FedEx provides an API that allows us to inquire about packages if we have the tracking number.
But what if we have no tracking numbers? We don’t know what shipped, or when, or to whom, or how many packages. Is it possible to obtain a list of packages shipped, given only the account number and date range?
Our company sells products from several hundred manufacturers and distributors. When we receive an order, we select a distributor and route it to them for shipping. They then ship via UPS or FedEx using our account number – but at this point it’s left our systems, and all we usually get from the distributors is an email message, written by hand, that may or may not contain a tracking number linked to the original order number. (Some of these vendors are tiny companies with virtually no IT infrastructure).
Thus, we need to discover what has shipped on our account number.
UPS provides the Quantum View subscription service. Every hour I connect to a UPS web service, and ask it to send me any new events. The service then responds with mountainous amounts of XML that list packages shipped, packages delivered, manifests created. From this, I obtain tracking numbers, and associate with Order Ids.
Does FedEx offer an equivalent package discovery service? If so, where is it documented?
We contacted our fedex account person, who didn’t know the answer but escalated it within the company.
They do NOT offer such a package discovery service using their Web Services API. The only way to get this information is via EDI (which is a can of worms I’d prefer not to get into).