Use EasyPost SmartRate to get time-in-transit estimates before purchasing a label
domain: easypost.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Create a shipment via POST /v2/shipments as normal; the standard 'rates' array does not include transit time details.
To retrieve SmartRates, GET /v2/shipments/{shipment_id}/smartrates; the response returns an array of SmartRate objects that include 'time_in_transit' sub-object with percentile-keyed delivery day estimates (e.g., 'percentile_50', 'percentile_75', 'percentile_85', 'percentile_95').
Each SmartRate object also carries the same 'id', 'carrier', 'service', and 'rate' fields as a standard rate, so you can use the SmartRate 'id' directly in the buy call.
Evaluate the percentile fields against your SLA — for reliable commitments, use 'percentile_85' or 'percentile_95' as your expected delivery day rather than the median.
Purchase the selected SmartRate by POSTing /v2/shipments/{shipment_id}/buy with the SmartRate's 'id' in the body, same as a standard rate purchase.
Known gotchas
SmartRates are predictive estimates based on historical data, not carrier guarantees; carrier-published delivery day commitments are separate.
SmartRates may not be available for all carrier/service combinations or for shipments outside the continental US.
SmartRate 'id' values share the same time-limited validity as standard rate IDs — do not cache them and purchase later.
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