Glossary

Definitions for the terms used across Ship24 and our documentation. Terms are listed alphabetically.

Add-on - A paid option added on top of a Pro plan, such as Proof of Delivery or the AI Predictive Delivery Date. See Ship24 pricing and plans explained.
AI Predictive Delivery Date - Ship24's own delivery estimate, available for almost every courier as a date range. Unlike the courier's estimate, it is recalculated as the parcel moves. Available as an add-on. See AI Predictive Delivery Date.
API Key - The credential used to authenticate your requests to the Tracking API. Yours are in your dashboard under Integrations.

Branded Tracking Page (BTP) - A tracking page you customise with your own branding, so customers track orders on a page that looks like your store. See setting up your Branded Tracking Page.

Courier - The logistics provider carrying the shipment, such as DHL, FedEx or UPS.
Courier Code - The identifier Ship24 uses for a courier, for example dhl. The full list is in the Ship24 courier list.
Custom Domain - Your own domain used for your Branded Tracking Page, so customers see your address instead of a ship24.com one. See using a custom domain.

Delivery Notifications - Emails sent to your customers as their shipment progresses. See customizing your Delivery Notifications.

Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) - The delivery date given by the courier. Not every courier provides one, and when they do it is often set once and not updated after a delay. Ship24 can also provide its own estimate, the AI Predictive Delivery Date, which updates as the parcel moves.
Event - A single tracking update recorded by a courier, with a status, a time, and usually a location.
Exception - A shipment that ended with a problem: returned to sender, lost, or undeliverable for another reason. See understanding shipment delivery statuses.

IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop) - A European Union system that simplifies VAT collection for businesses selling goods to EU customers.

Milestone - One of the standard stages a shipment passes through, used to group the many different wordings couriers use. See understanding shipment delivery statuses.

Overage - Shipments or API calls used beyond your plan's monthly allowance, billed on your next invoice.

Pending - A shipment that has been added to Ship24 but has no tracking data yet. See why the shipment status is Pending.
Per-Call Plan - A Tracking API plan where every API call counts against your quota, suited to occasional one-off lookups. Different from the per-shipment plans, and it uses different endpoints.
Per-Shipment Plan - A Tracking API plan where one tracker counts as one shipment, whatever happens to the parcel afterwards. This is the option most integrations use. See understanding your API usage and quota.
Primary Tracking Page - The tracking page marked with a star when you run several. It is the page your delivery notification emails link to.
Proof of Delivery (POD) - Evidence a courier records at handover, such as a signature, a delivery photo or a receipt. Available as an add-on. See what Proof of Delivery is.

Quota - The number of shipments or API calls your plan includes each month. See understanding your API usage and quota.

Rate Limit - A cap on how fast you can call the API. This is not the same as your quota: a rate limit means slow down, a quota means you have used your monthly allowance.

Sending Domain - Your own verified email address or domain, used so delivery notifications come from you instead of Ship24. See how to send Delivery Notifications using your own email address.
Shipment - The physical parcel being transported.
Shipment Dashboard - The interface where you add, monitor, filter and export your shipments. Included in the Tracking Solution, and available as an add-on on Tracking API plans.

Tracker - The object Ship24 creates when you ask it to follow a shipment. One tracker equals one shipment from your quota. See how to create a good shipment tracker.
Tracking API - The product that lets you track shipments from inside your own system. It comes in two forms, per shipment and per call. See getting started with the Ship24 Tracking API.
Tracking Number - The identifier the courier assigns to a shipment.
Tracking Pages - The section of your dashboard where your Branded Tracking Pages are managed.
Tracking Solution - The all-in-one product, which includes the Shipment Dashboard, Branded Tracking Pages and Delivery Notifications without any integration work.
Transit Time - How long a shipment takes, from the courier first handling it to final delivery.

Webhook - A way for Ship24 to push tracking updates to your system as they happen, rather than you asking for them. See setting up webhooks.
Webhook Secret - A code sent with every webhook request so you can confirm it genuinely came from Ship24.
Webhook URL - The address on your own system where Ship24 sends tracking updates.

Updated on: 07/09/2026

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