How to use batches to create labels in bulk and organize your batch shipment workflow.
Batch shipping is a process that allows you to organize large numbers of shipments into customized bins. You can then assign and process these batches separately from other shipments, providing more flexibility and control of your workflow.
Why use batch shipping?
Use batches to organize similar shipments together, by whatever criteria you require. For example, create separate batches for international shipments, priority shipments, shipments containing specific products, or orders shipping from a certain warehouse. You can then assign those batches to specific users or create a workflow so your staff knows to prioritize certain batches over others.
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There are two ways to create a batch in ShipStation:
Use the + Create a New Batch option in the Orders tab sidebar (bottom left).
Click Batch in the Orders tab Shipping Sidebar.
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Click + Create a New Batch from the bottom of the left-hand sidebar in the Orders tab.
ShipStation will add a new batch to the Open Batches list, just above the + Create a New Batch button. ShipStation will assign it a batch number to start.
Click the new batch to open the batch details and give it a custom name.
If any orders are selected in the Orders grid, ShipStation will automatically add them to the new batch.
ShipStation will add a new batch to your Open Batches list and automatically add your selected orders to it.
For either scenario, you can then rename the batch with any unique name you wish.
To change the name of the batch, simply click in the name field again to edit.
Ad Hoc Batches
In addition to the method of creating batches described in this article, you can also create an ad hoc batch. This type of batch occurs when you select multiple orders and click the Create Label button without first adding the orders to a batch you created.
In this scenario, ShipStation creates a batch in the background to process the labels together, which you can then print in a single action. You cannot work in ad hoc batches like you can with normal batches, since they do not exist in the open state.
Go to Shipments > Batches, should you need to review the batch, reprint the labels, rename, or archive the batch.
You can add orders to a batch from the Orders tab, as well as from the Order Details window.
Alternative method: Select the orders and click Batch in the Orders grid Shipping sidebar just above the Configure Shipment Widget.
Then select which batch to add the order to from the Add To Batch pop-up.
If you attempt to add an order to a batch and that order is already in a batch, ShipStation will display an alert to let you know and ask if you want to move the orders to the selected batch, or exclude them from the batch.
To add an order to a batch from the Order Details window:
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Open the Order Details screen for an order.
To open the Order Details, click on an order number in either the Orders or Shipments tab.
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Click the Add to Batch button.
Select which batch to add the shipments to or click Create New Batch.
In the case of orders with multiple shipments, all shipments will be added to the batch. If the order is already in a batch, ShipStation will display an alert to let you know and prompt you to either move the order or exclude it.
The number of orders in any given batch will appear next to the batch name in the Shipment Batch list. Click the batch name to view the orders and begin working in your batch.
You can also view which orders are in which batch by adding the Batch column to your grid.
When you create a batch, you either assign the batch to a specific user or ShipStation automatically assigns the batch to the user you are logged in as at the time.
However, you can assign batches to other users at anytime. Most batch actions, including updating shipping options and creating and printing labels, can only be taken by the user assigned to the batch. All other users will have read-only access to the batch, with the ability to assign the batch to another user or enter a batch note.
The new user will now show as the assigned user in the Batches list. This user will have full access to all actions on this batch. All other users will have read-only access to the batch, along with the ability to leave a batch note or assign the batch to another user.
To view the shipments in your batch and make changes:
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Click the batch you wish to work in on the bottom of the left-hand sidebar in your Orders tab.
Or, go to the Shipments tab, choose
Batches > Open, and click the batch you wish to work on.
ShipStation will open the Batch Details screen with all orders in the batch automatically selected.
Deselect any orders you do not wish to perform an action on.
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Select the action you wish to perform in the batch from the action buttons.
When working in a batch, you can perform several actions on all shipments in the batch, or on only selected shipments in the batch, whichever your workflow requires.
In an individual batch, you can:
Create and Print labels for selected shipments. We call this Processing a batch.
Print other batch documents, like packing slips.
Add a note to the entire batch.
Use the Bulk Update menu to update Service, Package, Weight, Size, Ship From, Insurance, Confirmation, Marketplace Notification, Packing Slip and Email Template, Customs Declarations, and Shipping Account.
Use the Other Actions menu to remove shipments from a batch, move shipments to another batch, send shipment notifications, or export the batch shipments.
You can also open the individual order or shipment details to view the details of specific orders and shipments, and make individual changes as needed.
Processing a batch simply means creating and printing the labels for the batch's shipments. You can process individual or multiple orders within a batch, or process multiple batches at once.
