402 Client Error : Payment Required with the V1 API

[ShipAware]

Has anyone else experience the HTTP error 402 Client Error : Payment Required when calling the V1 API?

Here's the endpoint that triggered the error:

https://ssapi.shipstation.com/orders?createDateStart=2025-04-28T19%3A07%3A31&pageSize=500&page=1

[michael28]

@ShipAware Did you figure out what that error means? I'm having the same problem on a client's site. As far as I can tell, their account is in good standing in terms of payments.

[ShipAware]

Yes, it's due to the higher-tier requirement to access the API. Here's the reply from support. My understanding was that they weren't going to require this until the end of the month. But they're rolling it out early for a percentage of users.

Not good form. A progressive rollout should have started on the date ShipStation claimed in their announcement and not before.

This causes chaos for developers and users reliant on their API.

I think it's clear ShipStation is muscling out third-party developers to promote their first-party solutions (inventory management, dropshipping, etc.).

[tgldirect]

Means shipstation just became greedy and now charges for api use. BS.

Time to start looking at
Shippo, Easyship, ShippingEasy,Veeqo (amazon's)

[diegovogel]

@ShipAware Looks like the API requires the Gold plan as of this month. From ShipStation support:

The error you are experiencing is due to the fact that your current plan is Silver, and API keys are only available with the Gold plan or higher. This policy was implemented in May of 2025. Therefore, it is necessary for you to upgrade your plan to Gold in order to maintain access to your API keys. However, if you are not utilizing the API, an upgrade to your plan is not required.

[byeshipstation]

Haha love this, time to jump ship. Great plan, as if they weren't making enough from margins on labels. Greed will be their downfall

[fctoygroup]

@ShipAware I'm getting that as well.

However, this is NOT supposed to happen until May 29th as outlined in their email. I'm gonna have to agree with others on this thread.

I have been a loyal customer for the last 6 years and never ask for much. But constantly get poor customer support and in general antiquated service for the technology they run. I think it's time. Not that I'm against paying more. It's more that the service has never gotten better, so not sure why the cost to upgrade to basically no real new feature changes.

And now to have the rug pulled earlier than stated is kind of the same as usual lack luster attention to platform that I've been used to.

Just kinda feels like they are too large and not as hungry to move or be as agile as some of the more modern platforms out there. I'm probably a small indicator of a larger issue to come for them. There are just too many other services out there to be this mediocre.

I'll be hunting for a new platform starting tomorrow.

[idvUser]

As i mentioned in the other thread, This change is completely unacceptable and has thrown our entire operation into chaos! We were given absolutely no warning, and now our business is suffering severe disruptions. We're using the simplest ShipStation API functions – just to get orders and mark them as shipped on Etsy. This bare minimum should NOT require some ludicrous "gold plan" and a fortune in fees! We are beyond frustrated and are actively searching for alternatives because of this ridiculous situation.

[sandi]

I suggested that they make it a paid add-on like they do with "Your Carriers" here:
https://community.shipstation.com/t5/Stores-Carriers-and-Other/Make-API-access-an-a-la-carte-add-on-...

[prisonmike]

Incredibly frustrating. They won't even let us use the Zapier integration anymore which they advertise in their homepage. The lack of communication and unprofessionalism is insulting to those that have been working with ShipStation for years. We're looking to shift operations with another provider that isn't part of Auctane.