Explains what automation rules are and how to access and create them. Includes details about the available criteria and actions used in rules, and troubleshooting tips.
Automation rules can help automate many order management related tasks in ShipStation to reduce the time it takes to create labels.
For a demonstration, check out our video tutorial on automation rules.
Need Help Troubleshooting Your Automation Rules?
Visit our Troubleshooting Automation Rules article for details on how to troubleshoot rules that do not apply as expected.
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Automation Rules are account-specific and user-created. When orders that meet specific criteria import into ShipStation, these rules cause ShipStation to automatically perform certain actions. They save you time and take numerous steps that you would otherwise perform manually.
After Product Automation and Service Mapping have already been applied, Automation Rules apply as the third and final automated process for orders that import into ShipStation. You may fine-tune your customization with Automation Rules more so than with other automated processes.
Additionally, consider the standard Default Confirmation rule ShipStation includes for all new accounts. Or create a highly specialized rule that only applies to a small subset of orders and changes multiple shipping options.
Use a rule to specify at least one criterion and one action, like these example rules that handle weight, residential orders, and order tags. Thus, you could create a simple automation rule that affects all orders and only changes one thing. Or automation rules can have multiple criteria, like in this example.
Any ShipStation user with Administrator or Configuration user permissions can access, edit, and delete automation rules.
From the Automation Rules page, you can:
View all existing automation rules on your account
Create new automation rules
Edit existing automation rules
Re-organize the order in which rules apply (using click-and-drag)
Delete existing rules
Reprocess Automation Rules
To create a new automation rule, follow the steps below.
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Click the +Create a Rule button to get started.
Name the rule so that it has a name that uniquely identifies its function.
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Set the criteria.
The criteria determine which orders the rule will apply to. You have three options:
Apply these actions to EVERY order that is imported.
Only apply these actions to orders that match specific criteria.
Only apply these actions to orders that match an existing filter.
For the purposes of this example, we'll focus on the second option.
Select the option to Only apply these actions to orders that match specific criteria.
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Click +Add Criteria.
The criteria you set here will determine which orders the rule will apply to. The About Rule Criteria section below has more details.
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Set the action.
Actions tell ShipStation what to do to the order.
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Click the Add an Action button to start adding actions to the rule.
The About Rule Actions section below has more details. See the table at the end of this article for a full list of available actions.
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Save the rule.
Change a Rule
If you ever need to change the criteria or actions for a rule or de-activate it, click Edit next to the rule in the Automation Rules settings window.
Think of automation rules like if/then statements. The criteria for a rule will be the IF portion of the statement.
Criteria: Single
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace Equals Shopify..."
There are many criteria options, and some let you choose more than one value. If the criterion you select allows you to choose multiple values (like stores), they are treated like OR statements.
Criteria: Multiple Stores
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace Equals Magento OR Shopify..."
Similarly, some criteria require you to type the value. If you need the criteria to look for multiple different values, separate them with a semicolon (;) and ShipStation will treat them as OR statements.
Criteria: Multiple Cities
This statement says, "IF the City Equals Austin OR San Antonio..."
Lastly, you can add additional criteria to the rule, and each individual criteria line is an AND statement.
Criteria: Store AND City
This statement says, "IF the Marketplace Equals Shopify AND the City Equals Austin..."
Again, think of Automation Rules as if/then statements. The actions are the THEN portion of the statement.
Action: Single
This action says, "...THEN Add an Internal Note 'Call customer before shipping'"
Just like with criteria, you can have multiple different actions in a single automation rule, and each individual action would be an AND statement.
Action: Multiple
This action says, "...THEN Set International Non-Delivery to Treat as Abandoned AND Set Customs Content Type to Gift."
Apply Rules in a Specific Order
If you need your rules to apply in a certain order, click and drag a rule to adjust its position in the list.
Automation rules in ShipStation run in descending order, so the rule at the top of the list will run first, and the rule at the bottom of the list will run last. This also means you can create a series of rules that depend on criteria set by actions in a previous rule!