Whichever option you choose, once the process begins you can continue to work while while ShipStation creates the labels in the background.
To create and print labels for individual shipments within a batch, do the following:
Open a batch to view its shipments.
Deselect any shipments you do not wish to process, or leave them all selected to process them all at once.
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Click Process Labels (or choose Process + Print Labels if you want to print immediately).
To print other documents, like Packing Slips or Pick Lists, without creating labels first, click the Print menu and choose the appropriate option.
The Label Batch Status screen will pop up and show you the batch's progress.
If you selected Process + Print Labels, the labels should immediately be directed to your default printer.
Select your next action: Print Labels, Print Packing Slips, Print Other Docs, or Archive Batch. Or, close the pop-up to do nothing further to this batch.
The Batch Details grid will indicate what actions have been performed on which orders.
You might encounter two types of errors when processing a batch:
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Validation errors and warnings
These types of errors occur if shipments lack necessary information to create a label, like a Ship From Address, shipping service or package type, weight, or customs declarations for international orders.
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Purchase and notification errors
Purchasing errors occur at the time ShipStation attempts to purchase the label from the carrier and can include billing errors or other account related errors.
Notification errors occur after the label is created when ShipStation attempts to notify either the marketplace or customer about the shipment.
These errors will appear in the Label Batch Status pop-up and in the Label Queue.
Batches can be Open, Processed, or Archived. Once you archive a batch, the batch cannot be modified or used to print documents and it will be removed from the Active batch view.
Note
Shipments from archived batches will still be visible in Shipments tab and you can still print labels or packing slips as needed from the individual shipment.
ShipStation will then move the batch into the Archived section of the Batches screen.
There is no limit to the number of batches you can create.
Before you can process a batch, each shipment in the batch must include the shipping information needed to create the label (Ship From Address, shipping service and package type, weight, and customs declarations for international orders).
Assigning a batch to a specific user will also assign all orders within that batch to that user.
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.
As long as a batch is Open you can add or remove shipments as needed, even if labels have already been printed.
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.
In ShipStation Legacy, batches are user specific and each user in your account can have up to five open batches at a time.
Unlimited Batches
ShipStation's new layout allows unlimited batches. Switch to ShipStation's new layout to give it a try!
Batches appear on the bottom left of your ShipStation Orders screen, and the open batch number will also display in the Open Batch column of your Orders grid. Once a batch has been processed, you can then view specific batch information in Shipments > Batches.
There are two ways to create a batch:
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Click +Create a New Batch in the left-hand sidebar.
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Select orders in the Order grid and select Add to Batch from the shipping sidebar. In the drop-down menu select Create New Batch.
There are two ways to add an order to a batch:
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Drag and drop the orders from the Orders grid to the batch area in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
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Select the desired orders, choose Add to Batch from the Shipping Sidebar, then select the batch number where you want to add those orders.
Orders Can Be in Only One Batch
ShipStation will save you from any duplicate shipments by only allowing an order to be in one batch at a time. If you attempt to add an order to a batch but the order is already in another batch (including another user's batch), ShipStation will prompt you to move the order.
Processing a batch simply means to create the labels for all of the orders contained in the batch.
To create the labels for a batch:
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Select the batch number from the sidebar in the Orders tab.
You should then see all orders contained in the batch in the Orders grid.
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Click the Process Batch button.
A screen will then display the batch’s progress. You can close this window and the batch will continue to process in the background.
When the batch is finished processing, a pop-up will appear with your available options.
From here you can print labels, packing slips, and other documents.
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Click the Labels button to print the labels right away.
If you are not ready to print, close this window. You can print at any time from the Label Queue or by selecting the shipments from the Batches screen in the Shipments tab and clicking Print.
You can also mark a batch as printed, add notes, or archive the batch in the Batches screen.
Process Batch Best Practice
The best practice when using batches is to use the Process Batch button. If you instead select the orders within a batch and click Create Labels, this will cause ShipStation to auto-create a new batch with these orders and then process within this new batch.
When this occurs, you may see the orders remain in your previously created batch, even though their status has changed to Shipped. If this happens, simply cancel the open batch, and select the new batch from your Label Queue or Shipments > Batches window to print the labels.
Archiving a batch will hide the batch from the batch page. Use this option to close batches that have finished printing and do not need further attention.
You can always find these batches again later by using the search bar or by selecting Archived under the Batches option in the left-hand sidebar.