Live vs. Sandbox
With Shipcloud, two environments are available to each customer account: the live mode and the sandbox mode (test system).
The best way to test Shipcloud extensively is to use our sandbox mode. The settings you change in this mode do not affect your live operation. You can create sandbox shipping labels or experiment with your design settings in the sandbox before you apply the settings in your live mode. This allows you to take your time with testing your shipping settings or the layout of your customized tracking page, without interrupting your shipping process in live mode.
Please note: If you have registered with Shipcloud, but have not yet entered any payment details, you can access both systems, but the live environment is only available to a limited extent. For example, you cannot yet create live shipping labels. This is only possible after you’ve entered your payment details.
How can I switch to the sandbox?
To access the test environment, you only need to activate the sandbox toggle in the navigation bar of your Shipcloud webUI.
You can simply switch the environment by clicking the toggle. As long as the toggle is active you are in your test environment. With a deactivated toggle you will be navigating in the live environment, where you can enter all relevant data or customize your settings regarding your shipping process in Shipcloud.
What can I test in the sandbox?
In general you can test all functions and settings made in the live environment simultaneously in the sandbox mode. There are some small exceptions that we’d like to explain a little further.
Carrier - Which carrier can I test?
Depending on the subscription you have signed up for or which carriers you already use in Shipcloud, it is possible that a different selection of carriers will be displayed in the respective environment.
In sandbox mode you can test the carriers DHL, DPD, GLS, and UPS at any time. If you want to test a carrier that is not yet available to you, please contact our Customer Service.
Please note: In order to test a carrier, oftentimes a configuration with special sandbox access must be created for you.