Purolator + ReturnMate
Purolator is Canada's largest courier network and the standard premium alternative to Canada Post for Canadian merchants. ReturnMate connects to Purolator's E-Ship Web Services for the full lifecycle: shipment creation, document retrieval, quick estimates, pickup scheduling, tracking, and voids. Newly released in Beta.
What the Purolator connection actually does.
- Purolator Express and Ground labels (domestic and US lanes)
- Quick estimates from your account rates before the label commits
- Pickup scheduling with self-serve day and window selection
- PIN-based tracking synced onto the RMA timeline
- Shipment void directly from the RMA
- Timed Express services (9AM / 10:30AM) for urgent movements
Where it earns its place.
Canadian merchants alongside Canada Post
Purolator handles the courier-grade share of Canadian returns — collections from the customer's address, faster transit, and business-address density — while Canada Post covers the postal share. Run both and pick per RMA.
Customer-address collections
Returns book as real Purolator pickups with the day and window chosen in the portal — no phone calls to the depot.
US cross-border returns
Purolator Express U.S. and Ground U.S. cover southbound and northbound cross-border movements on the same account.
How Purolator gets connected.
Carrier accounts are set up by our team, not by you. We contact Purolator directly, obtain API access against your existing commercial account, and apply it — so you never have to source or handle API credentials.
- You send us three things
Your existing Purolator account number, written authority for ReturnMate to contact them on your behalf, and your account manager's name, email and phone number.
- We contact Purolator
Our support team requests API access against your account and handles the paperwork and technical back-and-forth with the carrier.
- We apply the credentials
Credentials are stored encrypted against your shop. They are never shown to you and never need to be — there is nothing for you to paste or maintain.
- We test it end to end
We generate a test label — including the dangerous goods transport document where it applies — and confirm it works before the carrier goes live for your team.
Turnaround varies by carrier, depending on how quickly they issue API access. Support confirms the expected timeline for Purolator when you start onboarding. Don't have an account with them yet? We can help you set one up.
Questions about Purolator.
What does Beta mean for Purolator?
The integration is deployed and available to connect today — shipments, documents, estimates, pickups, tracking, and voids are wired end-to-end. Beta means it's newly released and still accumulating real-world merchant mileage; test on the development keys before going live.
Should I use Purolator or Canada Post?
Canada Post wins on small-parcel economy and rural/PO Box reach; Purolator wins on courier collection, speed, and business delivery. Most Canadian merchants at volume run both — ReturnMate supports each natively so the choice is per shipment, not per platform.
Does Purolator support dangerous goods?
Not through ReturnMate yet — DG-flagged SKUs are automatically routed to a DG-capable carrier and Purolator is blocked for those shipments.
Ask about the Purolator integration.
Tell us how you ship with Purolator
Volumes, lanes, whether you already have an account — we'll come back within one business day.
Often set up together.
Canada Post
Canadian national post — domestic and international labels, address validation, tracked rates. REST API for Canadian merchants.
View integration →CarriersCanpar
Canadian parcel carrier — CanShip labels, rating, tracking, and pickup scheduling for cost-effective Ground returns.
View integration →CarriersFedEx
Global Ship/Rate/Track/Pickup for US, Canada, EU and rest-of-world. OAuth2 REST API for non-AU merchants.
View integration →CarriersUPS
Global Ship/Rate/Track/Pickup for US, Canada, EU. OAuth2 Basic Auth REST API as a primary or backup non-AU carrier.
View integration →DeveloperWebhooks & REST API
External API for RMA creation + lifecycle webhooks with HMAC-SHA256 signatures. Available on Scale and Enterprise plans.
View integration →Wire your stack together.
Start free — 5 returns a month on the Free plan, no credit card required. Billed through Shopify.