Deutsche Post Warenpost from Shopify
The way into shipping without a carrier contract or monthly fee: Deutsche Post Warenpost runs on your Portokasse, and Karl Start only charges €0.25 per label. Top up the balance, print the label, and when your own contracts arrive later, the interface stays the same.
Why the Internetmarke is the simplest start
No business customer contract, no API key
For Deutsche Post Warenpost the Portokasse is enough: top up the balance and you're set. You need neither a business customer contract nor your own API credentials: Karl provides the technical connection. DHL Paket is part of the same Start plan as soon as you connect your own DHL business customer contract (GKP). You can start without it.
Around five minutes to your first label
Install the Shopify app, enter your Portokasse login, connect your printer via the Print Companion. The onboarding wizard handles the rest. No API-key bingo, no spreadsheet imports.
Warenpost National S/M/L up to 1 kg, from Karl Start
The Warenpost formats S, M and L up to 1 kg are covered by the Start plan: no monthly fee, €0.25 per label, domestic shipping. During the 14-day trial the labels cost nothing either. Light shipments go out straight from the Shopify order list.
Your own contract later, same interface
Your own account where you have one; the Internetmarke where you do not. As the shop grows you connect DHL Paket through your business portal, already on the Start plan. Karl Pro adds UPS (log in to your UPS account, authorise Karl, add your customer number), FedEx with your customer number, and DHL Express and DPD with your own account. Karl is not a reseller: the carrier always bills you directly.
The same packing table as every other carrier
Scan the barcode, print the label: scan-to-label runs in under five seconds regardless of which carrier handles the shipment. The Print Companion prints without a browser dialogue, and with Karl Pro, smart routing compares several connected carriers using smart routing rules.
The Internetmarke in Karl at a glance
| Capability | Karl |
|---|---|
| Deutsche Post Warenpost National S/M/L up to 1 kg via your Portokasse | Yes |
| No business customer contract, no API credentials of your own | Yes |
| Around five minutes of setup through the onboarding wizard | Yes |
| Scan-to-label in under 5 seconds | Yes |
| Auto-print through the Print Companion, without a browser dialogue | Yes |
| Add your own carrier contracts later in the same account | Yes |
| No reseller: the carrier bills you directly | Yes |
| Included from Karl Start: €0 per month, €0.25 per label, domestic shipping | Yes |
All prices in EUR plus VAT, billed through your Shopify invoice. Offered to businesses only.
Questions about Warenpost and the Internetmarke
Is there an Internetmarke integration for Shopify?
Yes. Karl connects Deutsche Post's Internetmarke to Shopify: you enter your Portokasse login in Karl and print Warenpost labels straight from the order. Payment comes from your Portokasse balance, so Deutsche Post bills you directly. Karl provides the technical connection; you need no API credentials of your own. Included from Karl Start with no monthly fee, €0.25 per label.
What is the Deutsche Post Portokasse?
According to Deutsche Post, the Portokasse is a top-up balance account from which postage purchases and Internetmarke stamps are paid (portokasse.deutschepost.de, in German, as of 5 October 2026). You top up the balance, and the postage of every Warenpost label you print with Karl is deducted from it. You don't need a business customer contract for Warenpost labels with Karl.
Do I need a contract with Deutsche Post?
No. For Deutsche Post Warenpost the Portokasse is enough: top up the balance and you're set, no contract needed. Only DHL Paket requires your own DHL business customer contract, and even then Karl's shared API provides the technical connection.
What does Karl Start cost?
No monthly fee. You pay €0.25 per label, up to 1,000 labels (€250) per 30 days, billed through your Shopify invoice. After that Start creates no further labels until the period ends, unless you move to Pro. During the 14-day trial the labels are free of charge and the limit does not apply. Start covers domestic shipping (sender country equals destination country); return labels, surcharge protection and cross-border shipping come with Karl Pro.
Which shipments can I send via the Internetmarke?
Warenpost National in the formats S, M and L up to 1 kg. That covers light shipments and is already included in Karl Start. For heavier parcels you connect DHL Paket with your own business customer contract, also from Karl Start; the other carriers come with Karl Pro.
How long does setup take?
Around 5 minutes to your first label: install the Shopify app, enter your Portokasse login, connect your printer via the Print Companion. The onboarding wizard handles the rest.
What happens when I get my own carrier contracts?
You add them in the same account. DHL Paket already runs through your business portal on Karl Start. Karl Pro adds UPS (log in to your UPS account and authorise Karl, plus your customer number, no API credentials of your own), FedEx through your customer number, and DHL Express and DPD through your own account and your own API credentials. The Internetmarke stays available alongside: your own account where you have one, the Internetmarke where you do not.
Is Karl a reseller that takes a cut of the postage?
No. Karl is not a rate reseller. The carrier bills you directly through your Portokasse for Warenpost, at your negotiated rates for your own contracts. Karl is not part of the shipping rate.
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€0 a month, €0.25 per domestic label. Pro and Enterprise at a glance.
View →Start Karl with no monthly fee
Karl is available on the Shopify App Store: Start has no monthly fee, you only pay per label (domestic shipping). Every plan starts with a 14-day trial with no label fees. The carrier still bills you directly.
Install from the Shopify App Store →