If you are using an external inventory solution ShipStation can act as a window to view your stock counts, so you know if it's okay to ship an order or not.
To connect your external inventory to ShipStation and view your stock counts, you must take the following basic steps:
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Connect your external inventory to ShipStation.
For API partners, this means you must enter your ShipStation API key and secret into their platform first. This step is not required for non-API partner selling channels.
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Set your inventory source in your Ship From Location(s).
Review the sections below for detailed instructions on how to complete these steps. Once complete, you can then view the stock counts for your inventory sources directly on the orders in ShipStation.
How you connect your external inventory partners will depend on which inventory platform you use. Some platforms will require ShipStation's API key and secret, but others will not.
In most cases, our API partners will require you to paste the ShipStation API key and secret into your partner account. See our list of supported inventory partners for more details.
To get your API key and secret in ShipStation:
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Select your API Version from the dropdown and click Generate API Key.
We will email a verification link to your user email address.
IMPORTANT: Generated API Keys
API keys and API secrets will only show in ShipStation’s UI when they are generated and only to the user who generated them. They will be hidden from view in the ShipStation UI after you navigate away from the page.
We strongly recommend that you copy the API keys and API secrets and keep a record of these immediately upon their generation.
API Key Generation Limited to the Account Owner Only
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Only the Account Owner can generate API keys. They will need to verify their email to access the API Key Generator.
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API keys can only be viewed in plain text. This view will be available only once, immediately after the keys are generated.
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If you are unsure who is considered to be your account’s owner, contact support@shipstation.comto confirm.
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Check the verification link we send to your user email address and then generate the keys again.
The Generate API Key button will reset once you verify your email.
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Set the expiration (3, 6, or 12 months) for your new API Key, then click Generate.
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Click the Copy icon
to copy your newly generated API Key. Be sure to store it securely.
You can then provide your key and secret to the account you wish to access the ShipStation API.
In ShipStation, you link an Inventory Source to your Ship From Location. For all orders that use that Ship From Location, ShipStation will query the linked Inventory Source to pull stock counts.
To pair an Inventory Source with a Ship From Location:
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If you are updating an existing location click the ellipsis menu next to the desired location.
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Select the desired Inventory Source from the drop down menu. You can select a specific Warehouse within the desired Inventory Source if needed.
Only One Inventory Source Can Be Linked Per Ship From Location
Currently in ShipStation you can only link one inventory source per Ship from Location, but Inventory locations can be linked to multiple Ship from Locations.
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Click Save.
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Repeat as needed for all relevant Ship From Locations.
As you ship your orders ShipStation will use stock based on the Inventory Source linked to your Ship From Location.
Once you've connected to your external inventory and set it as an inventory source for a Ship From Location, you can view your stock counts directly on each order or in the External Inventory Grid (select integrations only).
To view stock counts in your Order Details:
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Set the Ship From Location for the order, if not set already.
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Option 1: Open the shipping sidebar and go to the Items section.
If you do not see the Stock column, click the Settings icon and choose Group By: Orders.
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Option 2: Open your order details screen.
You can view the stock counts in the Stock field.
Currently ShipStation supports showing external inventory counts from the following integrations:
Syncing Will Update Stock Levels in Your Selected Targets
Then inventory source you sync here will display stock levels in ShipStation and appear in your Inventory Sync settings. This will also update stock levels in your selected targets.
You must select an external inventory source to view and sync external stock levels to your inventory grid:
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Navigate to Settings > Inventory Management > Inventory Sync.
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Select Edit.
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Select the desired External Inventory Source.
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Click Save to sync your updated stock counts.
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Navigate to Products > External Inventory to view your updated stock counts.
ShipStation will refresh the sync your selected External Inventory Source every 10 minutes. You can also manually initiate a sync as needed using the Initiate Manual Sync button on the Inventory Sync settings page.
Here are a few common issues you may encounter when using external inventory:
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Unable to retrieve stock levels: If you see this message for items in your Order Details or Shipping Sidebar, make sure you have connected an inventory source to the selected Ship From Location.
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If the inventory channel is not an option in the Inventory Source drop-down menu: Contact the inventory channel to make sure the account is configured to send stock counts to ShipStation. If required, make sure your ShipStation API key and secret have been entered into your inventory platform account.