AgoraCart Free User Forums

below is a general outline for the latest proceedure to sign up with the USPS api program.

https://secure.shippingapis.com/Registration/
go to the url above.
fill out the form and agree to terms. i selected multiple websites so i'm not limited to one. this way i can use it according to tos on any website.

you will be sent an email to the email address you signed up with. so wait. grin.

passwords are no longer supported so when entering the username in the shipping manager leave the password field blank. run a test with the testing url. you don't really have to but just to assure yourself it doesn't work. heh heh.

email the customer care email address and tell them you ran the test and would like them to add your profile to their production url. be sure to include you name, domain name and your username they assigned you so they know who to add!

they will send you a confirmation email with the production url which is the default url supplied with agoracart. be sure to include the http:// if copying and pasting with no leading blank spaces or trailing blank spaces. the same goes for your username. you can't have any blank spaces anywhere. set the sbw module to YES. usps YES make sure the zipcode you will be shipping from is entered in the box near the bottom of the screen. then submit and test your store.

below are the two urls. follow the proceedure as outlined step by step and don't bother trying to rush anything. you can't access them until they add your profile to their dB.

http://testing.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPITest.dll

http://production.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPI.dll

d



Last edited by Dan on Fri Mar 21, 08 5:59 pm; edited 2 times in total

Dan,
Do you know if the test URL now works?
In the past the test URL will not work, but the production URL will once you've been added to the database.
If it doesn't work, then all anyone needs to do is when they get their username, to immediately email icustomercare@usps.com, with your username, and let them know that you are using AgoraCart and are ready for the production URL.

HTH!


_________________
God Bless!
Bonnie - AgoraCart Moderator

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The test URL has worked in the past, but you have to follow their test parameters in order for it to work. It's easier to skip the test process and just tell them that you did it and get added to use the production URL.


_________________
Carol aka SouperMom
http://www.soupermom.com

right. the test url is a pain and confusing. i just advised to use the test url to stamp your access in their log file and to have something to do while waiting for them to add your profile to their dB.
the test url is not necessary. so you can do it this way...
sign up
get the username they assign
send them an email but don't say the test worked. just ask them to add your profile to the dB. include your url, name and username in the email.
once they email you saying you're added then use the production url and you're good to go.
dan

No wonder I couldn't ever get this to work. And all the time I thought it was me.

Linda
WWW.lindasgourmetcookies.com

I am having a problem with this working.

I followed the directions listed here and what USPS gave me.

From what I could tell, the URL I should be using is http://production.shippingapis.com/shippingapi.dll.

When I use this the error message I get is:

USPS module error: shipping cost not determined!
Please use your browser's back button and correct
any fields as required and try again.

80040b1a Authorization failure. You are not authorized to connect to this server. UspsCom::DoAuth

I am registered with USPS and I am using the user id they provided with no spaces.

Is there anything else I need to be doing?

Thank you.

Did you register to use the web tools or just for a USPS account to print postage online?
You have to register at:
https://secure.shippingapis.com/registration/

If you have done that, you need to email icustomercare@usps.com with your user name.
Tell them that you are using AgoraCart and that you are ready to use the production URL.
You will then need to wait until you get another email telling you that you are okay'd to use the production URL.

HTH!


_________________
God Bless!
Bonnie - AgoraCart Moderator

Get a Gold Membership

Hi.

I did register and I already received the email. I've used the links they sent with the confirmation and the ones listed on the forum.

Is there anything else I may be missing?

Thank you.

Kristy
www.clearlycarols.com

Kristy,
Did you email them after getting the first email and ask them to put you on the production URL?
You need to have received a second email from USPS giving you permission to use the production URL, which is:
http://production.shippingapis.com/shippingapi.dll

If you do not have an email from them that states that you can use the production URL, then you will need to email icustomercare@usps.com again. Email them with your user ID and tell them that you are using AgoraCart and that you are ready to use the production URL.

HTH!


_________________
God Bless!
Bonnie - AgoraCart Moderator

Get a Gold Membership

clearlyc wrote:

From what I could tell, the URL I should be using is http://production.shippingapis.com/shippingapi.dll.

you have a period after the production url. is that a typo here or did you add the period in the url in the store manager?
d

Hi.

