What Is SendCloud? And Why Creating Labels in Your WMS Changes Everything

SendCloud is the shipping platform that connects your e-commerce business to 85+ carriers through one integration. Instead of juggling separate accounts with PostNL, DHL, UPS, and DPD, you get one dashboard, one integration, one invoice. But here's what most sellers miss: when you create shipping labels directly in your WMS like Stockpilot, the real magic happens.

Let me explain why printing labels from SendCloud's dashboard is actually costing you time and money.

SendCloud: The Shipping Swiss Army Knife

SendCloud solves the multi-carrier nightmare. Without it, you need separate contracts, separate integrations, separate label formats, and separate tracking systems for each carrier. Want to offer customers choice between PostNL tomorrow delivery and DHL same-day? Good luck managing that manually.

With SendCloud, you connect once and access everything. PostNL for domestic, DHL for express, UPS for international, local carriers for specific regions—all through one API. Rates are pre-negotiated, often better than you'd get directly. Labels standardize across carriers. Tracking updates centralize.

But SendCloud is more than carrier access. It's shipping intelligence. The platform automatically selects the cheapest or fastest option based on your rules. It handles customs documents for international shipping. It manages returns with printable labels. It even offers branded tracking pages that drive repeat purchases.

The Hidden Cost of Separate Systems

Here's how most e-commerce sellers work: pick and pack in the warehouse, walk to computer, open SendCloud, find the order, select shipping method, print label, walk back, apply label, update tracking in your system. Repeat 100 times daily.

Each step is a potential error. Wrong address selected? Wrong service level? Forgot to update tracking? Package sitting without a label while you handle another task? These micro-delays and errors compound into major operational headaches.

The real killer is the disconnect between inventory and shipping. Your warehouse team picks order #1234, but they don't know if it needs express shipping or if the customer paid for eco-delivery. They pack it, then someone else decides shipping method later. That's two touches per package instead of one—double the labor cost.

Stockpilot's SendCloud Integration: One Flow, Zero Friction

When you create shipping labels directly in Stockpilot, everything changes. Your picker scans the last item of an order, and the system immediately knows: order complete, ready to ship. Based on your rules, it selects the carrier and service level. One click, label prints automatically via PrintNode to the packing station printer.

No switching systems. No looking up orders. No manual tracking updates. The entire flow from picking to labeled package takes seconds, not minutes.

But here's the game-changer: intelligent shipping decisions based on inventory data. High-value order with fast-moving items? Automatically insure and use premium shipping. Large order that would exceed PostNL dimensions? System auto-selects DHL. Customer in Germany who ordered before 2 PM? Express shipping to maintain your service promise.

Shipping Rules: SendCloud vs Stockpilot

SendCloud offers powerful shipping rules: if order value > €100, use insured shipping. If destination = Germany, use DHL. If weight > 10kg, exclude PostNL. These rules work great for standard scenarios.

But Stockpilot's shipping rules go deeper because they see your entire operation. You can build rules like: if SKU contains fragile items, force signature required. If customer has >3 previous orders, offer free express upgrade. If inventory location = dropship supplier, use their preferred carrier.

The real power comes when managing multiple carriers directly—MyParcel for standard domestic, QLS for oversized items, Zineqs for express delivery. Instead of SendCloud being your single routing point, Stockpilot orchestrates multiple shipping providers based on complex business logic. Order contains both standard and oversized items? Split shipment with MyParcel and QLS automatically.

The Multi-Carrier Advantage

Running multiple carriers without SendCloud sounds crazy, but with Stockpilot, it makes sense for specific scenarios. MyParcel might give you better rates for standard parcels. QLS might be your go-to for furniture delivery. Zineqs might handle your same-day rush orders.

Stockpilot manages these relationships directly, applying sophisticated rules that consider inventory location, product characteristics, customer preferences, and delivery requirements. You're not locked into SendCloud's carrier network—you can use SendCloud for some shipments while going direct for others.

Example: Dutch orders under 2kg go through MyParcel (cheapest). Belgian orders go through SendCloud (best Belgian network). Furniture goes through QLS (white glove service). Same-day Amsterdam orders go through Zineqs (fastest). All managed in one system, all labels created in the same workflow.

Real-Time Benefits of WMS-Integrated Shipping

When shipping is native to your WMS, magical things happen:

Accurate shipping costs at order time: System knows actual package dimensions and weight based on products, not estimates. Quote accurate shipping during checkout, no surprises later.

Inventory-aware decisions: Low stock on an item? Ship from the location that maintains best availability across channels. Multiple warehouse locations? Ship from closest to customer automatically.

Pick-path optimization: Orders group by shipping method during picking. All express orders picked together for 2 PM cutoff. Standard orders picked in location-optimized batches.

Automatic customs documents: International order? System knows product HS codes, values, and origins from your inventory data. Customs forms generate automatically with the label.

Return label logic: High-return product categories automatically include return labels. First-time customers don't. System knows from your data, not generic rules.

The Complete Shipping Workflow

Here's what happens when shipping is fully integrated:

Morning: Stockpilot groups orders by shipping cutoff times. Express orders for same-day delivery show first. Standard orders batch by warehouse zone. International orders flag for customs review.

Picking: Warehouse staff see shipping requirements while picking. Fragile sticker needed? System alerts during pick. Express shipping? Order jumps to priority queue.

Packing: Scanner confirms all items present, suggests box size based on actual products, generates label for selected carrier, prints automatically to correct printer. Tracking number syncs everywhere—marketplace, customer email, your dashboard.

End of day: Carrier pickup lists generate automatically. PostNL knows you have 47 packages. DHL expects 12. No manual manifests, no counting, no confusion.

The Bottom Line on SendCloud + Stockpilot

SendCloud alone is powerful—it simplifies multi-carrier shipping significantly. But SendCloud plus full WMS integration? That's transformation.

You go from shipping being a separate process to shipping being invisible. Labels appear when needed. Tracking updates automatically. Carriers get selected intelligently. Your team just picks, packs, and applies labels—no decisions, no system switching, no delays.

The time savings are massive: 30 seconds saved per shipment, 100 shipments daily = 50 minutes saved. The error reduction is even better: wrong labels virtually disappear, tracking always updates, shipping method always optimal.

But the real value is in the intelligence. Your shipping decisions become inventory-aware, customer-aware, business-aware. You're not just sending packages—you're optimizing your entire fulfillment operation with every shipment.