Custom Ink - VRS (Vendor Rate Shopping)
Product-focused engineering across shipping optimization and internal tooling
Led shipping API integration and internal tooling development at Custom Ink. Integrated third-party vendor API enabling access to 12+ carriers and automatic rate shopping. Managed stakeholder demos, customer service escalations, and cross-functional coordination. Built internal dashboards for partner behavior tracking. This role blurred engineering and product management—I was demoing to VPs, managing delays, and pushing back on unrealistic estimates.
The Problem
Custom Ink was shipping with only 2 carriers. Limited options meant limited ability to optimize for cost and delivery time. The company needed access to more carriers and the ability to "rate shop"—automatically find the lowest cost option that meets delivery requirements.
Previous attempts to integrate directly with multiple carriers failed. Managing 12+ individual carrier APIs would be engineering overhead nightmare with different data formats, error handling, and maintenance requirements for each.
Limited to 2 carriers before integration. Third-party API enabled access to 12+ carriers with automatic rate shopping for cost optimization.
Strategic Approach
Integrated EasyPost API that handled carrier relationships on our behalf. Built client and server code for internal systems. Updated server APIs and libraries. Implemented rate shopping logic on backend so customers got best price without seeing complexity.
What this project actually was: technically front-end lead, but essentially a product management role. Demoed to VPs and stakeholders. Customer service escalations came directly to me. Troubleshot thermal printer issues with partners. Pushed back on ticket scoring when engineers rated 21-point tickets as 8 points—which threw off timelines and hid complexity.
Third-Party API Integration via EasyPost
Key challenges:
Backend engineer took 3-6 months on API work, blocking frontend progress
Got called out in meetings for lack of progress despite my code being done
Started mocking backend data to show stakeholders progress
Had hard conversations with engineering managers about delays, unrealistic estimates, and communication breakdowns
Project manager needed regular updates on actual status vs. planned timeline
Engineers refused to score tickets over 8 points to avoid "throwing off estimates." When work was clearly 21+ points, managers steamrolled ahead with 8-point estimate rather than breaking down the problem—causing months of delays.
What I Built
Multi-Carrier Rate Shopping Architecture
Shipping optimization platform including:
Third-party vendor API integration (EasyPost)
Rate shopping logic for automatic carrier selection
Client and server code for internal systems
Updated APIs and libraries for downstream services
Spawned multiple follow-on projects including CloseoutDashboard
CloseoutDashboard: Partner Behavior Tracking
Execution & Delivery
Managed cross-functional coordination between engineering, operations, and leadership. Demonstrated progress to VPs despite backend delays. Mocked data when needed to maintain stakeholder confidence. Troubleshot integration issues including thermal printer compatibility with shipping partners.
Go-to-market strategy: Beachhead approach targeting Chicago commerce centers where I have existing professional relationships. Enables rapid customer discovery and product-market fit validation before scaling.
Outcomes
Led shipping API integration and internal tooling development at Custom Ink. Integrated third-party vendor API enabling access to 12+ carriers and automatic rate shopping. Managed stakeholder demos, customer service escalations, and cross-functional coordination. Built internal dashboards for partner behavior tracking. This role blurred engineering and product management—I was demoing to VPs, managing delays, and pushing back on unrealistic estimates.
