Pissed about API v2 Pricing

[teamLA]

I just want to comment at how disappointing Shipstation has been, as a monopolistic company.  Users dealt with YEARS of having subpar features (ie: 6 years for a toggle to hide left sidebar) and waiting YEARS for feature improvements (ie: 8 years for better product importing). 

I am flaberggasted that every new feature is an additional monthly "add-on."  I'm especially pissed that Shipstation's v1 API hasn't been updated since 2021, but v2 will be an additional $75/month.  

[CaraAdmin]

Hello @teamLA!

Thank you for posting in the community and sharing your feedback! We always appreciate hearing from our merchants, whether it's positive or constructive. I’ve passed this along to the team for visibility.

Happy Shipping!

-Cara

[ryan21]

So it's an extra $75 a month for the Shipping API, and also an extra $30 a month for the Inventory API.

The new API doesn't have access to orders, products and customers. Are those going to be extra and separately priced, too?

[BenC]

Is the current V1 API going away? Is V2 (paid) going to be the only API option for us?

[info622]

The forced upgrade to from Silver to Gold is 89.99 to 139.99. From my chat with the help desk there will be zero integration on silver with Big commerce. Is this the case? We are shipping less with the economy the way it is and we are going to have to pay a lot more to keep using Shipsation in the same exact way we are using it now.  Big fail ShipStation! Please do better.

[sandersonheader]

When logging into ShipStation today, I received a warning pop-up message stating that I would need to upgrade the subscription plans to continue using the API. The information at the links provided in the message was shocking. Is it wrong to feel like Auctane has just demanded a ransom from its smaller business subscribers?

I use the "Growth" plan for myself and two clients (<500 and <1000 monthly shipments) that connect WooCommerce sites to ShipStation. Then, each site has to use a 3rd party plugin (annual subscription) because the ShipStation integration does not work efficiently without it. Now, Auctane, Inc. wants to more than double the monthly subscription?!?

My first thought was that this had to be some error. I initiated a support chat, and this disaster seems to be true. If Auctane believes this is a good business decision, and without coming right out and saying they no longer want smaller businesses, I will have to move all of the accounts to a different shipping integration. I've already started looking for an alternative. Whoever at Auctane thought this was a good idea .....

[adminsk]

Too bad they bought out most of the other Shipping companies

[Northstar1]

There's another good one out there that we're investigating. I'll try to get the name of it and come back here. 

[info622]

I think you are right. They no longer want to work with smaller businesses. I will be looking as well. 

[Jtonioli]

I thought I would share a recent email I sent to support about similar frustrations with the API. Not sure Shipstation is willing to listen, but things like this are what make really good stories for new people to come in and create a better software. I'm nearly to the point I think it might be worth doing something about it with a dev team. At very least, seeing this email I sent to the API and Support team should make a few of you who are feeling the frustrations smile:

FRUSTRATED CUSTOMER  - PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF SHIPSTATION, DO SOMETHING TO FIX THIS!!!!

Dear Support Team, I have been able to login to Shipstation on my phone again, and I don’t need any specific help. What needs to happen is for your support team to make sure your CEO and COO are aware of the frustrations your customers are feeling because of your security team. Someone needs to go have a chat with them in the office of your security team and if need be, stick them in a corner and poke them multiple times with a broomstick so they can feel some of the pain they are causing to your clients who use the shipstation software. This is going on nearly 2 months of un-needed and unwanted over reach from your security team. 

Please for the love of your customers, forward this onto your CEO or whoever has a clear enough head to challenge and take on your security and compliance people and remind them thatI have been able to login to Shipstation on my phone again, and I don’t need any specific help. What needs to happen is for your support team to make sure your CEO and COO are aware of the frustrations your customers are feeling because of your security team. Someone needs to go have a chat with them in their office and if need be, stick them in a corner and poke them multiple times with a broomstick so they can feel some of the pain they are causing to your clients who use the shipstation software. This is going on nearly 2 months of un-needed and unwanted over reach from your security team. 

Please for the love of your customers, forward this onto your CEO or whoever has a clear enough head to challenge and take on your security and compliance people and remind them that their job is to help clients have a good experience and not add layers of problems with IP addresses and most importantly your insane API expiration at 12 months policy. We are a full week into trying to fix all the broken API key crap that has been caused for our client stores and our warehouse. I should send a bill for the 20+ hours of work my team has had to do this week because they think they are keeping us safe by expiring and breaking our API connections that we have with clients and their websites. 

My hope is that this email will get through to someone who will actually be able to knock some sense into the IT and security guy... and if poking them with a broomstick in the corner doesn’t wake them up to the fact that customers are getting sick of having issues because of security, then that person will be willing to free up the security guy/team so that they can have an extended summer vacation by finding a new job. 

Seriously, a good broomstick poking in the corner can and does work well with security people. I worked at a bank for 12 years and am all too familiar with over zealous security and IT people who don’t have a clue when it comes to the need to take care of customers first…