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. 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.
Ship&co sends PIDs automatically on every FedEx and DHL shipment to an EU country, whatever the order value and the recipient. Sending them on more shipments than required does no harm, and it means you never have to check the threshold yourself. Carriers are not all ready for this update. We will update our integration with each them after receiving technical details that allows us to do so.
The three PIDs
Each product line needs up to three identifiers. Two are always required, the third only when it exists.
| PID | What it is | Required | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant PID (M-PID) | The ID your shop or marketplace gives the product. It lets customs find the exact offer the buyer saw. | Always | Shopify variant ID, Amazon ASIN, eBay item ID, your SKU |
| Manufacturer PID (NS-PID) | The product code given by the manufacturer or supplier. | Always | Manufacturer part number (MPN), model or style number |
| Standardised PID (S-PID) | A global barcode number for the product. | Only if the product has one | JAN, EAN, UPC, GTIN, ISBN |
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.
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.
| PID | 1st choice | 2nd choice | 3rd choice | If all are empty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant PID | Shop Product ID | SKU | — | Not sent |
| Manufacturer PID | MPN | Barcode | SKU | Not sent |
| Standardised PID | Barcode | — | — | Sent as "not available" |
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, or taken from
item_idfor orders created through the Ship&co API. 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.
If you resell products made by others, enter the MPN or the Barcode. Without them, Ship&co falls back on your SKU, which is your code, not the manufacturer's.
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: enter them on the order in Ship&co.
| Platform | Shop Product ID taken from | SKU imported |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Variant ID | Yes |
| Amazon | ASIN | Yes (seller SKU) |
| eBay | Item ID | Yes |
| Yahoo! Shopping | Item ID | Yes, same value as the item ID |
| NextEngine | Goods code | No |
| WooCommerce | Variation ID, or product ID for simple products | No |
| Magento | Product ID of the item sold | No |
| Prestashop | Product ID | TBC |
| Etsy | Listing ID | No |
| Mirakl | Product SKU | No |
| BASE | Item ID | No |
| ColorMe | Product ID | No |
| Ship&co API | item_id | Yes, from sku |
| CSV import | Not imported | Yes, from the ProductSKU column |
| Manual order | Not available | Entered by you |
For Shopify, NextEngine and Yahoo! Shopping, the Shop Product ID also shows on existing orders. For the other platforms, it appears from the next sync.
What Ship&co sends if you enter nothing
With no MPN and no Barcode on the order, the result depends on your platform:
| Your platform | Merchant PID | Manufacturer PID | Standardised PID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify, Amazon, eBay | Shop Product ID | SKU | Not available |
| Yahoo! Shopping | Item ID | Item ID (same value) | Not available |
| NextEngine, WooCommerce, Magento, Etsy, Mirakl, BASE, ColorMe | Shop Product ID | Missing | Not available |
| Ship&co API | item_id, or SKU | SKU | Not available |
| CSV import, manual order | SKU | SKU (same value) | Not available |
A missing Manufacturer PID can get your parcel held by EU customs. If your platform is in the third row, enter an MPN or a Barcode, or at least a SKU, on each EU order. For Yahoo! Shopping, CSV and manual orders, enter an MPN or Barcode so the two PIDs are different.
Carrier support
FedEx and DHL Express are supported today. Other carriers will follow.
| FedEx | DHL Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant PID | Sent | Sent |
| Manufacturer PID | Sent | Sent; left out if MPN, Barcode and SKU are all empty |
| Standardised PID | Barcode, or "not available" when there is none | Barcode; left out when there is none |
| Maximum length per PID | 70 characters | 35 characters |
| When PIDs are sent | Every shipment to an EU country | Every shipment to an EU country |
Longer values are cut to the carrier's maximum, so keep identifiers short. Return labels and shipments outside the EU don't change.
Products are always listed one by one for the EU
The Group products by Product Types setting in Commercial Invoice preferences doesn't apply to shipments to the EU. Customs needs the PIDs of every product, so each product gets its own line on the commercial invoice and in the carrier request. The total customs value doesn't change.
What you should do
- On each EU order in Ship&co, enter the MPN and the Barcode of every product if you have them. Shops don't send them to Ship&co yet.
- If your platform doesn't import SKUs (see the table above), make sure every EU order has at least an MPN, a Barcode or a SKU.
- Keep SKUs unique per variant (size, colour). Each PID must point to one exact product.
FAQ
My product has no barcode. Is that a problem?
No. The Standardised PID is only required when a barcode exists or if you can send it. Ship&co tells the carrier there is none. Shipment shouldn't be held with barcode transffered to the carrier.
My product has no MPN.
Ship&co uses the Barcode instead, which customs accepts. If there is no Barcode either, your SKU is used, when there is one. That is correct if you make the product yourself; if you resell it, ask your supplier for their product code and enter it as MPN.
Do I need PIDs for business (B2B) shipments or orders over EUR 150?
Customs doesn't require them, but Ship&co sends them anyway. It does no harm.
Are second-hand or customised products exempt?
No. Send the PIDs of the original product, or of the base product for personalised items.
Which countries are concerned?
The 27 EU member states. The UK, Switzerland and Norway are not included.
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