Batch shipping is a process that allows you to organize multiple shipments into customized groups. You can then assign and process these batches separately from other shipments, providing more flexibility and control of your workflow. Use batches to organize similar shipments together, by whatever criteria you require.
Use Cases for Batches
Some common uses for batches include international shipments, orders shipping from a specific warehouse, orders with specific products, and priority shipments.
Beyond grouping similar orders together, Batches can organize workflows if you have multiple users on your account. You can assign a batch to a specific user so they know which orders to process.
Watch this demo video to learn how how to use the Batch Shipping feature in ShipStation.
ShipStation University Preparing Orders for Shipping Course
If learning by doing is more your style, take the ShipStation University Preparing Orders for Shipping course. The lesson videos will show you the different ways you can configure your shipments as well as how to split orders into multiple shipments or combine multiple shipments into one.
These are the basic steps of shipping with Batches:
Batches have three main states or statuses: open, processed, archived.
Open Batch: This is the default state of a batch once created. You can assign and work on the shipments within the batch.
Processed Batch: After printing all labels within a batch, it is set to Processed. You can still print other documents and move shipments in a Processed batch.
Archived Batch: This puts the batch into a View Only state. You can still access and manipulate individual orders.
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There is no limit to the number of batches you can create.
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The Order Date filter on the
Shipments > Batchespages shows the last 14 days by default. Click the Date filter to change the time frame for your Batches view. -
Before you can process a batch, each shipment in the batch must include the required shipping information needed to create the label:
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Ship From Location
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Shipping Service
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Package Type
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Weight and Dimensions
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Customs declaration (for International Orders)
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Assigning a batch to a specific user will also assign all orders within that batch to that user.
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Users not assigned to a batch will have read-only permissions for those batches and the orders within the batches, but they can leave batch notes or assign the batch to another user.
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As long as a batch is Open you can add or remove shipments as needed, even if labels have already been printed.
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Archived batches can no longer be modified or used to print labels. However, you can still access the individual orders in the Orders or Shipments grid if you need to print documents or cancel the shipment.