Startups > Sendcloud

Sendcloud

Sendcloud helps e-commerce retailers automate shipping and returns across carriers.

Series C $200M total Founded 2012 Netherlands

Sendcloud is an all-in-one shipping platform that automates the entire shipping process for e-commerce retailers across 100+ platforms and carriers. Founded in 2012, it centralizes label printing, order packing, branded tracking, and returns management—reducing shipping complexity from hours to minutes. The platform serves 23,000+ merchants primarily in Europe with data-driven shipping intelligence, smart automation rules, and pre-negotiated carrier rates, positioning itself as purpose-built for scaling European e-commerce operations.

Problem solved

E-commerce businesses waste significant time and resources manually managing shipping labels, carrier coordination, tracking, and returns across multiple platforms and carriers.

Target customer

Mid-market to enterprise e-commerce retailers and online merchants across Europe, particularly those operating multi-channel sales with complex shipping and returns needs.

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase

Founders

Rob van den Heuvel

CEO & Co-Founder

Co-founder of Sendcloud with focus on executive leadership and company vision.

Sabi Tolou

CCO & Co-Founder

Co-founder of Sendcloud focused on customer and commercial strategy.

Bas Smeulders

COO & Co-Founder

Co-founder of Sendcloud responsible for operations and execution.

Funding history

Series C $177M September 15, 2021 Led by SoftBank Vision Fund, L Catterton · HPE Growth, AVP (Paris), Bonsai Partners

Series B Unknown November 16, 2020 Led by Unknown · Rabobank, BOM

Series A Unknown July 23, 2019 Led by Unknown · henQ

Early Stage Unknown August 29, 2017 Led by Unknown · TIIN Capital

Seed Unknown February 24, 2016 Led by Unknown · Unknown

Total raised: $200M

Industries

Logistics Ecommerce

Pricing

Tiered SaaS model with Free, Lite, Growth, Premium, Pro, and Enterprise plans. Free and Lite plans include Help Center and email/chat support. Growth and Premium add phone support. Pro includes dedicated Customer Success Manager. Enterprise includes dedicated Technical Manager and extended support hours. Pre-negotiated carrier rates included; users can upload existing contracts to paid plans. Full pricing requires account creation.

Notable customers

Gelato, Rosefield, Shoeby, Subdued, and 23,000+ total merchants

Integrations

100+ e-commerce platforms and shipping carriers including integrations with CIRRO, SaleSmarly, and major carriers across Europe

Website

sendcloud.com/

Competitors

ShipStation

US-focused platform with broad marketplace integrations but limited EU carrier coverage and fewer advanced returns/tracking features; better for basic SMB automation.

ShipBob

Fulfillment-focused alternative with less emphasis on automation and European carrier coverage than Sendcloud.

Shiprocket

Asia-Pacific focused shipping platform with different carrier partnerships and regional market positioning.

Easyship

Multi-carrier platform with global reach but less specialized automation and returns management for European markets.

ShippingEasy

Smaller-scale shipping automation focused on basic label and batch processing without advanced tracking or returns features.

Why this matters: Sendcloud has established itself as Europe's leading shipping automation platform through consistent execution and strategic acquisitions (Lox, isendu) that expand beyond basic shipping into delivery problem management—a high-pain, high-cost problem for e-commerce. With $200M in funding from top-tier investors like SoftBank, 23,000+ customers, and continuous product innovation around delivery intelligence and returns, Sendcloud is building a comprehensive logistics OS for European e-commerce.

Best for: European e-commerce businesses and online retailers that need to scale shipping operations across multiple carriers and platforms without managing integrations manually.

Use cases

Multi-carrier label automation

A mid-size fashion retailer selling across their website and marketplaces can print and batch-manage shipping labels from a single dashboard, routing orders to the cheapest carrier automatically based on smart rules. This eliminates manual label creation and reduces shipping costs by up to 20%.

Branded customer tracking experience

An e-commerce store uses Sendcloud's branded tracking to provide customers with white-labeled tracking pages, improving brand consistency and reducing support inquiries by 30% through transparent, real-time delivery status.

Returns and delivery issue management

After acquiring Lox, Sendcloud now allows retailers to centralize and automate the resolution of delivery issues (lost packages, damaged goods, failed deliveries), reducing manual carrier communication and speeding up refund processes.

Flexible delivery options at checkout

A retailer integrates Sendcloud to offer customers multiple delivery options (same-day, next-day, economy) at checkout with transparent pricing, increasing conversion rates while optimizing carrier selection behind the scenes.

Alternatives

ShipStation Pick ShipStation if you're US/UK-based with simple shipping needs and prefer broad marketplace integrations over European carrier optimization.

MyParcel.com Choose MyParcel for simpler, lighter-weight shipping automation without advanced returns management or delivery issue resolution.

ShipBob Select ShipBob if you need end-to-end fulfillment (warehousing + shipping) rather than pure shipping automation and returns management.

FAQ

What does Sendcloud do? +

Sendcloud is an all-in-one shipping platform that automates label printing, order management, tracking, and returns for e-commerce retailers. It integrates with 100+ e-commerce platforms and shipping carriers, allowing businesses to centralize shipping operations, optimize carrier selection with smart rules, and provide branded tracking experiences—all without manual intervention.

How much does Sendcloud cost? +

Sendcloud uses a tiered subscription model with Free, Lite, Growth, Premium, Pro, and Enterprise plans. Support tiers range from email/chat (Free/Lite) to phone support (Growth/Premium) to dedicated account management (Pro/Enterprise). The platform also provides pre-negotiated shipping rates with carriers. Full pricing details require creating an account on their platform.

What are alternatives to Sendcloud? +

ShipStation is a broad US/UK-focused platform with extensive marketplace integrations but limited EU carrier coverage. ShipBob combines shipping with fulfillment services but lacks Sendcloud's returns automation. Easyship offers multi-carrier global shipping but is less specialized for European markets. MyParcel.com provides simpler shipping automation without advanced features.

Who uses Sendcloud? +

Sendcloud serves 23,000+ e-commerce merchants primarily in Europe, ranging from SMBs to mid-market retailers. Notable customers include Gelato, Rosefield, Shoeby, and Subdued. The platform is best suited for online retailers that ship across multiple carriers and need to scale operations without managing complex integrations.

How does Sendcloud compare to ShipStation? +

Sendcloud is built specifically for European e-commerce with deeper EU carrier coverage, advanced automation rules, branded tracking, and integrated returns management. ShipStation excels at broad US/UK marketplace integrations and basic label automation but lacks Sendcloud's EU specialization and advanced features. Sendcloud is better for scaling across multiple European carriers; ShipStation is better for simple SMB shipping across US marketplaces.

What recent moves has Sendcloud made? +

In December 2024, Sendcloud acquired Lox, a delivery issue management platform, expanding its capabilities beyond shipping to include automated delivery problem resolution. It also acquired isendu, an Italian shipping automation company (finalized Q3 2024), strengthening its European presence. In Spring 2025, Sendcloud launched a centralized delivery issue tracking and resolution solution, addressing one of e-commerce's most costly problems.