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How to get PromoStandards credentials from your suppliers
To read order status and tracking numbers from a supplier’s API, you need your own login for that supplier’s PromoStandards services. There’s no central sign-up: every supplier issues its own, in its own way. Here are the usual routes, an email you can send today, and what we could verify for 13 suppliers and platforms.
Last checked . Every supplier detail links to its source.
The short version
- Ask each supplier for Order Status and Order Shipment Notification access. Order data is private to your account, so shared or reseller logins don’t cover it.
- Some suppliers use your website login or an API key from your web account. Others want a form or an email to their integration team.
- Send one request per supplier with your account number, a technical contact, and the services you need.
- No reply in 3 business days? Follow up through your rep.
What PromoStandards is
PromoStandards is a nonprofit, member-driven group that writes open web service standards for the promotional products industry. It publishes specifications, not software: each supplier runs its own endpoints, and a public registry lists which services each one offers. It was formed in 2015 by companies including SanMar, PCNA, HIT, Koozie Group and Starline. (Source: PromoStandards: Intro to PromoStandards; PromoStandards public web service registry)
Because each supplier hosts its own services, each supplier decides who may call them. Catalog data (products, images, pricing, inventory) is the same for everyone and often works with shared credentials that some software vendors hold. Order Status, Ship Notice, Purchase Order and Invoice return data about your account, so they need credentials issued to you. (Source: PSRESTful: Credentials & Supplier Status Explained)
Which services you need for order tracking
ODRSTAT
Order Status
Where each of your POs is in the supplier’s system.
“Provides real-time status updates of where the order is as it progresses through our system.”
OSN
Order Shipment Notification
What shipped, when, and with which tracking numbers.
“Provides real-time shipping information, including tracking numbers, as orders ship out…”
Useful later: Purchase Order (send POs by API) and Invoice. You can ask for them in the same request, but tracking only needs the two above.
Not every supplier offers them. Of the 1,031 suppliers in the public registry, 158 list Order Status and 140 list both Order Status and Ship Notice. Check yours with the free supplier checker before you write to anyone, and note the version each one lists (1.0.0 or 2.0.0). Live counts are on the adoption page.
The five ways suppliers hand out credentials
Don’t assume the login is the one you already have. commonsku tells its users PromoStandards credentials differ from their regular supplier login, yet SanMar uses the sanmar.com login. It depends on the supplier, so ask. (Source: commonsku help: How to get connected to PromoStandards; SanMar FTP Integration Guide v23.3 (Sept 2025))
Your website login
Some suppliers accept the login you already use on their site. SanMar does, after a one-time onboarding with its integrations team. (Source: SanMar FTP Integration Guide v23.3 (Sept 2025))
An API key from your web account
Log in to the supplier’s site and generate or copy a key. HIT (Account › Developer) and S&S Activewear (My Account) work this way, with your account number going alongside the key. (Source: commonsku help: PromoStandards Supplier Contacts; YoPrint: Configure S&S Activewear integration)
A request form on the supplier’s site
Gemline and PCNA have sign-up forms for their web services. Gemline’s form asks for your account number and says it will get back to you. (Source: Gemline: Request Web Services Credentials; PCNA: Electronic Integration)
An email to the integration team or your rep
Koozie Group, Starline and Vantage Apparel each have an integrations address. For everyone else, your sales rep knows who issues them. commonsku keeps a public list of PromoStandards contacts by supplier. (Source: Koozie Group blog: Promo Pros Use PromoStandards; Starline: Integrations; Nango docs: Vantage Apparel credentials; commonsku help: PromoStandards Supplier Contacts)
The PromoStandards directory
With a free PromoStandards account, open the endpoint directory, find the supplier and click the key icon to open the “Request Authentication Credentials” form. One request per supplier is enough; you don’t need one per endpoint. (Source: PSRESTful: Credentials & Supplier Status Explained; MPower help: PromoStandards)
Through software you already use
commonsku users email each supplier’s rep with their account number and pass the login on to commonsku support; SanMar is set up from a banner inside commonsku. OneSource gives you one API key for suppliers it hosts, and lets you request order services access from suppliers inside its portal. (Source: commonsku help: How to get connected to PromoStandards; OneSource: How to Create an API Key & Password; OneSource: Request Order Services Access from Suppliers)
Email template
Send this to your rep or the supplier’s integration address. It follows PromoStandards’ own advice for credential requests: use the supplier’s designated contact, give your company details and ASI/PPAI number, name a technical contact, say what you’ll use it for and which endpoints, and say whether you want test or production credentials. (Source: PromoStandards wiki: Credential Best Practice for Data Consumer)
Replace everything in [brackets]. Use the version numbers the supplier lists in the registry.
