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DHL Create Label

Guide for creating DHL shipping labels via the merchantCENTRAL platform.

Starting Label Creation

From a Posted Sales Shipment

  1. Open the Posted Sales Shipment
  2. Click Create Label (action in the action bar)
  3. The Label Dialog opens with pre-filled data

From the Shipment Label List

  1. Open Shipment Labels
  2. Click New → DHL
  3. Fill in the required fields manually

From the DHL Dashboard

  1. Open the DHL Dashboard
  2. Use the quick action Create Label

Quick Creation Without Dialog

Create Label (1-Click)

The Create Label (1-Click) action is available on the Sales Order Card and in the Sales Order List.

  • Creates the label immediately without opening the dialog.
  • Uses the default provider in this order: shipping agent of the order → MC default provider → single active provider.
  • The product is resolved automatically, and shipping rules are applied.

Create Labels (Batch)

In the Sales Order List, the Create Labels (Batch) action processes all selected orders in a single run.

  • Bulk processing with a progress dialog.
  • Final summary (created / skipped / failed).
  • Fault-tolerant per order: a failing order does not stop the run.

Platform-wide

The Create Label (1-Click) and Create Labels (Batch) actions are hub functions and are available for all shipment connectors (DHL, DHL Express, DPD, GLS, UPS, Rhenus, Hermes).

Label Dialog

The label dialog shows all relevant fields for shipment creation.

Recipient Address

Automatically populated from the sales order's ship-to address.

Field Description
Name Recipient name
Street / House No. Street and house number
Post Code / City Postal code and city
Country Code Country code (ISO alpha-2)
Contact Name Contact person
E-Mail Email address (for notifications)
Phone Phone number

Shipment Data

Field Description
Weight (g) Shipment weight in grams. Calculated from the order or taken from default weight.
Reference No. Reference number (printed on label, e.g., order number)
Product DHL product — automatically determined by the Contract Resolver
Profile DHL profile used (default or manually selected)

Consignee Type

Type Description
Contact Address Regular street address (default)
Packstation DHL Packstation — requires Locker ID and Post Number
Filiale DHL retail outlet — requires Retail ID and optionally Post Number

Pre-Validation (Action "Validate")

The Create Shipment Label dialog provides a Validate action. It runs DHL's pre-validation (validate=true) and displays any problems in plain text.

  • No label is created and no costs are incurred.
  • Validates exactly the address, weight and dimensions entered in the dialog.
  • Works for sales orders and posted shipments.

This lets you catch address, weight or dimension errors before generating a chargeable label.

Platform-wide

Pre-validation is a hub function and is available for all shipment connectors (DHL, DHL Express, DPD, GLS, UPS, Rhenus, Hermes).

Value Added Services (VAS)

The Services tab in the label dialog allows configuring Value Added Services:

  • Preferred delivery (neighbour, location, preferred day)
  • Age verification (A16 / A18)
  • Named person only
  • Signed by recipient
  • Cash on delivery (COD)
  • Additional insurance
  • GoGreen Plus (climate-neutral shipping)

→ Details: Value Added Services

Preferred Day

The preferred day must be 2–6 working days in the future. Sundays are rejected.

Shipping Rules

Shipping Rules can automatically assign VAS and the product — e.g., age verification above a certain order value or insurance for international shipments. Rules are automatically evaluated during label creation.

Shipping Rules — Conditions and Actions

  • Condition "Item Category": evaluates all item lines of the sales order. The rule matches if one line matches the operator and value.
  • Action "Set Product": overrides the shipping agent service code that the Contract Resolver uses for product / billing number resolution. Empty values are ignored.
  • Shipping rules run always during label creation — even when no VAS record exists yet. This ensures the zero-config automation works reliably even for simple shipments without manually selected services.

Automatic Contract Resolution

The Contract Resolver automatically determines:

  1. Product: Resolved via contract lines by zone/weight
  2. Billing number: EKP + procedure code + participation from contract lines
  3. Zone: Domestic / EU / International (derived from destination country)

You don't need to manually enter a billing number — the resolver selects the appropriate contract line based on configured profiles.

Zero-Config Defaulting

  • The product is resolved via contract lines by zone/weight.
  • The dimensions trigger an auto-upsize of the product when needed.
  • Shipping rules set the product and VAS automatically.

→ Details: Profiles & Billing

After Creation

After successful label creation:

  • The label PDF (or ZPL) is automatically saved as an attachment
  • The shipment number is stored in the Shipment Label record
  • A return label is optionally created (if enabled in setup)
  • A tracking entry is automatically created
  • The label can be sent to a printer directly via the Print Service

Delivery Tracking on the Posted Shipment

Tracking updates are written back to the posted sales shipment. The new Delivery Tracking FastTab shows:

  • Delivery status
  • Shipment number
  • Tracking URL
  • Last tracking update
  • Delivery date

This lets the clerk see the delivery status directly on the posted shipment, without opening the label.

Platform-wide

Writing the status back to the posted shipment is a hub function and applies to all shipment connectors (DHL, DHL Express, DPD, GLS, UPS, Rhenus, Hermes).

Reprint a Label

  1. Open the Shipment Labels list
  2. Select the desired label
  3. Click Print Label (action) or Download

Cancel a Label

  1. Open the label in the Shipment Labels list
  2. Click Cancel
  3. The cancellation is sent to the DHL API (DELETE request)

Cancellation Window

Labels can only be cancelled as long as they have not been used for shipping. After the end-of-day manifest, cancellation is generally no longer possible.

Error Handling

Cryptic DHL API errors are translated into concrete, actionable hints and shown in plain text in the error dialog — covering, among others:

  • Billing number / EKP (14 digits: EKP + procedure + participation)
  • Service not booked (GKP)
  • Profile name
  • Return activation
  • Address / routing code
  • Weight
  • Package dimensions
  • Cash on delivery / IBAN
Error Cause Solution
No contract line found No matching contract line for destination/product Check contract lines in profile (zone/product)
Weight exceeds maximum Shipment too heavy for selected product Check max weight in contract line or select different product
HTTP 400 Invalid shipment data Check address fields (postal code format, country code); read the error dialog for the plain-text hint
HTTP 401 Bearer token revoked/expired server-side Automatically renewed and the request is retried once — no manual action needed

KPI Dashboard

The DHL Dashboard additionally shows the following metrics:

  • Return rate (month)
  • Delivery rate (delivered / tracked shipments)