How to ship Shopify orders with DPD in Ireland
What you need from DPD Ireland, how the pre-production onboarding step works, and how EirLink connects Shopify orders to DPD labels on your own account.
Short answer
To ship Shopify orders with DPD in Ireland, connect the API credentials DPD issues for your account to a shipping tool such as EirLink. Orders import from Shopify automatically, the tool generates the DPD pre-advice and label, and the tracking number goes back to Shopify. DPD requires a short pre-production test phase before its Credit Services team approves live shipping.
What you need from DPD
DPD Ireland issues API access per account. Ask your DPD account manager for integration credentials — an API user and password, plus your customer account code. If you already ship with DPD, this is usually a quick request; if you are new to DPD, the account comes first, then the credentials.
- A DPD Ireland business account.
- An API user and password issued by DPD.
- Your DPD customer account code.
The pre-production step, explained
DPD does not let a new integration ship live parcels on day one. Every integration goes through a short test phase against DPD's pre-production system: you create a handful of test shipments, DPD checks the labels and data, and then Credit Services approves the account for live shipping.
EirLink is built around this. Your DPD connection starts in the pre-production environment, and pre-production shipments never notify your customers and never mark real Shopify orders fulfilled — so you can print DPD's test labels without touching live orders. Once DPD approves, the connection switches to live.
The workflow once you are live
- 1A paid order lands in Shopify and imports into EirLink automatically.
- 2You pick DPD as the carrier — or an automation rule picks it for you from the order's weight or destination.
- 3EirLink generates the DPD pre-advice and label, so the parcel is announced to DPD before the driver arrives.
- 4The tracking number is pushed back to Shopify, the order is marked fulfilled, and your customer gets the standard shipping-confirmation email.
Running DPD alongside An Post
Most Irish shops that add DPD keep An Post too, and split traffic per parcel: post-friendly parcels through An Post, heavier or time-sensitive ones through DPD. In EirLink both carriers live in the same dashboard, and automation rules can codify the split — by weight band, destination country, or order tags — with a per-order override whenever you want to make a different call.
Both connections use your own accounts. An Post bills your An Post account, DPD bills your DPD account, and EirLink takes nothing on top of either.
Quick answers
Do I need my own DPD account to use EirLink?
Yes. EirLink creates labels through the API credentials DPD issues for your account, and DPD bills postage directly to you at your own rates. EirLink adds no markup.
How long does DPD onboarding take?
The pre-production test itself is quick — a handful of test labels. The overall timeline depends on DPD issuing credentials and Credit Services approving the account, which DPD controls.
Do pre-production shipments email my customers?
No. Pre-production shipments in EirLink never notify customers and never mark real orders fulfilled. That is the point of the phase — DPD's checks run without touching live orders.
Can EirLink pick between DPD and An Post automatically?
Yes. Automation rules match on weight, destination country, order value, or tags, and set the carrier, service, and sender address. Rules are first-match-wins, and you can always override on an order before the label is created.