Which EDI shipping labels does GoatLabels print?

Only the carrier label. GoatLabels prints carrier shipping labels for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL only. It does not create SSCCs or print GS1-128 carton labels, so retailer compliance labels must come from your EDI provider or an EDI-integrated shipping system.

Can GoatLabels send an EDI 856 advance ship notice?

No. GoatLabels does not send or receive EDI documents of any kind, including the 850, 856, and 810. It returns the tracking number for each label, which you can pass to the system that builds your ship notice.

Can I ship on a retailer's carrier account?

No. Labels are bought on GoatLabels' carrier accounts and paid from your prepaid wallet. You cannot add a retailer's account, your own carrier accounts, or negotiated rates, so collect and third-party billing are not available.

How do EDI orders get into GoatLabels?

By bulk CSV import of up to 500 rows per file or through the REST API. There is no native EDI, ERP, or WMS connector. Errors name the row and field, and one bad row does not fail the batch.

What does GoatLabels cost for carrier labels?

The software is $0 a month on Free with 50 shipments a month, or $40 a month flat on Pro with unlimited shipments and cheaper label rates. Labels are paid from a prepaid wallet, and there is no contract.

Can I talk to someone about my EDI orders first?

Yes. Email contact@goatlabels.io with your trading partners, your monthly parcel volume, and which orders are bound to a routing guide. We will say plainly which parcels GoatLabels can label and which need an EDI-integrated system.

For suppliers and compliance teams shipping EDI orders.

EDI shipping labels: what an EDI order needs

Carrier labels only. No EDI documents.

EDI shipping labels usually means two labels: a GS1-128 carton label carrying an SSCC, and a carrier label. GoatLabels prints only the carrier label, rate-shopped across USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL, on Free at $0 or Pro at $40 a month. It does not send or receive EDI documents or print GS1-128 labels.

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Carrier labels for parcel cartons

USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL quoted together on each carton, for orders where you are free to choose the carrier and pay the freight.

all quoted

Four quotesOne all-in number each.

Multi-cartonOne label per carton.

No GS1-128Carrier labels only.

A ledger keyed to your PO number

Every label debits the quoted amount to a dated ledger entry that carries the reference you send, such as the purchase order number.

PrepaidCard, ACH, and more.

Pro $40 flatUnlimited shipments.

PO referenceOn every ledger line.

EDI order shipping labels and documents, compared

Which tool produces which part of an EDI shipment?

An EDI order asks for three things at ship time: a carton label that identifies the logistic unit, an advance ship notice sent to the buyer, and a carrier label that moves the box. Different tools own each part. GoatLabels covers the carrier label only. The table shows where it stops and what covers the rest. Vendor facts are from the sources listed below, read on 2026-10-06.

Updated 2026-10-06

EDI order shipping labels and documents, compared, sources checked 2026-10-06
	GoatLabels	EDI provider	EDI-integrated shipping system	Carrier website
Carrier shipping label	Yes. USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL quoted on every parcel, bought from one account.	Usually not. The EDI provider handles documents and hands shipping to another system.	Yes, normally on your own carrier accounts or the account the retailer names.	Yes, one carrier at a time, typed in by hand.
GS1-128 carton label with SSCC	No. GoatLabels does not create SSCCs or print GS1-128 labels.	Often yes, since the SSCC must match the ship notice. Check with your provider.	Some EDI-integrated shipping systems print GS1-128 labels alongside the carrier label; check with the vendor.	No.
EDI 856 advance ship notice	No. GoatLabels does not send or receive any EDI document.	Yes. This is the provider's core job.	Sent through the connected EDI provider, with tracking passed across.	No.
Routing guide and retailer account	Not supported. Labels are bought on GoatLabels' accounts; you cannot bill a retailer's account.	Some EDI providers build routing guide rules into the workflow; check with yours.	Built for this: rules per trading partner and billing to the named account.	Possible by hand if you hold the account details.
Price and commitment	Free $0 a month with 50 shipments, or Pro $40 a month flat with unlimited shipments. No contract.	Not stated on the pages read.	Not stated on the pages read.	No software fee; you pay the carrier.

