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Zineps

Carrier guide for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium

Pick carriers per lane,not one for the whole shop.

PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost and FedEx can share one queue. Shops in the Netherlands and Belgium use them on different lanes: a destination, a parcel profile and the promise made at checkout. Zineps imports the orders and applies carrier rules on your own contracts, then sends tracking updates and keeps one returns portal.

Book a demoSee how to choose

Example queue. Orders, carriers and statuses are illustrative, not a live account.

How do I choose a shipping carrier for my webshop?

Choose a carrier per lane, not per shop. A lane is a destination plus a parcel profile plus the delivery promise you made. List your lanes, ask two carriers to quote each one on your own parcels, and turn the answer into carrier rules. Zineps imports your orders and applies those rules on your own contracts, for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Seven carriers, one queue

Which carriers does Zineps connect for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium?

Zineps is shipping software for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium. It connects PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost and FedEx in one queue, and imports orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com and Amazon. Each logo opens that carrier's page.

The problem

What goes wrong when one carrier takes every parcel?

A webshop often starts with one carrier, because one contract and one portal is simpler to run. That setup often stays after orders also go to Belgium, Germany or the UK, so those lanes use the configured carrier rather than one chosen for the address. Whoever is packing that day makes the exception.

One carrier, every lane

The Dutch customer, the Belgian customer and the customer in the UK get the same carrier because that is what is configured, not because it fits their address.

The rules live in one person's head

Someone on the shipping desk knows that heavy parcels go with one carrier and Belgium with another. When they are out, the rule goes with them.

Returns follow by accident

Outbound can go with several carriers. Returns then often arrive by email, through separate portals, in separate formats. In Zineps the customer starts the return in the portal on the same queue.

Carrier guide

What is each carrier typically chosen for?

These are typical roles, not a Zineps ranking and not prices or delivery times. PostNL is often the default for parcels inside the Netherlands, and Bpost for parcels to Belgium. DHL, DPD and GLS are often compared on cross-border parcels inside Europe. UPS and FedEx are often compared for express and for parcels outside the EU. Confirm the fit on your own contracts.

Typical roles, not a ranking, and not prices or delivery times. Those come from your own contracts with each carrier.
CarrierTypically chosen for
PostNLOften the default for parcels inside the Netherlands, on the shop's own PostNL contract.PostNL shipping software
BpostOften chosen for parcels to Belgium. Bpost is the Belgian postal operator.Bpost shipping software
DHLOften compared for parcels to Germany and other countries. Which DHL service the contract includes is a demo topic.DHL shipping software
DPDOften compared for cross-border parcels inside Europe, including next to PostNL.DPD shipping software
GLSOften compared with DPD and DHL for cross-border parcels inside Europe.GLS shipping software
UPSOften compared for express parcels and for parcels outside the EU.UPS shipping software
FedExOften compared for express parcels outside the EU, including the UK.FedEx shipping software

Typical roles, not a ranking, and not prices or delivery times. Those come from your own contracts with each carrier.

Multi-carrier shipping software, where the rules run

Where you are today

Do you ship with one carrier, or already with several?

Zineps is shipping software for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium. With one carrier today, a rule can send one lane to a second carrier without a second portal. With several carriers today, the same rules keep labels, tracking updates and the returns portal on one queue.

One carrier today

Add a second carrier without a second routine

Keep the carrier you have. Add another for one lane, and let a rule send those parcels there. Orders still come from the shop you already use.

  • Orders imported from Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com and Amazon
  • A rule per lane, with your current carrier as the fallback
  • Labels and tracking updates from the same queue
See the four steps

Several carriers today

Move the rules out of people's heads

You already know which carrier fits which parcel. Put that in rules, so labels, tracking and returns follow the same logic every day.

  • Bring your own contracts for every carrier you use
  • One returns portal, whichever carrier took the parcel out
  • If you still need a carrier contract, that is reviewed on a demo
See the example rules

One queue

What does Zineps do once you have chosen your carriers?

Zineps imports orders, applies carrier rules, creates labels on your own contracts, sends tracking updates and runs the returns portal, for PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost and FedEx from one queue. Service levels and options that depend on your contracts are reviewed on a demo for your setup.

Order import

Orders from Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com and Amazon land in one queue, whichever carrier ends up taking them.

Carrier rules

A rule chooses the carrier by destination, weight or the promise you made. Changing the choice means changing a rule, not the shop.

Label creation

Create labels for PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost or FedEx from the same queue. One order or the day's batch.

Tracking updates

When the label is created, the tracking update goes to the customer and back to the shop, for PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost or FedEx.

Returns portal

The customer starts the return, a label is created, and your team sees the status next to the original order. Return options per carrier are reviewed on a demo.

Your own contracts

Bring the carrier contracts you already have. If you need one more, we review that on a demo for your setup.

Tracking updates

Your shop

Order #10482

Tracking update sent. Example status, not a live order

Example tracking update sent to the shop and the customer.

  1. 01Order imported
  2. 02Rule applied
  3. 03Label created
  4. 04Tracking sent

From last month's parcels

How do I set up carriers per lane?

