How to add a Zen Cart store to ShipStation, what features are available, other need-to-know details, and troubleshooting tips.
Zen Cart is a free, self-hosted, shopping-cart platform, fully customizable and ideal for both new businesses or large corporations. ShipStation supports gift messages, notes from buyers, and internal notes. We also pull in product details like weight, images, and options from orders, as well as post carrier info, tracking number, and shipment status back to Zen Cart.
Connection Requirements:
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An active Zen Cart store running version 1.3 or greater.
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The ShipStation plug-in file uploaded to your Zen Cart root folder.
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Your Zen Cart admin username and password.
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The URL to the ShipStation PHP file.
Scope of Support
Installing the plug-in file to your Zen Cart root folder is beyond the scope of ShipStation support. We recommend you contact your store developer or Zen Cart Support if you need assistance with the plug-in installation process, as the process can differ based on the unique Apache server configuration.
Order Import Requirements:
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Include a Ship To address.
To connect your Zen Cart store to ShipStation:
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Download this file and upload the shipstation_zc.php file to your Zen Cart's root folder.
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Log in to your Zen Cart admin site.
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Recommended. Go to Tools or Admin Access Management (depending on Zen Cart version) and create a new admin user specifically for the ShipStation integration.
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Select the Zen Cart tile.
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Enter your Zen Cart Admin Username, Admin Password, and URL to ShipStation PHP File in the corresponding fields, and map any custom statuses if needed.
Note
The Shipped Status used must match the status used for shipped orders on Zen Cart.
After you've completed the connection steps, your store will be connected to ShipStation. You'll be taken to the store's Settings page to adjust the store-specific settings like branding, notification preferences, and product handling.
The ShipStation integration with Zen Cart supports the following standard features:
The ShipStation integration to Zen Cart allows for the following additional features:
|
Feature |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Configurable Time Zone |
By default, ShipStation assumes that the Zen Cart store's server uses UTC as the timezone. If your Zen Cart account uses a different server timezone, you can define it in the store's settings. |
Here are some common issues experienced by users, potential causes, and available troubleshooting tips.
|
Issue |
How to troubleshoot or resolve |
|---|---|
|
Order Import Failure: Store refreshes, no orders import, and no error messages appear. |
What it means: If you've updated to Zen Cart version 1.5.7 and encounter order import failures without any apparent error, this could be due to Zen Cart not defining the Date-Time format properly. If you see DATE_TIME_FORMAT in the Zen Cart Order Date field, this is likely the issue. What to do: Download Latest (Version 1.8), or see this Zen Cart forum page for instructions on a manual fix. |
|
Error : No order status in database When sending shipment updates to Zen Cart |
What it means: This error will occur if the Shipped Status mapped in ShipStation does not match the status that Zen Cart uses for shipped orders. What to do: Reconfigure your store's connection to ShipStation, and set the Shipped Status to match the status used for shipped orders in Zen Cart. |
|
The Order Date in ShipStation is different than the Order Date in Zen Cart |
What it means: This usually occurs because the Zen Cart server is using a different timezone than the timezone set in the store's settings in ShipStation, which causes the Order Date to be thrown off when converting the timestamp based on time zone. What to do: Update the store's settings so the store is using the same timezone as the server your Zen Cart store is hosted on. |
|
Certain orders placed late in the day do not import into ShipStation |
What it means: Similar to the issue above, this typically occurs because the Zen Cart server is using a different timezone than the timezone set in the store's settings in ShipStation, which causes our import process to inadvertently skip ahead. What to do: Update the store's settings so the store is using the same timezone as the server your Zen Cart store is hosted on. |