Third-party details checked on 2026-10-06 from each vendor's own pages: SPS Commerce: EDI 856 ship notice / manifest; GS1 US: Serial Shipping Container Codes; SPS Commerce: how to read a routing guide. Plans and features change, so confirm on the vendor's current page before you decide.

What labels and documents does an EDI order need?

An EDI order typically needs a carton label, an advance ship notice, and a carrier label. The buyer sends an EDI 850 purchase order, which SPS Commerce describes as communicating the specific items a buyer wishes to order. Before the goods arrive, the supplier sends an EDI 856 advance ship notice with details of the pending delivery.

Each carton or pallet carries a logistics label with its own identifier, and the carrier needs its own label to move the box. An EDI 810 invoice follows, replacing a paper invoice. The retailer's routing guide says how each step must be done.

Is a GS1-128 label the same as a shipping label?

No. A GS1-128 carton label identifies the logistic unit for the buyer, while a carrier label tells the carrier where to deliver the parcel. GS1 US describes the SSCC as an 18-digit identifier assigned to a logistics unit that acts as a license plate to track shipments through the supply chain.

The SSCC is a number, typically encoded into a GS1-128 barcode on a GS1 Logistics Label, and creating one requires a licensed GS1 Company Prefix. A carrier label carries the carrier's tracking number and service instead. An SSCC label and carrier label often sit on the same carton, but they come from different tools; GoatLabels prints the carrier label and nothing else.

Does the tracking number go on the EDI 856?

Yes, the EDI 856 has a shipment level that carries carrier details, tracking numbers, and shipment identification, according to SPS Commerce. That means the tracking number from the carrier label has to reach whatever system builds the ship notice. There is no single EDI 856 shipping label: the 856 is a document, the carrier label is a label, and the tracking number ties them together.

GoatLabels returns the tracking number when the label is bought, through the dashboard, a ledger export, the REST API, or a signed webhook. It does not pass that number to an EDI provider for you. Someone on your side keys it in or builds the handoff, and a late or wrong ship notice can still draw a chargeback.

Where do carrier-only labels fit in an EDI operation?

Carrier-only labels fit the parcels where you choose the carrier and pay the freight yourself. If you trade by EDI you may also ship samples, replacement parts, returns to vendors, and orders from non-EDI customers.

For those, GoatLabels quotes USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL on each parcel and takes orders by bulk CSV import of up to 500 rows or by REST API. A multi-carton order produces one label per carton, each a ledger line with the same reference, so freight cost can be matched to a purchase order number. There is no native EDI connector.

When is GoatLabels the wrong tool for EDI shipping labels?

It is the wrong tool when a retailer's routing guide names the carrier, the carrier account, or the carton label format. SPS Commerce describes a routing guide as a compliance document of 60 to 200 pages that covers preferred carriers and labeling requirements and includes a chargeback schedule.

A supplier bound to that guide needs EDI shipping label software, meaning an EDI-integrated shipping system that prints the GS1-128 label, bills the named account, and feeds the ship notice. GoatLabels cannot bill a retailer's carrier account, does not book LTL or freight, and offers no SLA. Using it there would risk chargebacks.

Connecting a warehouse system instead? See WMS shipping integration. Fulfilling retailer drop-ship orders? Read drop ship vendor shipping labels.

Create a free account

Public API v1

Tracking numbers your systems can read.

The REST API returns the tracking number and cost when a label is bought, so your own script can hand them to the system that builds the ship notice. Unlimited calls on every plan, live and test keys, Idempotency-Key support, signed replayable webhooks, and rate-limit headers. GoatLabels itself sends no EDI documents.

