Custom shipping with your carrier account
Custom shipping connects a carrier account you already own, such as Aramex, SMSA or Naqel, to Zid. Shipping labels are then issued under your own contract and rates, and you decide which cities customers can choose it for and what they pay. Find it on the Logistics page in the Custom shipping card; View all opens the Custom shipping methods list.
Custom shipping isn't included in every Zid plan. Without it, the Custom shipping card offers an upgrade instead of Add option. Staff members need the Zid Ship view or settings permission.
Custom shipping or Zid Ship
| Custom shipping | Zid Ship |
|---|---|
| You need your own account and contract with the carrier. | No contract per carrier: one agreement with Zid. |
| The carrier bills you under your contract. | Zid deducts each label from your wallet or label package. |
| You enter the API credentials the carrier gave you. | You activate a method with one click. |
| COD depends on the carrier and your contract. | COD depends on the method; Zid charges a COD fee. |
| You cancel a label with the carrier, or in the shipping app that issued it. | You cancel a label once per order from the order's page in Zid, then edit the order. See Cancel a shipping label. |
See Zid Ship or your own shipping company for the full comparison.
Connect a carrier account
On the Logistics page, in the Custom shipping card, select Add option.
Sample data from a demo store. On Manage custom shipping methods, in the Shipping method details card, choose the carrier in Shipping method. The list shows the carriers you can connect, such as SMSA (custom), Aramex Global (custom) or Naqel (custom).
Sample data from a demo store. Fill in the credentials for that carrier (see the table below). Ask the carrier for them if you don't have them.
Select Activate.
Zid saves the account and opens the carrier's page, where you set shipping zones and prices.
| Carrier | Fields to fill in (all required) |
|---|---|
| Aramex methods | Entity, Username, Password, Account PIN, Account number |
| SMSA methods | API key and Service code, chosen from SMSA's service codes such as EDDL (ECOM Delivery Lite) or EDDH (ECOM Delivery Heavy) |
| Naqel | Client Id, Password and Load type, chosen from Naqel's load types such as 1 (Express) or 56 (LASTMILE) |
| Other carriers | API key |
When you fill in the credentials:
For Aramex, Entity is the city code of your Aramex account, such as RUH, JED or DMM.
For SMSA, use the production API key from your SMSA e-commerce account, not a test key. It is one long string of letters and numbers.
For Naqel, each connection uses one Load type. Choose the one in your Naqel contract.
Get your credentials from the carrier
Zid doesn't issue these details: they come with your account at the carrier. Open an e-commerce account with the carrier first, then collect the details below. Carriers' websites change, so if you can't find a value, ask your account manager or the carrier's support.
| Carrier | Where the details come from |
|---|---|
| Aramex | The Account number, Account PIN and Entity (your account's city code) come with your Aramex account. The Username and Password are the ones you sign in to Aramex with; the username is usually your email. |
| SMSA | Your SMSA e-commerce account shows the API key. See the steps below. |
| Naqel | The Client Id and Password come with your Naqel account, and the Load type is in your Naqel contract. |
Copy your SMSA API key
Sign in to your account on SMSA's e-commerce portal, ecom.smsaexpress.com.
Open Documentation > API Docs in the portal's menu.
Personal details are covered. In the keys table, copy the key in the Production row. The Test key doesn't issue real shipping labels.
Paste it into API key on Manage custom shipping methods in Zid.
Review your connected carriers
The Custom shipping methods list, and the Custom shipping card on the Logistics page, show every carrier you connected.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Logo | The carrier's logo |
| Courier | The carrier method's name |
| Cash on delivery | Supported or Not supported for this carrier |
| Status | Active (offered at checkout) or Not active |
| Price | The method's starting price and currency |
Select View to open a carrier's page.
Update credentials or turn a carrier off
The carrier's page is titled with its name. It shows the credential form with secret values masked, and the zone table.
To change credentials, edit the fields and select Update.
To stop offering the carrier, select Deactivate and confirm. It disappears from checkout immediately.
To offer it again, select Activate. Activation fails if the carrier doesn't serve your ship-from inventory; the message names the inventory.
If the carrier isn't available in your region, the page shows Shipping method unavailable.
If shipping labels aren't issued
When you can't mark an order Ready, or no shipping label is issued for a carrier you connected, the cause is usually your account with the carrier. Check with the carrier that:
the credentials you entered are correct and complete;
the carrier has activated your account;
e-commerce shipping through the API is enabled on your account;
for Naqel, the load type you chose matches your contract.
Then correct the credentials on the carrier's page and select Update.
Set shipping zones and prices
Customers pay the prices you set per zone, and they see the carrier only in the cities of your zones.
On the carrier's page, in Shipping zone customization, select Add shipping zone.
On Customer shipping rates, enter the Zone name in Arabic, English or both (customers don't see it).
Select the cities for the zone.
Under Customer price, choose Flat rate and enter the Shipping price, or choose Weight-based pricing and enter the Base price, Base weight, Extra charge and For each additional weight.
If the carrier supports COD, turn on Cash on delivery (COD) and enter the COD rate customers pay.
Optionally, add a Custom note that customers see at checkout.
Select Save.
The table lists each zone's Zone, Cities, Shipping cost and Type, COD and Price, and Status. Use the Status switch to pause a zone, Edit to change it, or delete it. For international carriers, you edit the price of each destination zone instead, as described in International methods.
In some flows, Zid opens Finalize your shipping setup right after activation. It asks for the same zone details under Set custom shipping rates; select Save, or Skip for now to set prices later.
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