How to connect GLS Italy

Do you need to connect GLS Italy or check the reference sent for an API-created shipment? Here's where to find connection instructions and how to understand the reported reference issue.

Overview:

1. Before you start
2. Carrier configuration
3. Additional options
4. FAQ
5. Errors & Solutions

 

1. Before you start

To connect your carrier and start shipping your orders, you first need to get your connection credentials.

First, ask your GLS representative to activate Weblabeling, Web Integrated Labeling Service and Integrated Labeling on your Webservice profile.

Once your sales representative confirms the activation, wait 15 minutes before connecting.

Also ask your representative to set the Numerazione Scarti field to “S”. This lets you create the label even when the GLS street directory doesn’t recognise a town or address (routing error).

Make sure you ask GLS to activate the FORZA INDIRIZZO (or FORZATURA SCARTI) parameter, otherwise the word ERRORE will be printed on your label.

2. Carrier configuration

Once you have all the credentials from your sales representative, go to Carriers and click the GLS Italy logo.

Fill in these fields:

Sede GLS: Your GLS branch code, made of one letter and one number (e.g. M1). It’s the “Sigla sede” you type to log in to weblabeling.gls-italy.com. Don’t remember it? On gls-italy.com go to Login → Recupero credenziali: the page lists every branch with its code (e.g. “MILANO - M1”).

Codice Cliente GLS (Numeric): You can find it by logging in to Weblabeling > Informazioni Generali.

Password Cliente GLS (Labeling service): The web service password GLS gives you when it activates the service on your account. It may be different from your Weblabeling login password: if GLS only gave you that one, ask your GLS branch for the web service password. Paste it without spaces.

Codice Contratto GLS: Your GLS contract number, usually 4 digits. If you don’t have it, ask your GLS branch or sales representative.

Branch email for pickup booking: The email address of the GLS branch your pickup requests are sent to. If you don’t know it, ask your GLS branch or sales representative which address they use for bookings.

www.gls-italy.com credentials:

• Username for pickup booking and held parcel release
• Password for pickup booking and held parcel release

These are the credentials of your gls-italy.com private area, and they’re only needed to book pickups and release held parcels. Don’t remember them? On gls-italy.com go to Login → Recupero credenziali, enter your contract number and branch code, and GLS will email you your login details. GLS asks you to renew the password periodically (every 120 days): when you change it, update it in ShippyPro too from Carriers → Edit, otherwise pickup booking won’t work.

FTP - Proof of Delivery: Only if you want ShippyPro to retrieve GLS proofs of delivery. Ask your GLS branch to activate PODService with FTP delivery: GLS will give you an FTP username and password to enter here.

• Username
• Password

Service type:

• Nazionale (IT)
• Internazionale

Assicurazione Integrativa - All In: adds All In supplementary insurance to all shipments.

Fine Giornata (end of day) and Forzatura Scarti: The mode you choose must match exactly the one configured on the GLS side, to avoid blocks or anomalies.

Choose whether to set Fine Giornata and Forzatura Scarti to manual or automatic mode. This is how you close the day’s shipments and send the data to the carrier.
If you select manual Forzatura Scarti, make sure you ask GLS to activate this parameter.

Remember to send the Fine Giornata on the same day as the shipment.

Make sure you print labels with devices that match the selected format. A wrong format may cause operational issues for GLS and lead to additional handling costs.

Custom label: Enter a custom name for this GLS Italy connection to easily tell it apart from the others.

Air (Via Aerea) and Groupage services can’t be integrated via API.

• Print additional information on the label:

• Order reference ID

• Order reference ID + Phone
• Address 2 + Phone
• Courier notes + Phone
• Item description + Phone
• Address 2
• Courier notes
• Phone + Address 2
• Company name

3. Additional options

Options

• Label PDF: available in A6 format; 10x21 size ONLY for international shipments
• Label ZPL: available in A6 format for thermal printers; 10x21 size ONLY for international shipments
• Label EPL: available for thermal printers
• Track & Trace: available
• Paperless: not available
• PickUp/DropOff (PUDO): available
• Cash On Delivery: available
• Live Rates: not available
• Return Labels: available
• Return Labels (in the box): not available
• Book/Schedule Pickup: available
• Address Check: available
• Carrier Options: available
• Proof Of Delivery (POD): available
• Insurance: available
• Multiparcel: available
• Delete Shipment (Void): available
• CloseOut: available
• CN22: available
• CN23: not available
• Credentials Validation: available
• Dynamic sender (no=hardcoded): not available