Subject: PromoStandards Order Status and Ship Notice access for [Your company] (account [number]) Hi [name], We'd like to read the status and tracking of our own orders through your PromoStandards web services. Could you set us up, or point me to the right person? Services we need (production credentials): - Order Status (ODRSTAT), version [1.0.0 or 2.0.0] - Order Shipment Notification (OSN), version [1.0.0 or 2.0.0] Our details: - Company: [legal name] - Our account number with you: [number] - ASI / PPAI / SAGE number: [number] - Technical contact: [name, email, phone] - Intended use: reading status, ship dates and tracking numbers for our own purchase orders A few questions: 1. Is the ID and password our website login, an API key, or a separate pair? 2. Do the credentials cover both services and all of our accounts? 3. Do you have a test environment, and does it need separate credentials? 4. Is there anything else you need from us, such as a signed agreement or an IP address? If possible, please send the password separately from the ID. Thanks, [Your name] [Title, company, phone]
Supplier by supplier
What we could confirm from public sources on 16 October 2026. “Registry” is what the supplier lists in the public PromoStandards registry. Where a supplier doesn’t publish something, we say so: ask your rep. Processes change, so treat this as a starting point.
SanMar
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- Email sanmarintegrations@sanmar.com with your request and SanMar customer number. SanMar sends an integration agreement to e-sign; onboarding should be done within 1 to 2 business days after they get it back. commonsku users can use the “Connect to SanMar” banner instead.
- Credentials
- After onboarding, your sanmar.com username and password authenticate the production PromoStandards services.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry. SanMar sets up test access separately; ask the integrations team.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
S&S Activewear
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- Self-serve: the API key is on the My Account page of ssactivewear.com. If no key is listed, email api@ssactivewear.com with your account number. commonsku lists integrations@ssactivewear.com as the PromoStandards contact.
- Credentials
- S&S’s API uses your account number as the username and the API key as the password, not your website password. Its PromoStandards page points to the same API key. Confirm with S&S that the pair works for Order Status.
- Test endpoint
- No test URL listed for Order Status or Ship Notice. Ask your rep.
alphabroder
Registry: Not listed separately; served by S&S Activewear
- How to request
- S&S took over alphabroder’s PromoStandards traffic in 2025 (cutover May 30, 2025). Ask S&S at integrations@ssactivewear.com.
- Credentials
- S&S said old alphabroder logins would work for a bridge period, after which you must switch to an S&S API key and the S&S endpoint.
- Test endpoint
- Ask S&S.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
PCNA (Leed’s, Bullet, Trimark)
Registry: Order Status v1, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- Use the “Sign Up For PromoStandards Compliant Web Services” form on PCNA’s Electronic Integration page, or email the Digital Services team at digitalservices@pcna.com.
- Credentials
- Not stated publicly. Ask Digital Services.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
HIT Promotional Products
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1 and v2
- How to request
- Self-serve: log in to your HIT account, go to Account › Developer and generate an API key.
- Credentials
- Your HIT account number is the ID and the API key is the password.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Gemline
Registry: Order Status v1, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- Fill in the Request Web Services Credentials form on gemline.com. It asks for your Gemline account number, company and contact details.
- Credentials
- A separate API ID and password, not your gemline.com login.
- Test endpoint
- None listed in the registry. For electronic POs, Gemline asks you to contact them to schedule testing.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Starline
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1 and v2
- How to request
- Request credentials through PromoStandards.org, or email integrations@starline.com. Starline lists Order Status and Order Shipment Notifications among its feeds.
