# Messages

When rating a `Shipment` or Pickup, some carriers may fail to generate rates.
These failures are returned as part of the `Shipment` or `Pickup` as part of their `messages` attribute, and follow a common object structure.

It is important to note that the `message` value for any member of this list comes directly from the carrier, not from EasyPost.
This means that if you see an authentication or other non-shipping error here, it is not an issue between you and EasyPost, it is an issue between you and the carrier, or an issue with the given data.

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## Message object

| Property | Type | Description |
|----------|------|-------------|
| carrier | string | The name of the carrier generating the error, e.g. "UPS" |
| type | string | The category of error that occurred. Most frequently "rate_error" |
| message | string | The string from the carrier explaining the problem |
| carrier_account_id | string | The account ID of the carrier. Useful if you have multiple accounts with the same carrier. |