Fulfilling orders using a fulfillment service with an app

When you use a fulfillment service that integrates with Shopify through an app, you can manage your entire fulfillment workflow from your Shopify admin. You can request fulfillments, track fulfillment progress, communicate with your fulfillment service through the order timeline, cancel fulfillments, and revert orders when needed.

The fulfillment status updates automatically as your fulfillment service processes orders. When you need to fulfill orders yourself instead of using your fulfillment service, you can change the order location and fulfill it manually.

Types of fulfillment apps

Fulfillment apps sync with your Shopify admin, so your orders update as the fulfillment progresses. The updates you receive depend on the app:

• General fulfillment services: Stock, fulfill, and ship orders on behalf of your store.
• Dropshipping apps: Some automatically mark items as fulfilled when they ship an order. Others require you to order your customer's items within the app. Contact your app's developer to determine the best workflow.
• Print-on-demand apps: Most automatically mark items as fulfilled when the order ships. Check the recommended settings and workflow with your app's developer.

You select a fulfillment method for each product, so a single order can use different fulfillment methods for different items. For example, if a customer orders a dropshipped product and a product that you make yourself, then the dropshipper fulfills the first item and you fulfill the second.

Some fulfillment apps let you connect their own shipping carrier accounts, so you can charge your customers exactly what the app charges you. Check with your fulfillment service to find out whether they offer this option. If your shipping settings use only the general shipping profile and don't have different rates per location, then any fulfillment app is automatically added to your shipping settings. Otherwise, you need to manually add the app to your shipping settings.

Request fulfillment from your fulfillment service

When you request a fulfillment, a message is sent to your fulfillment service to begin picking, packing, and shipping your order. If you use automatic fulfillment, then fulfillment is automatically requested when the order is paid, and you don't have to complete these steps.

When you request a fulfillment, the fulfillment status changes to In progress and you need to wait for a response from your fulfillment service. The fulfillment service either accepts or declines the fulfillment, and the outcome is noted in the order timeline. If the fulfillment service declines the request, then the order status returns to Unfulfilled, and your fulfillment service can include a note to explain why the fulfillment was declined.

If items in an order are fulfilled by different services or shipped in separate packages, then some items might be delivered to your customers before others. An order displays a Fulfilled status only after all items are shipped.

Steps:

Tracking fulfillment progress

After you request a fulfillment, you can track fulfillment information in two locations when you open an order:

• The Fulfillment in progress section provides a fulfillment status and detailed information about the progress of the fulfillment. For example, if an order's fulfillment status is In progress, then the detailed status lets you know whether the fulfillment is Requested or Accepted.
• The order's Timeline section is updated when there are changes to the fulfillment. Use the order timeline to read messages that are sent by your fulfillment service.

Adding or updating tracking information

You can add or update tracking information for an order at any time, regardless of who created the fulfillment. If your fulfillment service provides tracking information, then it's automatically added to the order. You can also manually add or update tracking information.

Learn more about adding a tracking number to a fulfilled order.

Canceling fulfillments

You might need to cancel a fulfillment request when your customer wants to cancel or make changes to the order, or when you decide to fulfill the order manually. The steps for canceling a fulfillment depend on the fulfillment status of the order.

Cancel a requested fulfillment

If fulfillment is requested but not yet accepted, then you can cancel it directly from your Shopify admin. The cancellation is noted in the order timeline and the order status changes to Unfulfilled.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

2. Click the order that you want to cancel a fulfillment for.

3. Click Cancel request.

Cancel an accepted fulfillment

If fulfillment is accepted by your fulfillment service but you need to cancel the fulfillment, then you need to send a cancellation request to your fulfillment service and wait for a response. Your fulfillment service accepts or rejects your cancellation request.

A banner displays on the order when the cancellation request is accepted or rejected:

• Cancellation request accepted: The cancellation is noted in the Timeline and the order status returns to Unfulfilled.
• Cancellation request rejected: The rejection is noted in the order timeline and the fulfillment service continues the fulfillment process. Your fulfillment service can include a message to explain why the cancellation request was declined.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

2. Click the order that you want to cancel a fulfillment for.

3. Click .

4. Click Request cancellation.

5. Optional: In the Notes field, enter a message for your fulfillment service. This message isn't sent to your customer.

6. Click Request cancellation.

The cancellation request is noted in the order timeline and the detailed fulfillment status changes to Cancellation requested.

Revert an order to unfulfilled

When you request cancellation for a fulfillment, you need to wait for a response from your fulfillment service. If the fulfillment service cancels the fulfillment, but can't update the fulfillment status in Shopify, then you can manually change the order status to Unfulfilled. You need to contact your fulfillment service to confirm the fulfillment is canceled to complete this step.

After reverting an order or line item to unfulfilled, check your inventory quantities to make sure they're accurate.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Orders.

2. Click the order that you want to revert to unfulfilled.

3. Click .

4. Click Revert to unfulfilled.

Fulfilling orders yourself instead of using your fulfillment service

When you need to fulfill an order yourself instead of through your fulfillment service, you need to change the location of the items to a location that you manage, and then fulfill the order from the new location. This maintains accurate inventory tracking and prevents discrepancies between your Shopify admin and your fulfillment service.

This can be useful in the following scenarios:

• Your fulfillment service is temporarily unavailable.
• You need to fulfill an order urgently from your own inventory.
• Your fulfillment service's inventory is out of sync and you need to mark an order as fulfilled manually.
• You want to handle a special order personally.

If you frequently need to fulfill orders yourself, then you have two options for organizing your inventory:

• Stock inventory at your own locations (recommended for manual control): Move inventory to a location that you control, such as your retail store or warehouse. This allows you to mark orders as fulfilled in Shopify admin, run your quality assurance process, and use any app to create fulfillments. Learn more about managing inventory at multiple locations.
• Work with your fulfillment service: Contact your fulfillment service provider and confirm they're set up to create fulfillments directly. After they create the fulfillment, you can still update tracking information.

Before you change the order location, review the order's fulfillment status:

• If fulfillment isn't yet requested, then you can change the location directly.
• If fulfillment is requested but not accepted, then cancel the fulfillment request first, then change the location.
• If fulfillment is accepted, then request cancellation and wait for your fulfillment service to accept before changing the location.