HOW-TO · Shipping

How to integrate PostNL, DHL and DPD in one workflow

Dutch sellers often need PostNL for domestic parcels, DHL for cross-border lanes and DPD for specific B2B or pickup flows. ChannelDock’s Integrations page is the natural starting point for connecting carriers, marketplaces and webshops into one shipping operation.

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Connect
each carrier account
Route
orders by lane
Print
labels from one queue
Carrier workflowConnected
NL home deliveryPostNL
EU parcel laneDHL
B2B pickup pointDPD
Tracking back to bol.com, Amazon and webshop orders

A multi-carrier setup matters because the best carrier changes by destination, parcel size, delivery promise, pickup cutoff and marketplace requirement.

Less portal switchingone operational label flow
Cleaner trackingfewer missed uploads
Better lane fitcarrier by country and parcel
Fewer exceptionsrules before labels

Before you start: what you need

A PostNL, DHL and DPD workflow only becomes reliable when carrier access, order data and marketplace settings are ready before the first label is printed.

Carrier contracts and login access

Collect account numbers, API credentials, label formats, pickup agreements and the services each warehouse may use.

Accurate shipment data

Make sure order weight, dimensions, destination country, delivery promise and phone or email fields are available before carrier selection.

Permission to edit shipping settings

Give operations managers access to carrier settings, while packers follow the approved workflow in the order queue.

Tip: do not connect every possible service at once. Start with the PostNL, DHL and DPD services your team actually uses every week, then add special services after the basic flow is stable.

Step-by-step: integrate PostNL, DHL and DPD

Use this workflow to move from separate carrier portals to one controlled shipping process.

Map your carrier use cases first

List which orders should use PostNL, which should use DHL and which should use DPD. Include domestic parcels, EU cross-border shipments, pickup points, B2B deliveries, bulky products and return labels.

Common mistake: connecting three carriers without deciding when each one should be used.

Collect the required carrier credentials

Request API access, contract references and label permissions from each carrier. Store them securely and check whether the account can create production labels, not only test labels.

Common mistake: testing with a sandbox account and discovering too late that live services or pickup agreements are missing.

Connect the carriers in ChannelDock

Open ChannelDock Integrations and connect the carrier accounts you use in daily operations. Keep the naming clear, especially if you ship from more than one warehouse or legal entity.

Common mistake: naming every account “DHL” or “PostNL,” making it hard for packers to choose the right contract.

Connect marketplaces and webshops to the same order queue

Bring bol.com, Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce and other channels into the same workflow so labels and tracking updates start from one source of truth.

Common mistake: connecting carriers but still downloading orders from separate marketplace dashboards.

Define carrier selection rules

Use Shipping Rules to choose carrier services by destination, weight, parcel size, marketplace, pickup cutoff and delivery promise.

Common mistake: relying on packers to remember every exception instead of turning repeatable decisions into rules.

Print test labels before going live

Run a small batch of real order scenarios: a Dutch parcel, a Belgian or German shipment, a DPD pickup-point order and a marketplace order that needs tracking uploaded quickly.

Common mistake: testing only one domestic shipment and assuming cross-border services will behave the same way.

Train the packing bench on exceptions

Show packers where to see the chosen carrier, how to print or reprint a label, and when to hold an order instead of manually switching carriers.

Common mistake: giving everyone permission to override labels without logging why the change was made.

Monitor failed labels and tracking uploads

Review failed label requests, missing address fields, carrier service errors and marketplace tracking delays during the first two weeks. Fix the source data or rule instead of patching each order manually.

Common mistake: treating every label failure as an isolated issue when the same address or rule problem repeats.

The multi-carrier flow at a glance

Carrier integration should feel like one shipping workflow, not three disconnected portals.

The goal is not to make every carrier available to every order. The goal is to make the right carrier available at the right moment.

Order imported
Rule selects carrier
Label printed
Tracking synced

Common multi-carrier integration pitfalls

  • Connecting a carrier account before confirming which services are active on the contract.
  • Using different address formats in each marketplace, causing label errors after the order reaches the packing bench.
  • Letting PostNL, DHL and DPD rules overlap so two services could match the same order.
  • Forgetting to test tracking upload back to bol.com, Amazon or the webshop after label creation.
  • Leaving old carrier portal workflows active, which creates duplicate labels and split tracking history.

Separate carrier portals vs. ChannelDock Integrations

Separate portals can work for a few parcels. They break when order volume, marketplaces and carrier exceptions grow.

Without ChannelDock

  • Operators copy order data into PostNL, DHL and DPD portals manually.
  • Labels, tracking numbers and shipment statuses live in separate systems.
  • Carrier choice depends on the person packing the order that day.

With ChannelDock

  • Carrier connections sit next to marketplace, webshop and order workflows.
  • Shipping rules, Bulk Processing and label printing use the same order data.
  • Tracking can flow back to the sales channel without retyping numbers.

Explore ChannelDock Integrations →

PostNL, DHL and DPD integration FAQ

Connect each carrier account, import orders from your marketplaces and webshops into one queue, define carrier rules and print labels from the same system. The key is to centralize order data before carrier selection happens.

Yes. Many sellers use PostNL for domestic Dutch parcels and DHL or DPD for specific EU lanes. Define the logic by country, weight, service level and marketplace promise so the right carrier is selected consistently.

Usually yes: each carrier contract controls pricing, available services, pickup agreements and label permissions. Your software can connect the accounts, but the commercial carrier agreements still need to be active.

Use one order queue as the source of truth, restrict manual portal creation and make reprints visible in the shipment history. Duplicate labels usually happen when teams keep using old carrier portals alongside the new workflow.

Yes, if the marketplace and carrier workflow are connected in the same operational system. After the label is created, tracking should be pushed back to the sales channel so the marketplace and customer see the shipment status.

Test domestic, cross-border, pickup-point, high-weight and marketplace orders. Check label creation, carrier service selection, address validation, tracking upload and reprint behavior before sending all warehouse traffic through the new flow.

Related workflows to improve next

Once carriers are connected, strengthen the workflows around labels, rules and order volume.

Print shipping labels

Turn carrier connections into reliable label and tracking flows.

Read the how-to

Compare carrier rates

Choose the best service by cost, lane and delivery promise.

Read the how-to

Shipping Rules

Automate carrier decisions before labels are printed.

Learn more

Bulk Processing

Process high-volume shipping days from one queue.

Learn more

Connect PostNL, DHL and DPD without three separate workflows

Use ChannelDock Integrations to connect carriers, marketplaces and webshops so labels and tracking stay in one operational flow.

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