setup
- Make note of:
- Shipping zones settings
- Shipping boxes settings
- Shipping services settings
- Shipment default settings (e.g., tariff numbers, default manufacturer, website URL for international orders)
- Shipping zones settings
Steps to Update to ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO #
- Copy the license key from the original ShipStation Shipping (API v1) PRO
- Log in to your account and download the new ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO plugin from the website.
- In your WooCommerce dashboard:
- Go to Plugins → Add New
- Upload and install the new ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO for WooCommerce plugin
- Activate the plugin
- Go to Plugins → Add New
Documentation: How to Install a Plugin in WooCommerce
4. Generate your ShipStation (API v2) API Production key.
Please refer to: How to Get Your ShipStation API v2 Production API Key
5. Enter your ShipStation API v2 Production key and the plugin’s license key in the “General” tab of the plugin and save the settings.
6. Configure your ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO plugin settings based on your saved notes:
📍Important: ShipStation API v1 and API v2 are different systems. As a result, API keys are not interchangeable, and plugin settings configured for API v1 will not carry over to API v2.
Each API version operates differently, so if you’re switching to API v2, you’ll need to reconfigure the plugin settings, including shipping zones, shipping boxes, Shipping services and other settings.
- Re-create your shipping zones, configure shipping boxes, and shipping services.
- 📍Important: Input shipment defaults such as Tariff number and Manufacturer (website URL) for international shipping are required by the ShipStation API
- Match your previous configuration from the API v1 plugin
7. Add products to the cart and verify that live shipping rates display in the cart and check out page as expected
Final Testing and Going Live #
After confirming everything works properly on your staging site:
- Remove the license key from the staging site and save settings to release the license key.
- On your live WooCommerce site:
- Copy the license key from the original ShipStation Shipping PRO plugin
- Deactivate the API v1 version of the plugin from the live site to avoid confusion
- Install and activate the API v2 plugin
- Input the license key and configure the ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO plugin just like the staging site
- Add items in the cart to test the cart and checkout page to confirm that shipping rates display properly.
You’re All Set! #
Once the plugin is updated and configured on your live site, you can start using the ShipStation Shipping (API v2)PRO plugin.
💡 Early tests show that API v2 delivers shipping rates faster than API v1, resulting in a smoother, faster checkout experience for your customers.
📍Note About Order Exporting with API v2
Please be aware that ShipStation Shipping (API v2) PRO does not currently support exporting orders to the ShipStation dashboard. Because of this limitation, the ShipStation Shipping Pro plugin cannot send order data to ShipStation when using API v2.
If you need to export WooCommerce orders to your ShipStation account, we recommend using the official ShipStation Integration plugin for that purpose.
The primary purpose of the ShipStation Shipping PRO plugin, especially when using API v2, is to display live shipping rates at checkout and print shipping labels within the plugin. It does not handle order syncing under API v2.