Sometimes you may run into error messages when you attempt to purchase a label. These can happen for a variety of reasons, including issues with your payment method, internet connection issues, and good old-fashioned server glitches 😅
This article lists some common error messages, what they mean, and what steps you can take to complete the purchase of your label.
You Aren't Charged for Purchase Errors: Please note that you are not charged for labels that experience an error during the purchase process. If you see an authorization on your payment method, it will fall off within 24 hours.
Some examples of errors when purchasing labels on Pirate Ship
"The UPS server returned an expected error"
A Glitch in the Purchase Process: This error message means there was a glitch in the UPS label purchase process, and the purchase wasn't successful.
When this error pops up, it can sometimes create a "phantom" pending charge on your bank statement. However, since the transaction wasn't successful, your bank will remove that pending charge within a few business days 👌
Next Steps: If you haven't already tried recreating the label, you can click into the failed label and select the Duplicate Shipment button to try again. Or, you can start from scratch directly from your Ship Page.
"failed:syntax error"
A Glitch and a "Phantom" Pending Charge: Like the above issue, this error message indicates there was a glitch during the process of purchasing your label. On your bank statement, you may see a "phantom" pending change that your bank will remove in a few business days.
You can try repurchasing the label after you recreate it on your Ship page or use the "Duplicate Shipment" button.
"Unexpected Error Log-ID"
An Error With a Variety of Potential Reasons: This is one of the more common errors you may see when purchasing a label 🙈
The next step is to recreate your original label and try purchasing it again. If that doesn't work, you'll need to chat with our Support Crew so we can help you diagnose the issue and proceed.
"Response is neither JSON nor XML"
Server Error: This error message means there was a hiccup in the carrier's server. When you see this message, you can simply repurchase your label by duplicating it or start from scratch on your Ship page.
Pending Charges Will Disappear: The error may result in a pending authorization hold on your bank statement. Since the transaction wasn't successful, this hold will fall off your bank statement within 24 hours without any action needed.
"Shipper's shipper number cannot be used for the shipment"
An Issue With Your Account: If you see this error message when purchasing a UPS label, you'll need to contact our Support Crew so we can review your account and determine the issue.
"UPS Error: Missing or Invalid AccountNumber and transmission_error"
UPS Can't Locate An Account Number: This error can occur when you attempt to buy a UPS label or schedule a pickup if you already have a UPS Merchant Record (meaning you've previously purchased UPS labels or scheduled pickups outside of Pirate Ship).
In this case, UPS isn't able to locate your associated account number, which can happen as a result of an error in their systems. As a next step, you can chat with our Support Crew and we'll do our best to help you resolve the issue.
"There was an issue updating your account. Please try again later or contact our support"
Attempted Changes to Your Email Address or Email Template: If you make several attempts to change the email address on your account or an email template within a certain period, you may receive this error.
In this case, try waiting about twenty-four (24) hours before purchasing a label again, or contact our Support Crew for assistance.
What should I do after I get an error?
Use the Duplicate Shipment Button to Try Again: Most times after a purchase returns an error, you can simply click on the failed label and use the Duplicate Shipment button to start over and resolve the issue.
Here's how that button looks at the bottom of the label page:
Some other things to check
Payment Methods: Is the credit or debit card you have on file expired? If so, your purchases won't go through.
Payment Receipts: Checking your Payment Receipts on your Reports page will let you see which payments are going through and which ones aren't. This knowledge can provide helpful context when you're trying to work through any purchase errors and when following up with our crew, if needed 😊