Fetching FedEx Saturday Delivery Rates in Advance

Technical Q&A
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Topic summary

A Shopify store owner seeks help with fetching FedEx Saturday delivery rates in advance. Their current setup (Zapiet, Intuitive Shipping, ShipStation) only retrieves accurate Saturday rates on Fridays, forcing them to use adjusted standard rates Monday-Thursday as a workaround.

Two main challenges:

  • Obtaining accurate FedEx Saturday delivery rates earlier in the week
  • Validating whether a customer’s address supports Saturday delivery during checkout

The current workaround doesn’t confirm address eligibility for Saturday delivery, potentially causing failed shipments.

Suggested solutions include:

  • Third-party APIs (EasyPost, ShipEngine) for real-time rate fetching
  • Address validation apps (Address Validator Plus, SMART Address Validator)
  • Custom FedEx API integration with checkout logic

However, the original poster notes these suggestions mirror ChatGPT’s output and reports being unable to find EasyPost or ShipEngine in the Shopify App Store. A code snippet for direct FedEx API integration was provided but appears incomplete.

Status: The discussion remains open with no definitive solution identified yet.

Summarized with AI on November 4. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi, my name is Mike, and I’m looking for advice on a shipping challenge we’re facing with our Shopify store.

We run an eCommerce store where all products are shipped overnight. Our setup includes:

  • Zapiet for shipment date selection,
  • Intuitive Shipping for managing shipping zones and rate rules, and
  • ShipStation for processing shipments and retrieving FedEx rates.

While the setup works well overall, we’re struggling with accurately handling Saturday delivery rates:

The Problem:- We can only fetch accurate FedEx Saturday delivery rates on Fridays, the day before shipping.

  • From Monday through Thursday, we use a workaround by applying adjusted standard rates for Saturday delivery orders. However, this workaround doesn’t confirm whether the customer’s delivery address supports Saturday delivery, which can lead to failed shipments.

What We’re Looking For:1. A way to fetch FedEx Saturday delivery rates earlier in the week.

  1. The ability to validate the customer’s delivery address for Saturday delivery during checkout.

Has anyone faced a similar issue, and if so, how did you address it? Are there any apps, integrations, or custom solutions you’d recommend?

I appreciate any guidance you can provide. Let me know if further details would help clarify the situation.

Thanks in advance!
Mike

2

Hi @mirwin

This is Amelia from PageFly - a Landing Page Builder App

Here are some suggestions that might help you address this issue:

1. Fetching FedEx Saturday Delivery Rates Earlier in the Week

To fetch accurate FedEx Saturday delivery rates earlier in the week, you might consider using a third-party API service that provides real-time shipping rates. Some services can fetch and cache rates for future dates, allowing you to get accurate rates ahead of time. You can explore options like:

  • EasyPost: Provides real-time shipping rates and supports multiple carriers, including FedEx.

  • ShipEngine: Offers shipping rate APIs and supports advanced rate calculations.

2. Validating Customer’s Delivery Address for Saturday Delivery

To validate whether a customer’s delivery address supports Saturday delivery during checkout, you can use address validation apps or services. Here are a couple of options:

  • Address Validator Plus: This app validates shipping addresses to ensure they are deliverable and can be customized to check for specific delivery options.

  • SMART Address Validator: Another app that provides real-time address validation to prevent delivery errors and ensure accurate shipping.

3. Custom Solutions

If the existing apps and services don’t fully meet your needs, you might consider developing a custom solution. This could involve:

  • Custom API Integration: Develop a custom integration with FedEx’s API to fetch Saturday delivery rates and validate addresses in real-time.

  • Custom Checkout Logic: Implement custom logic in your Shopify checkout process to check for Saturday delivery eligibility based on the customer’s address and selected shipping method.

I hope that my solution works for you.

Best regards,

Amelia | PageFly

3

Thank you for the reply. These solutions look like the same suggestions that ChatGPT gave me. I am unable to find Easypost or Shipengine in the Shopify apps store. I am still looking for a solution or someone who can suggest an available app or help with the custom code or Fedex API use.

4

You can read the FedEx API document and try to use that API to fetch the date.

fetch('https://api.fedex.com/rate/v1/rates', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    accountNumber: 'YOUR_ACCOUNT_NUMBER',
    requestedShipment: {
      shipper: { ... },
      recipient: { ... },
      packages: [ ... ]
    }
  })
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(data => console.log(data))
.catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));