Carrier Options

Name	Slug	Type	Description
Pickup at another branch	glsritiroaltrasede	checkbox
Indirect triangulation service	glstriangolazione	checkbox
Hold at depot	glsfermodeposito	checkbox
Express 12	glsexpress12	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 22
Fixed time	glsorafissa	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 2
Advance delivery	glsanticipato	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 3
Floor delivery	glsconsegnaalpiano	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 5
Suitable vehicle	glsmezzoidoneo	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 6
Saturday service	glssabato	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 7
Content check	glsverificacontenuto	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 8
By 1 pm Venice Lagoon	glsentro13venezialaguna	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 14
Suitable vehicle Venice Lagoon	glsmezzoidoneovenezialaguna	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 15
Venice river port	glsscalofluvialevenezia	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 16
Saturday service Venice	glssabatovenezia	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 21
By 12 pm	glsentroore12	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 1
Document return	glsdocumentreturn	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 23
Exchange	glsexchange	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 24
Phone notice	glspreavvisotelefonico	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 25
Stamp	glstimbro	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 27
Erod	glserod	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 28
Saturday afternoon service	glssabatoafternoon	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 29
Gdo	glsgdo	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 30
Ecom	glsecom	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 31
Flex delivery service	glsflexdeliveryservice	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 31
Ident Pin	glsidentpin	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 32
Gdo by date	glsgdoentroil	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 34
Food service	glsfoodservices	checkbox	ServiziAccessori Code: 35
Supplementary insurance	glsassicurazioneintegrativa	radio	A => All In F => 10/10
Collection method	glsmodalitaincasso	checkbox	CONT => Cash AC => Cashier’s cheque AB => Bank cheque AP => Postal cheque ASS => Postal/bank/cashier’s cheque ABP => Bank/postal cheque ASR => Cheque as issued ARM => Cheque as issued, payable to sender ABC => Bank/cashier’s cheque - no postal ASRP => Cheque as issued - no postal ARMP => Cheque as issued, payable to sender - no postal
Parcel Shop	glsitalypoint glsitalypointid	dropoff_point	List of the 20 GLS ParcelShops closest to the destination (within max 20 km)

Label Design

• PDF A4: available for barcode and text
• PDF A6: not available
• PDF 10x10: not available
• ZPL: available for barcode, text, secondary text

Print additional information on the label

Choose which information to add to the label from the options available. To add more information, you need to create a new connection using the same details as the previous one. For example, it’s useful to add the Address 2 field to give directions about the recipient’s address, since the Address 1 field can contain a maximum of 35 characters.

Note: to send the end customer’s phone number to GLS, select one of the options containing “Phone” (in this case the number will also be visible on the label), or select the option “Send SMS notifications to the recipient” (in this case the number won’t be shown on the label but will be sent internally to the carrier).

Remember: the maximum length allowed for the Notes field is 40 characters.

Return labels

To enable return labels, you need to ask your GLS Italy branch to activate AFMI. Keep in mind that this service and return shipments may have different costs from the rates in your contract.

Note: returns from abroad are currently not supported.

Preferences

Select one of the following options to set up notifications:

• Send SMS notifications to the recipient
• Send email notifications to the recipient
• Send the recipient’s address in the PickUp request
• Flag if the main shipping address exceeds 30 characters (the limit is 35 characters, but this option will flag when 30 characters are reached)

In this case the check runs after the label is created. 

Send shipments as delivery-pickup and Send shipments with Colli PLUS

In the carrier configuration you can choose whether to activate the following options:

• Send shipments as delivery-pickup
• Send shipments with Colli PLUS

📌 Send shipments as delivery-pickup
If you activate this option in the carrier connection, all shipments will automatically be marked as “Exchange” (Servizi Accessori 24).

If you don’t want to apply this setting to all shipments, we recommend leaving the option off in the carrier connection. This way you can enable the “Exchange” service only for the orders you want, by selecting it manually as a Carrier Option when creating the shipment.

Pickup booking and held parcel release

GLS Italy requires the activation procedure to be renewed periodically.

Click Carriers > Edit and re-enter the username and password of your private area on www.gls-italy.com.

4. FAQs

Have you changed your GLS credentials and want to add them to ShippyPro?

To add your new GLS credentials to your account, we recommend creating a new connection from the Carriers page. This way, old shipments stay linked to the old credentials so you can always manage their tracking.

How can I check that my GLS Italy shipments have been transmitted?

You can check at any time that your shipments have been transmitted to GLS Italy: log in to GLS Weblabeling and click Gestione Spedizioni Integrated in the left menu. If the shipments appear with the ShippyPro ID in the BDA/DDT field and next to them you see Stato > Chiusa, the transmission was completed.