Criteria |
Description |
|---|---|
# of Line Items |
The number of unique line items in the order - not to be confused with Total Quantity. |
Address Line 1 |
The first line of the address |
Address Line 2 |
The second line of the address |
Address Verified |
The address verification system processed the address and returned a “Verified”, “Warning”, or “Error” status. |
Amount Paid |
The amount paid by the customer |
Assigned User |
The specific user assigned to this order |
Buyer ID |
Customer identifier imported from the marketplace - typically the username or email address. |
Buyer Name |
The name of the buyer |
Carrier |
Carrier and/or Postage Provider |
City |
“Ship To” city |
Country |
“Ship To” country |
Custom Field 1 |
Refers to the Custom Fields within an order. Data can equal, contain, start with, end with, or be blank |
Custom Field 2 | |
Custom Field 3 | |
Date Paid |
The date the payment was made |
Gift Order |
Is the "This is a gift" option checked in the order? |
Internal Notes |
Data can equal, contain, start with, end with, or be blank |
Item Name |
The name of the order item. Note: Automation Rules using Item Name as criteria will not apply to orders that have more than one line item in the order. Because of this, we recommend adding tags to your product records and using the product tag as automation criteria. |
Item SKU |
The SKU of the order item. Note: Automation Rules using Item SKU as criteria will not apply to orders that have more than one line item in the order. Because of this, we recommend adding tags to your product records and using the product tag as automation criteria. |
Marketplace |
The marketplace the order is importing from |
Notes to the Buyer |
Refers to the Notes fields within an order. Data can equal, contain, start with, end with, or be blank |
Notes from Buyer | |
Order # |
The number that imported into ShipStation as the Order Number |
Order Date |
The date the order was placed |
Order Subtotal |
The cost of the order prior to calculating customer’s shipping charge and taxes |
Order Tags |
Refers to tags the order contains. |
Order Total |
The cost of the order, including shipping fees and taxes |
Package |
Refers to what package type is selected in the order |
Payment Method |
How was this order paid for? Credit card, C.O.D., etc |
Postal Code |
“Ship To” postal code |
Recipient Company |
“Ship To” company name |
Recipient Name |
“Ship To” recipient name |
Requested Service (Mapped) |
The carrier/service/package the requested service has been mapped to in ShipStation |
Requested Service (Marketplace Value) |
The carrier/service/package that was selected for the order in the store during the customer's checkout |
Residential / Commercial |
Address has been verified as residential or commercial |
Ship By Date |
The already-defined Ship By Date from the marketplace |
Shipping Account |
Which Shipping Account is defined - ‘My Account’, 'Third Party’, or ‘Recipient’? |
Shipping Paid |
The amount of shipping paid by a customer |
Source |
The original source of the order when importing orders from a Shopping Cart, Inventory Solution, etc |
State |
“Ship To” state |
Store |
Refers to the store the order imported from |
Tax Paid |
The amount of tax paid by the customer |
Total Quantity |
Total number of items in order |
Total Weight |
Total order weight |
USPS Zone |
USPS Zone based on Ship From and Recipient postal codes |
Ship From Location |
The defined Ship From location |
Warehouse Location |
The Warehouse Location outlined in the product defaults of the order item. Note: Automation Rules using Warehouse Location as criteria will not apply to orders that have more than one line item in the order. Because of this, we recommend adding tags to your product records and using the product tag as automation criteria. |
Notes About Automation Criteria
Automation Criteria |
Description |
|---|---|
Address Verified |
There is not currently a way to have multiple values selected for this criterion in a single line. If you want automation to apply whenever an address is verified as a Warning or an Error , you will need to have two automation rules - one for each value. |
Item Specific |
Automation rules using the Item Name, Item SKU, and Warehouse Location criteria options will only apply to orders containing a single unique line item (the quantity of that line item does not matter). Even if every product in the order matches the criteria, the automation rule will be skipped if there is more than one unique line item. If you need automation based on an ordered product, regardless of other products in the order, create a tag for the product, tag the product record in ShipStation with that tag, and use the tag as the criteria instead. |
Order Tags |
If you select multiple tags as the value in a single criteria line, then the rule will apply when any of the selected tags are on the order. If you only want the rule to apply if all tags are present, each tag should have its own criteria line. |
Action |
Description |
|---|---|
Add an Internal Note… |
Adds notes to the Internal field in the order. |
Add Note to the Buyer… |
Adds notes to the to Buyer field in the order |
Adjust the Order Weight… |
Adds a specific amount to the order weight based on what you select in the rule setup. |
Assign to a user… |
Assigns the order to a designated user in the ShipStation account. |
Bill Int’l Duties to Payor of Shipping Charges |
Marks the duties of the order to be billed to the shipper instead of the recipient (check with your carrier to find out how they will bill those charges) |
Charge Shipping to 3rd Party… |
Designates a third-party account as the payor of shipping charges (this option requires the shipping service to have already been applied to the order) |
Charge Shipping to My Account… |
Designates your pre-selected shipping account as the payor of the shipping charges. |
Collect Payment on Delivery (C.O.D.)... |
Applies the Cash On Delivery (C.O.D.) option to the order (not supported by all carriers) |
Create an Alert… |
Creates an order alert with customized information |
Do Not Notify Marketplace of Shipment |
Prevents ShipStation from sending the Marketplace Notification |
Do Not Prepay Postage (Endicia Only) |