- Credentials
- Not stated publicly. Ask the integrations team.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Koozie Group
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- Email integrationsupport@kooziegroup.com. Koozie says PromoStandards is free and open to any distributor with an active account, and its in-house team can help your IT person set it up.
- Credentials
- Issued by Koozie. Existing Koozie credentials also cover Garyline orders submitted on or after December 20, 2025.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Prime Line
Registry: Order Status v1, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- No public request page found. commonsku lists edisupport@primeline.com as the contact.
- Credentials
- Not stated publicly. Ask your rep.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Vantage Apparel
Registry: Order Status v1 and v2, Ship Notice v1 and v2
- How to request
- Email the integrations team at integrations@vantageapparel.com.
- Credentials
- Vantage issues a PromoStandards ID and password. The same pair covers Order Status and Shipment Notification. Each Vantage account needs its own pair.
- Test endpoint
- None listed in the registry. Ask your rep.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Hirsch
Registry: Order Status v1, Ship Notice v1
- How to request
- No public request page found. Ask your Hirsch rep; commonsku’s contact list names a person for PromoStandards.
- Credentials
- Not stated publicly. Ask your rep.
- Test endpoint
- None listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
HPG brands (Beacon, Hub Pen, Debco and others)
Registry: Order Status v1, Ship Notice v1 and v2 (each brand has its own registry entry)
- How to request
- No public request page found. Ask your HPG rep; commonsku’s contact list names a person for PromoStandards.
- Credentials
- Not stated publicly. Ask your rep.
- Test endpoint
- Test URLs listed in the registry.
- Sources (checked 2026-10-16)
Suppliers hosted on OneSource
Registry: Endpoints under api.dc-onesource.com (for example Dunbrooke, Peerless Umbrella, Raining Rose)
- How to request
- Register a free OneSource account (usually approved within 24 hours). For order data, use Suppliers › All Suppliers › Request Order Services Credentials and pick the supplier.
- Credentials
- A OneSource API key. OneSource says its API Key ID and password are your PromoStandards ID and password. The password is shown once, so save it.
- Test endpoint
- Ask OneSource or the supplier.
Not listed? Most suppliers that publish Order Status will issue credentials on request. Use the PromoStandards directory form or ask your rep. Found something out of date? Email hello@inhands.app.
Tips
Only ask suppliers that publish the services.
Run your supplier list through the supplier checker first. A supplier without Order Status in the registry can’t give you order data by API, however nicely you ask.Keep one spreadsheet.
One row per supplier: registry code, your account number, services and versions, who you asked and when, status, the ID, where the password is stored (never the password itself), and test or production. It turns a dozen email threads into a checklist.Treat them like any other password.
Store them in a password manager and limit who can see them; PromoStandards recommends both. One set per company is normally enough: commonsku notes the whole team can share one login. If you hold several accounts with a supplier, expect one pair per account. (Source: PromoStandards wiki: Credential Best Practice for Data Consumer; commonsku help: How to get connected to PromoStandards; Nango docs: Vantage Apparel credentials)Test as soon as they arrive.
Check that each endpoint returns your real orders, then keep an eye on it: PromoStandards suggests alerts for connection problems and watching for changes in a supplier’s setup. (Source: PromoStandards wiki: Credential Best Practice for Data Consumer)Follow up after 3 business days.
If a request goes unanswered, contact the supplier through its website or your sales rep. (Source: PSRESTful: Credentials & Supplier Status Explained)Watch for mergers.
When brands combine, endpoints and logins move. alphabroder’s PromoStandards traffic moved to S&S Activewear in 2025, and Garyline orders moved into Koozie Group’s services from January 2026. (Source: S&S x alphabroder technical transition flyer (2025); Koozie Group: Garyline PromoStandards FAQ)
Got the logins? Put them to work.
Inhands reads Order Status and Ship Notice with your credentials, reads supplier emails for the rest, and flags orders that will miss the in-hands date. Free 2-week pilot for 5 distributors, set up with you on a 30-minute call.
PromoStandards is a trademark of its owner. Inhands is not affiliated with or endorsed by PromoStandards or any supplier or software company named on this page. Supplier names are used only to describe their published processes. Email addresses come from the linked sources.