Australia Post eParcel and StarTrack labels from the pack bench
A workflow for booking parcels, choosing box sizes and weights, printing A4 or 4×6 labels, reprinting or cancelling, and lodging the day's parcels with Australia Post.
Stokrio Team · · 7 min read
If you have an Australia Post eParcel or StarTrack contract, you can book parcels and print labels through their Shipping and Tracking API instead of typing addresses into a portal. Done at the pack bench, it removes a whole step. This guide walks through a sensible workflow and the edge cases.
Key takeaways
- Book from the order, so the address is never retyped.
- Save your box sizes; estimate weight from product weights plus the empty box, and correct it from the scale if it differs.
- Reprint before you cancel, and cancel before you lodge.
- Lodge the whole day's labelled parcels in one action at the end of the day.
Setting up
You enter your account number, API key and password once, choose test or live, set the sender address and pick a default service and label layout (A4, or 4×6 for a thermal printer). Stokrio stores the key and password encrypted, never shows them again, and tests them against Australia Post when you save.
Booking a parcel
- Open the order at the pack station.
- Choose a saved box (its dimensions and empty weight are known) or enter dimensions.
- Confirm the weight. Stokrio estimates it from product weights plus the box, and you can type the scale reading.
- Choose the service (defaults to your saved one).
- Book. Stokrio creates the shipment at Australia Post and its label, and shows the tracking number.
If the label step fails, the shipment is kept and "reprint" retries the label, so you do not end up with a booked parcel you cannot print.
Addresses
Stokrio books domestic parcels to Australian addresses. An order with a missing suburb, state or postcode is flagged before you book, and an international order is refused with a clear message, because international shipments need customs declarations that are not handled here.
Reprint, cancel, lodge
- Reprint creates the label again, for a jam or a smudge.
- Cancel removes a parcel at Australia Post while it has not been lodged. Once lodged, it must be cancelled with them.
- Lodge creates the end-of-day order for every labelled parcel. It runs one at a time per organisation, so a double click does not lodge the same parcels twice.
Costs
Australia Post returns the cost with the booking, and Stokrio stores it on the shipment, so you can see what each order cost to ship.
More on pick, pack and ship.