Automatically selects “Do Not Prepay Postage” from Other Shipping Options in the matched order |
Don’t Import the Order |
Removes the order from ShipStation and prevents future imports of the same order from that selling channel connection. |
Enable Saturday Delivery (UPS / FedEx) |
Automatically selects “Saturday Delivery” from Other Shipping Options in the matched order |
Enable Shipper Release (UPS only) |
Automatically selects “Driver may release package without signature” in Other Shipping Options in the matched order |
Hold the Order for… |
Places matched order on hold for a specific number of days |
Hold Until… |
Places match order on hold until a specific date |
Include a Return Label with the Outbound Label |
Generates a return label when the outbound label is created |
Insure the Package… |
Automatically assigns a specific insurance provider to the matched order |
Mark Shipment(s) as “Non-Machinable” |
Automatically marks the matched order as “Non-Machinable” (typically results in a surcharge). |
Request Confirmation… |
Assigns a specific confirmation type to the order |
Send an email… |
Sends an email to designated email addresses when the rule runs. When in trial, you must contact the ShipStation Support team to have this action enabled for your account. |
Set Carrier/Service/Package… |
Assigns a Carrier/Service/Package to the matched order |
Set Custom Field 1… |
Adds a note to Custom Field 1. |
Set Custom Field 2… |
Adds a note to Custom Field 2. |
Set Custom Field 3… |
Adds a note to Custom Field 3. |
Set Customs Content Type… |
Assigns the content type of your order’s customs declarations |
Set Declaration Statement (FedEx only) |
Sets declaration statement which will be used on customs documents for FedEx international shipment. |
Set Fulfillment Provider… |
Selects the Fulfillment Provider and offers the option to automatically send the order to that provider. |
Set International Non-Delivery… |
Selects the action that should be taken when an international shipment cannot be delivered |
Set Package Dimensions… |
Sets the length, width, and height of your order |
Set Ship By Date |
Sets the Ship By Date in your Order |
Set Ship From Location… |
Sets the Ship From Location in your order |
Set the Dry Ice Weight (UPS / FedEx) |
Sets the Dry Ice Weight in the order. Does not alter the order's weight. |
Set the Order as Containing Alcohol (FedEx) |
Automatically selects “This order includes alcohol” in Other Shipping Options in the matched order |
Set the Order as Containing Dry Ice (UPS / FedEx) |
Selects that the order includes dry ice, but does not set the weight |
Set the Total Order Weight… |
Defines the total weight of the order (different from Adjust Order Weight) |
Show Postage Paid on the Label |
Displays the price of the postage on the label for the matched order |
Stop Processing Rules for the Order |
Stops any automation rules that follow this rule from running on that order |
Use a specific Packing Slip… |
Assigns a selected packing slip to the matched order |
Use email template for Delivery Notification… |
Assigns a selected email delivery template to the matched order |
Use email template for Shipment Notification… |
Assigns a selected email shipment confirmation template to the matched order |
Notes About Automation Actions
Action |
Description |
|---|---|
Note Actions |
If your store sends Internal Note, Custom Field #1, Custom Field #2, or Custom Field #3 to ShipStation, an action that sets the same note field will override the note imported from the store. However, if the store refreshes and includes the same order information, ShipStation will update the order to match the store. In this situation, it's best to update these notes directly in the store and let it flow into ShipStation via a store refresh. |
Adjust Weight: |
This action will only apply to an order once. It will not apply to an order again even if you reprocess automation rules. |
Charge Shipping to My Account |
Only use this action if you have multiple accounts connected to ShipStation for a single carrier, e.g., two FedEx accounts. When used, this action will allow you to set which account should be used to create the label. If a shipping service is already selected for the order but does not match the services provided by the carrier account set by this action, ShipStation will clear the order's shipping service. If you only have a single account connected for each carrier, this action is not necessary. |
Don't Import the Order: Be very careful with this action! |
If this action applies to an order, the order will be set to an inactive status in our database and removed from view and all reporting in ShipStation. Once this action applies to an order it cannot be undone. It locks the order out of ShipStation completely. Even if you delete the rule, re-importing the store's orders or using the Reprocess Automation Rules button will have no effect. |
Send an Email |
This action is not available for trial users by default. If you need to use this automation action, please reach out to the ShipStation Support team and an agent can enable it for your account. This action will only apply to an order once. It will not apply to an order again even if you reprocess automation rules. When setting this action, you can either send the email to a specific email address or use the customer or store's email address. This action sends the email immediately when the order imports. If you intend to adjust the shipping confirmation email that is sent at the time of label creation, use the Use email template for Shipment Notification… action instead. |
Set Fulfillment Provider |
This action will set the fulfillment provider for the order. This action also gives the option for ShipStation to automatically send a fulfillment request to the provider upon import of the order. The portion of the action that sets the fulfillment provider will apply again if you reprocess automation rules, but the action that automatically sends the request will not. If you encounter an error when sending the automatic fulfillment request, ShipStation will retain the order in the Awaiting Shipment status. You will then need to use the manual Send Fulfillment action to request fulfillment again. |