Create, rate-shop, and buy in a few calls

Tracking number returned at purchase

Signed, replayable webhooks for tracking events

OpenAPI 3.1 spec to generate a client

Read the API docs Get an API key$0 per API call

curl https://api.goatlabels.io/api/v1/shipments

201 Created · 187ms

requestresponse

POST /api/v1/shipments
Authorization: Bearer sk_live_…
Idempotency-Key: ord_8421

{
  "to": { "name": "Joyce", "city": "Berlin", "country": "DE" },
  "parcel": { "weight": 2.6, "weight_unit": "lb" },
  "service": "fedex_intl_priority"
}

← 201 Created // buy it with POST /api/v1/shipments/{id}/purchase
{
  "id": "shp_44819",
  "status": "draft",
  "amount": { "subtotal": 72.25, "duty_and_tax": 14.20, "total": 86.45 }
}

Pay for labels, not a tier

Two plans. No contract.

Free is $0 a month with 50 shipments a month. Pro is $40 a month flat with unlimited shipments and cheaper label rates. Bulk CSV, 13 connectors, and the REST API come with both, and labels are paid from a prepaid wallet.

Pro

Free

$0 / forever

Enough to test carrier labels on your non-routed parcels.

50 shipments a month at $0

USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL rate-shopped on every parcel

REST API with unlimited calls

Bulk CSV import, up to 500 rows per file

13 store connectors included

Start free

The assistant is included

The in-app assistant drafts a label from a pasted order or email for you to confirm. It is part of the product, not an add-on.

Web, every planTelegram, Pro

API on every plan

GET /api/v1/shipments

200 OK · plan: free

Unlimited calls. The same wallet as the dashboard.

Bring last month's shipments

Put real parcels through the side-by-side quotes and compare against what those labels cost you on

ShippoPirate ShipShipStation

No contractNo card for FreeFour carriers

Label prices are quoted live from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL and shown as one number, the same number that leaves your wallet. Other vendors' plans move, so compare against their current pricing page. Full pricing details

EDI shipping labels: FAQ

Which EDI shipping labels does GoatLabels print?: Only the carrier label. GoatLabels prints carrier shipping labels for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL only. It does not create SSCCs or print GS1-128 carton labels, so retailer compliance labels must come from your EDI provider or an EDI-integrated shipping system.
Can GoatLabels send an EDI 856 advance ship notice?: No. GoatLabels does not send or receive EDI documents of any kind, including the 850, 856, and 810. It returns the tracking number for each label, which you can pass to the system that builds your ship notice.
Can I ship on a retailer's carrier account?: No. Labels are bought on GoatLabels' carrier accounts and paid from your prepaid wallet. You cannot add a retailer's account, your own carrier accounts, or negotiated rates, so collect and third-party billing are not available.
How do EDI orders get into GoatLabels?: By bulk CSV import of up to 500 rows per file or through the REST API. There is no native EDI, ERP, or WMS connector. Errors name the row and field, and one bad row does not fail the batch.
What does GoatLabels cost for carrier labels?: The software is $0 a month on Free with 50 shipments a month, or $40 a month flat on Pro with unlimited shipments and cheaper label rates. Labels are paid from a prepaid wallet, and there is no contract.
Can I talk to someone about my EDI orders first?: Yes. Email contact@goatlabels.io with your trading partners, your monthly parcel volume, and which orders are bound to a routing guide. We will say plainly which parcels GoatLabels can label and which need an EDI-integrated system.

WMS and order system shipping guides: Brightpearl shipping software, Cin7 shipping labels, Drop ship vendor shipping labels, Extensiv shipping labels, Fishbowl shipping software, Linnworks shipping labels, OMS shipping integration, ShipHero alternative, WMS shipping integration.

Test it on parcels you route yourself.

Carrier labels for the parcels you control.
No EDI documents.

Import a CSV or call the API, compare USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL on each carton, then decide. Free is $0 a month; Pro is $40 flat with unlimited shipments.

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No contract. No card for the Free plan.