Start from last month's parcels, not from carrier brochures. List where they went, write down the promise you made for each lane, ask two carriers to quote the same parcels, then put the answer in rules with a fallback. Review the tracking updates each month and change a rule when a lane is not what you promised.

  1. 01

    List your lanes

    Take last month's orders and group them by destination and parcel size: Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the rest of the EU, outside the EU.

  2. 02

    Write down the promise

    What did the customer see at checkout for each lane? The promise, not the carrier brand, decides what a lane needs.

  3. 03

    Ask two carriers per lane

    Ask for a quote on the same parcels, on your volume. Compare price and service level per lane, not one overall rate.

  4. 04

    Put it in rules, then review

    Set a carrier rule per lane with a fallback. Check tracking updates each month and change a rule when a lane is not what you promised.

How a parcel gets its carrier

One shop, three carriers, five rules

This is a hypothetical example, not a customer result and not a volume Zineps has measured. It pictures a Dutch webshop that ships mostly inside the Netherlands, with a smaller share to Belgium, Germany and the UK. The rules below only show how a lane split can be written down. Your parcels and your contracts decide which carrier is named.

Example rules

A rule per lane, a fallback for the rest

The same queue for every carrier

In this example the shop does not choose a carrier per order. The order is imported, the rule looks at destination and weight, and the label is created with the carrier that rule names. If the carrier changes next quarter, one rule changes.

Tracking updates and returns follow from the same queue. The customer sees one tracking flow, your team sees one returns portal, and nobody opens three carrier portals to find out where a parcel is.

Carrier rules

  1. 01 IfNetherlands, standard parcel

    ThenPostNL

  2. 02 IfBelgium

    ThenBpost

  3. 03 IfGermany and the rest of the EU

    ThenThe carrier that prices that lane best on your contracts

  4. 04 IfOutside the EU

    ThenFedEx or UPS

  5. 05 IfCustomer starts a return

    ThenReturns portal, same queue

Review. Orders outside the rules wait for your team. Example rules. Your rules are set with you on a demo.

Example rules, not a live account and not a recommendation for your lanes. Which carrier fits is decided by your parcels and your contracts.

Works with the carriers and shops you already use

Which carriers and webshops can you combine in Zineps?

Zineps combines the carriers and webshops named on this site, for merchants in the Netherlands and Belgium. The carriers are PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost and FedEx. The webshops and marketplaces are Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com and Amazon. Orders from those shops land in one queue, and carrier rules choose the carrier per parcel.

Related pages

FAQ

Questions about choosing a carrier

These answers cover how to choose a shipping carrier, when a second carrier is worth comparing, and what Zineps does once the carriers are chosen. Prices and service levels always come from your own carrier contracts.

01

How do I choose a shipping carrier for my webshop?

Choose a carrier per lane, not per shop. A lane is a destination plus a parcel profile plus the delivery promise you made. List your lanes, ask two carriers to quote each one on your own parcels, and turn the answer into carrier rules. Zineps imports your orders and applies those rules on your own contracts, for webshops in the Netherlands and Belgium.

02

Should a webshop use one carrier or several?

One carrier is simpler, and it is enough while nearly all parcels stay in one country. When parcels also go to Belgium, Germany or further, shops often add a second carrier for those lanes and compare both on the same parcels. The extra work is a second portal, unless the rules and the labels stay in one queue.

03

PostNL, DHL or DPD: which is best for a Dutch webshop?

There is no winner for every shop. PostNL is a common default inside the Netherlands. DHL and DPD are common for cross-border parcels. The right answer depends on your lanes, your parcel sizes and the contract each carrier offers you, so compare them lane by lane on the same parcels.

04

Which carrier should I use to ship to Belgium?

Bpost is the Belgian postal operator and PostNL also serves Belgium. Both have their own page on this site. Which is cheaper or faster for your parcels depends on your contracts, so get a quote from each for the same orders.

05

Which carriers and webshops can you combine in Zineps?

Zineps combines the carriers and webshops named on this site, for merchants in the Netherlands and Belgium. The carriers are PostNL, DHL, DPD, GLS, UPS, Bpost and FedEx. The webshops and marketplaces are Shopify, WooCommerce, bol.com and Amazon. Orders from those shops land in one queue, and carrier rules choose the carrier per parcel.

06

Do I need my own carrier contracts?

You can bring the contracts you already have and ship on those terms. If you need one more, Zineps can introduce a logistics partner. We review that on a demo for your setup.

07

Does the returns portal work with every carrier?

The Zineps returns portal sits on the same queue as the carriers named on this page. The customer starts the return, a label is created, and your team sees the status next to the original order. Which return options each carrier contract includes is reviewed on a demo.

08

Does Zineps replace the carrier portals?

For daily label work, your team creates and tracks parcels from the Zineps queue instead of opening each carrier portal. Zineps does not take over your carrier accounts: contracts and invoices stay with each carrier.

Bring your lanes, we will bring the rules

Show us where your parcels go and which carriers you use. We will walk through order import, carrier rules, labels and tracking updates on your own shops.

Book a demoPlatform

Request a demo

A few details about your shop and the carriers you use, and we will get back to you.