No period. Just the end of my sentence.

I emailed the USPS customer support to see if maybe it was because my shopping cart was under a different URL than the shopping cart was.

The URL I gave them is www.clearlycarols.com but I noticed the URL for the shopping cart is https://df15.dot5hosting.com/%7Eclearlyc/cgi-bin/Agora/agora.cgi

I'm grasping at straws here, so I'm hoping maybe that will fix the problem.

Any other suggestions?

Thank you.

Kristy
www.clearlycarols.com

your domain name is not
https://df15.dot5hosting.com/%7Eclearlyc/cgi-bin/Agora/agora.cgi
furthermore, i posted an advisory about the tilde and about running your store in ssl. did you see it? don't run your store in ssl.
your store url is:
http://www.clearlycarols.com/cgi-bin/Agora/agora.cgi
and your store ssl url is:
https://df15.dot5hosting.com/~clearlyc/cgi-bin/Agora/agora.cgi
you should set up your store manager exactly as it is above. also, you should change all links to your store to reflect the http url.
there is a really big difference between clearlycarols.com and df15.dot5hosting.com so be sure to make the corrections.
d

You do not have to give USPS the URL in the email... just your USER ID and let them know that you use Agoracart and are ready for the production URL...
Being authorized to use the production URL is based on your USER ID, the URL given to USPS doesn't really come into play...
Still, you do need to have the url correct as dan suggests.

HTH!


_________________
God Bless!
Bonnie - AgoraCart Moderator

Get a Gold Membership

you're dealing with the United States Postal Service. remember that. if you give them limited information and they need more then you're pigeon holed no doubt.
when telling them that everthing tested out fine include all the information. this will put everthing they need at their fingertips and get you processed.
assume nothing when dealing with them. they wont/can't assume anything.
d

Hi,

I am trying to set up my cart to use the SBW for the USPS. I got the web tools user ID okay but couldn't figure out how to do the test. I think I saw a post suggesting that you probably don't need to run a test, so I took a chance, skipped the test, and emailed USPS asking that they switch my profile so as to give me access to the production server. Well, USPS emailed back that they were not showing any tests.

So, I need to know how to do the test. Do I do it from my cart. USPS says
A sample test request would look like: "http://testing.shippingapis.com/ShippingAPITest.dll?API=[API_Name]&XML=[XML_String_containing_User_ID]"
I regret that I just don't understand how to use that.

Any help I could get on this would be greatly appreciated.

Painter

ohoh. they're getting nasty now. i figured it would be a matter of time before they started logging tests.
enter in the test url in the shipping manager then add something to the cart and on step one choose a usps method. submit to stept two. it's likely the test url will fail. then email them and tell them you ran the test. see what they say.
if they send the production url then enter it in the shipping manager then run tests to see when your account is actually activated.
if they say it failed and your acount can't be activated until you run a successful test then email them back and ask for help. grin.
d

I've run into that before...
You need to tell them that you are using
AgoraCart, a 3rd Party shopping cart system.
Usually, when you tell them that, they'll get you right on the production server.

HTH!


_________________
God Bless!
Bonnie - AgoraCart Moderator

Get a Gold Membership

Hi,

Thanks for y'all's help on working with the USPS.

I ran the test through the cart, and then emailed USPS indicating I had done the test and that I was using the AgoraCart. I just now got their reply thanking me for doing the testing and saying my profile had been updated.

I ran an item through the cart and USPS shipping was calculated just fine. It's amazing what shipping costs these days.

Incidentally, I'd rate my exchanges with the USPS very high, maybe a ten.

Again, thanks for y'all's help!

Painter

yep. could be that either this service is farmed out to a private company or the real postal people haven't decided to "fix" the virtual department yet customer service is indeed volatile.

now that they are logging tests then everyone should complete the test at least once. fail or pass apparently doesn't matter...yet. it's quite possible they have no idea whether the xml test passes or fails; they only see the logged attempt.

want a shocker? do a ups test. i believe that ups is the most expensive. but then again with fuel at 3 bucks a gallon it has to be more.
d