EU Product Identifiers (PID) in Ship&co

What changes on 1 November 2026

From 1 November 2026, EU customs requires three Product Identifiers (PIDs) for every product in a parcel sold to a consumer in the EU from outside the EU. Shipments with missing or incomplete PIDs can be delayed, held, or not released by customs.

The rule applies to goods sold online from outside the EU to private buyers in the 27 EU countries, for parcels worth up to EUR 150.

Since 20 October 2026, Ship&co sends PIDs automatically on every FedEx, DHL Express and Zonos (Japan Post DDP) shipment to an EU country, whatever the order value and the recipient. Sending PIDs on more shipments than required does no harm, and it means you never have to check the threshold yourself.

Not all carriers are ready for this change yet. We'll update each carrier integration as soon as the carrier provides the technical details we need.

The three PIDs

Each product line needs up to three identifiers. Two are always required, the third only when it exists.

If you make your own products, your own product code can be the Manufacturer PID. If the product has a barcode, the barcode can also be used as the Manufacturer PID.

Do I need to enter anything?

In most cases, no. Ship&co fills the PIDs from the product data imported from your shop. You only need to add information in the cases below.

A barcode is never required if your product doesn't have one. If you do have the MPN or the Barcode, adding it is optional, but it gives customs more accurate data.

How Ship&co fills each PID

E-commerce platforms don't use the PID names, so Ship&co builds each PID from four fields on every product line of your order: SKU, MPN, Barcode and Shop Product ID. When the first choice is empty, Ship&co uses the next one.

For the Merchant PID, Ship&co uses the Shop Product ID first rather than your SKU, because many sellers use the manufacturer’s code as their SKU. If there is no Shop Product ID or SKU, the Barcode is used, and the MPN only as a last resort.

What each Ship&co field means:

• Shop Product ID: the ID your shop or marketplace gives the product, for example the Shopify variant ID or the Amazon ASIN. It is imported automatically when your shop syncs. You can't edit it.
• SKU: your own product code.
• MPN: the manufacturer part number, as printed on the product or given by your supplier. For example SH123456-L.
• Barcode: the number under the product barcode, for example the 13-digit JAN code 4977554040013.

The fields appear under each product name in the order's item list. A field only shows when it has a value; click Edit to fill MPN or Barcode.

Good to know: if you resell products made by others, your SKU is your own code, not the manufacturer's. Ship&co still sends it so the Manufacturer PID is never empty, but adding the MPN or Barcode when you have them is more accurate.

What each platform imports

Ship&co imports the Shop Product ID from every connected shop, and the SKU from some of them. No platform imports MPN or Barcode yet; you can add them on the order in Ship&co if you have them.

For Shopify, NextEngine and Yahoo! Shopping, the Shop Product ID also shows on existing unshipped orders. For the other platforms, it shows on orders synced on or after 7 October 2026.

What Ship&co sends if you enter nothing

With no MPN and no Barcode on the order, the result depends on your platform:

Carrier support

Since 20 October 2026, PIDs are sent for FedEx, DHL Express and Zonos (Japan Post DDP). Other carriers will follow, but some may not be ready by 1 November. We’ll announce each release on our Changelog page.

Longer values are cut to the carrier's maximum, so keep identifiers short. Return labels and shipments outside the EU don't change.

PIDs are sent automatically on every shipment to an EU country. If a product has no barcode, Ship&co tells the carrier there is none, so you don’t need to do anything.

Each carrier limits the length of a PID: 70 characters for FedEx and 35 for DHL Express. Longer values are cut, so keep your SKUs and MPNs short. Return labels and shipments outside the EU don’t change.

Products are listed one by one for the EU

The Group products by Product Types setting (Settings → Commercial Invoice preferences) no longer applies to shipments to the EU, including shipments created through the API. EU customs needs the PIDs of every product, so each product always gets its own line. The total customs value doesn’t change, and shipments outside the EU keep your current setting.

PIDs are sent to the carrier in the shipment data. 

They are shown on the commercial invoice issued by DHL Express, but not on the invoices of other carriers. This is normal, and the invoice layout doesn’t change.

What you should do

1. Check your platform in the table under Do I need to enter anything?. For Shopify, Amazon and eBay, there's usually nothing to do.
2. Where it's required or recommended, add an MPN or a Barcode on the EU order in Ship&co.
3. Keep SKUs unique per variant (size, colour). Each PID must point to one exact product.
    

FAQ

Q. Do I have to fill all four fields on every order?
A. No. Ship&co uses what your shop already sends. See Do I need to enter anything? above.

Q. My product has no barcode. Is that a problem?
A. No. The Standardised PID is only required when the product has a barcode. Ship&co tells the carrier there is none.

Q. My product has no MPN.
A. Ship&co uses the Barcode instead, which customs accepts. If there is no Barcode either, your SKU is used, when there is one. If you resell the product and can get the manufacturer's code from your supplier, entering it as MPN is more accurate.

Q. I can’t see the PIDs on my FedEx commercial invoice. Is that a problem?.
A. No. The PIDs are sent to FedEx in the shipment data, not printed on the invoice. Only DHL Express shows them on its invoice.

Q. Do I need PIDs for business (B2B) shipments or orders over EUR 150?
A. Customs doesn't require them, but Ship&co sends them anyway. It does no harm.

Q. Are second-hand or customised products exempt?
A. No. Send the PIDs of the original product, or of the base product for personalised items.

Q. Which countries are concerned?
A. The 27 EU member states. The UK, Switzerland and Norway are not included.