Also remember that if your shipments in ShippyPro have the green flag/dot, the transmission was successful.

How can I set up GLS Ecom Flex Delivery Service?

If you’ve activated GLS Flex Delivery Service, everything needs to be set up correctly in ShippyPro:

Enable email notifications

Of course, if you want to send emails to your customers, this option must be enabled. Go to Carriers > GLS > Edit and check that you’ve selected Send email notifications to the recipient

Email address

For emails to be sent, the order’s email address field must also be filled in.

Keep in mind that if the customer has disabled email notifications, the address field won’t be filled in automatically.

To send emails to Amazon customers too, tick Send email notifications to the recipient also for Amazon orders

The email address of Amazon customers is only extracted at the customer’s request.

Use GLS Flex Delivery Service

1. From Carriers, click the GLS logo.
2. Scroll down in the modal to see all the carrier options.
3. Choose Flex delivery service.

For GLS Flex with Amazon, you need to tick “Send email notifications to the recipient also for Amazon orders” in the modal.

How can I show the original recipient details on my label?

Open a ticket to contact our support team. We’ll be happy to help!

Once requested, this is the data you’ll see on your labels:

• The original recipient address shown on the Marketplace
• Marketplace Order ID
• Marketplace name

This option is only available for the Zebra/Thermal A6 print format, which you can select from Carriers > GLS Italy > Edit

How can I send the Address 2 field to the carrier for international shipments?

Since GLS IT doesn’t show the Address 2 field on labels for international shipments, you can select the “Address 2” option from GLS Italy connection > Edit > Print additional information on the label. This information will be sent to the carrier in the shipping request.

How can I send the collection type for cash on delivery shipments to the carrier?

If you don’t specify a collection type, it will be Cash by default (equivalent to CashOnDeliveryType = 0).

If you want to request collection by cash or cheque (= All payments), you can use CarrierOption > Modalità Incasso Contrassegno: AB (Bank cheque).

With this option, the end customer can choose to pay by cheque or cash when the parcel is delivered.

If you ship via API and want to send a value other than “Cash” or “AB” (e.g. “Cheque as issued”), you can use CashOnDeliveryType = 3 (“All payments”) together with the Carrier Option “GLS Modalità Incasso”, specifying the value you want (e.g. “ASR”).

How can I cancel GLS Italy shipments?

If you’ve had trouble cancelling your shipments, try these steps:

• If you click the X to the right of the order before the Fine Giornata, the shipment is cancelled completely.
• If you click the X to the right of the order after the Fine Giornata, the shipment is deleted from the GLS database, but the transmission will already have reached the carrier branch. You’ll need to contact your GLS branch to cancel it.

How are estimated delivery times calculated?

Estimated delivery times aren’t returned directly by GLS. They’re calculated from the “Delivery days - min” and “Delivery days - max” values set with your rates in your rate settings.

You can check and change them in Carriers > GLS Italy by clicking Edit prices.

I want to add All In insurance to my order. Do I need to specify the amount?

No, you don’t need to specify the amount if you select All In insurance among the GLS Carrier Options.

Cash on delivery / COD

GLS Italy doesn’t accept All payment methods as a cash on delivery payment type, so you’ll need to choose a single method.

5. Errors & Solutions

Go to this link to check the main GLS Italy errors and solutions:
How to fix GLS Italy errors

 

API-created shipments and RiferimentoCliente

Does GLS need your complete Amazon order number in RiferimentoCliente, without the Manual Shipment: prefix, to process Amazon notifications? Here's why that prefix appeared in the reported issue.

Orders created through the API, rather than imported through a direct ShippyPro marketplace integration, were classified as manual shipments. ShippyPro added the manual-shipment prefix to RiferimentoCliente in the request sent to GLS. The prefix was populated by ShippyPro, not added by GLS.

Can you use Bda instead?

The GLSItaly Bda tag contains only TransactionID, without additional wording. However, truncation of the Amazon order number was reported when this alternative was tested, so it is not a proven workaround for sending the complete reference.

For other carrier errors, see How to fix GLS Italy errors. For API basics, see How ShippyPro API works and how to integrate them.

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What you can do with GLS Italy in ShippyPro

Here's what the GLS Italy integration supports in ShippyPro.

• Features: Drop-off and pickup points, Cash on delivery, Live rates, Return labels, Pickup booking, Proof of delivery, Insurance, Shipment cancellation, Multi-parcel shipments, Tracking, End-of-day close-out
• Label formats: ZPL, PDF, EPL
• Service types: Nazionale, Internazionale
• Countries: All countries