ParcelForce allows multiple labels and packages to be created for the same order. This help guide covers the different ways you can do this within Click & Drop: Manual order creation, Sheet import, Click & Drop Desktop and Click & Drop API.
How do I get ParcelForce services added to my account?
If you already have ParcelForce services configured to your Royal Mail OBA account, these will automatically start to import into Click & Drop, so you will not need to do anything.
If you do not already have ParcelForce services on your OBA account, you should contact support. https://www.royalmail.com/business/shipping/ways-pay/online-business-account
How to create multiple packages for ParcelForce services and labels manually
When you have created an order, or an order has imported into Click & Drop through one of your integrations, and before you have generated labels, you can manage the order.
From your Orders page, select an order in New or Postage Applied status you'd like to give multiple packages for, check the box to the left of the order, and from actions dropdown list, select 'Manage order'
The manage order page will open. if your order contains products, we will list them on this page. By default, an order will start with one package (meaning one label is required).
You can use the plus and minus buttons under 'manage packages' to set the number of packages you need. Each package is represented by a new row.
If your order contains products, these will be automatically set to Package 1. To move a product into a different package, click and hold your mouse pointer on the product row and drag it into a different package row. If you are using a tablet or mobile device, tap and hold and then drag the product.
The item values, item weights, and package weights will automatically update.
Important note: Please check the weight for each individual package is correct before proceeding. The weight of any packaging materials used should be included.
In our screenshots below, we have an order containing two products. Both are currently in Package #1
We have dragged one of the products into Package #2, so that each package now contains one product.
When you are ready, you can use the blue buttons to save any changes, or save any changes and proceed to apply postage. Please note that if you have added multiple packages to an order, you will only be able to apply a ParcelForce service. If you wish to apply a Royal Mail service, you will need to open the Manage Order page again to reduce the number of packages back to 1.
Additional options:
Merge Packages button: If your order has multiple packages, you can use this button to quickly merge all packages back into one.
Edit Package Weights button: You can use this button to quickly set the weights of multiple packages:
When you enter a value and click the 'Split evenly' button, we will divide the weight value you have entered evenly across every package.
When you enter a value and click the 'Apply to all' button, we will apply the weight value you have entered to every package.
How to create multiple packages for ParcelForce services when importing orders via spreadsheet or Click & Drop Desktop
If you haven't already imported orders via spreadsheet, either manually, or through Click & Drop Desktop, please see the following guides first:
How to import/upload orders by spreadsheet
How to import orders with Click & Drop Desktop
We have added a new 'Package identifier' field that you must map if you wish to determine a number of packages for each order.
This value represents a unique identifier for each package on the order. These can be numbers, letters or words. For example, you can give the first package a Package identifier value of 1, the second package will have a Package identifier of 2, and so on.
You will only be able to use this new field for orders in your spreadsheet that are made up of more than one row.
If you leave the Package Identifier column blank, we will treat your order as one package.
Required columns for orders with multiple packages:
Order Reference: Used together with the Package Identifier group a single order into multiple packages. If you do not provide this, we will treat each row in your spreadsheet as a separate order with only one package.
Package Identifier: Used to split rows into different packages. The same package identifier can be reused across different orders.
Package Weight: The weight of the individual package. If you provide this value, you must also provide a Package Identifier, otherwise we will ignore this value.
Package Format (optional): If you provide a package format, every package must have the same format. Currently, only the 'Parcel' format supports multiple packages.
In our example spreadsheet below, we have 2 orders. We have specified the Package identifier in column N, but please note your spreadsheet, the package identifier value can be in any.
Order 1234 has 3x Red T Shirts that will go in Package 1, and 2x Green T shirts that will go into Package 2.
Order 5678 has 1x Blue T Shirt and 1x Yellow T Shirt that will both go into Package 1.
You can also include packages with no products. If you do not wish to specify products at this stage, either because they are not required or because you want to add them manually later on, you can omit product SKU and product Name columns.
The above example creates 2 orders: Order 1245 has 2 packages, weighing 1kg and 0.5kg. Order 1246 has 3 packages, weighing 2kg, 3kg and 1.2kg respectively.
If you are adding package identifier as a new column to an existing spreadsheet, you will need to map the columns again once regardless of whether you import spreadsheets manually, or if you use Click & Drop Desktop.
If you do not include a ParcelForce shipping service in your spreadsheet, you will need to apply this manually through the Apply Postage page in Click & Drop.
How to create multiple packages for ParcelForce services when importing orders via Click & Drop API
Packages can be specified in the Create orders call as objects within the packages array. Each package requires a weightInGrams value and a packageFormatIdentifier. Please note all packages must be of the same format.
You may also provide package contents for each package if you wish, but if you are shipping domestically this may not be required.
Example snippet of a packages array containing 2 packages with products:
"packages": [
{
"weightInGrams": 100,
"packageFormatIdentifier": "Parcel",
"contents": [
{
"name": "Product 01",
"SKU": "P-01",
"quantity": 1,
"unitValue": 1,
"unitWeightInGrams": 100,
"customsDescription": "Cust. Description 1",
"customsCode": "12345678",
"originCountryCode": "GBR"
}
]
},
{
"weightInGrams": 400,
"packageFormatIdentifier": "Parcel",
"contents": [
{
"name": "Product 02",
"SKU": "P-02",
"quantity": 2,
"unitValue": 10,
"unitWeightInGrams": 200,
"customsDescription": "Cust. Description 2",
"customsCode": "12345678",
"originCountryCode": "GBR"
}
]
}
],
Tracking numbers for the consignment and the individual packages will be displayed in the API response where applicable. Example snippet:
"trackingNumber": "IJ003350028GB_CON",
"packages": [
{
"packageNumber": 1,
"trackingNumber": "IJ003350028GB"
},
{
"packageNumber": 2,
"trackingNumber": "IJ003350031GB"
}
],
For more information on field specifications, please visit our developer documentation.
Frequently asked questions
I am making a call with multiple package objects but the resulting order only contains one package, how can I change this?
If you are unable to create orders with multiple packages because the packages are getting merged into one, please make sure that your Click & Drop API integration is set up to support multiple packages per order. Go into Settings / Integrations in your Click & Drop account and select your API integration. Then check if the Enable creating multiple packages per order checkbox is visible and if it is enabled. If the checkbox is unticked, please tick it and click update. This should enable you to create orders with multiple packages.
If you cannot see this checkbox, it means we have already enabled this functionality for you.