Add Customer Records

Updated February 13, 2026 03:58

Customer records can be created in ShipStation using different methods based on how you add and manage orders and customer data.

You can add customer records by:

Using Create Customer: Manually create or update a customer record without creating an order.
Creating a manual order: ShipStation automatically creates a customer record when you enter a new Buyer Username for phone, email, or offline orders.
Importing customer data via CSV: Upload a CSV file to create or update multiple customer records in bulk.
Importing orders via CSV: Map a field to the Buyer Username to link orders to existing customers or create new customer records automatically.

For more details on how ShipStation identifies, links, and updates customer records, visit Customer Records Overview.

Add a Customer via Create Customer

To add a customer using Create Customer:

Go to the Customers tab.
Click Create Customer.
Enter the customer’s details.

Tip: Existing customer records will not autofill. To avoid creating duplicate records, ensure the customer does not already exist before saving.
Click Create Customer.

To add a customer via a manual order:

Go to the Orders tab.
Click New Order.
Enter the order details, including the Buyer Username.

If the Buyer Username does not already exist, ShipStation will automatically create a new customer record.
Click Save Order.

CSV Requirements

Before uploading your CSV file, make sure it meets the following format and field requirements to ensure a successful customer import.

To add a customer via CSV import:

Go to the Customers tab.
Click the Import button.
Click Download a sample CSV file.
Add your customer information to the CSV file, or use it as a template to create your own.
Return to ShipStation and click Select a File to upload your CSV.
Choose how ShipStation should handle customers that already exist—either update existing customers or import only new usernames.

Tip: To avoid duplicates, select Ignore the record in the CSV. Only customers with new usernames will import.
Click Start Import.

When importing orders in bulk, ShipStation can automatically create customer records.

To import orders from a CSV file to ShipStation:

Go to the Orders tab.
Click Other Actions > Import Orders.
Click +Select file and upload your order CSV file.
Choose the store you want to import into from the Import to Store drop-down.

Once the import starts, these orders cannot be moved to another store.
Select Create a new field mapping if this is your first CSV import.

Field Mapping is how you tell ShipStation what data from your file goes into which ShipStation fields. To choose a previously saved mapping, click the Use a saved mapping option and select your saved mapping from the drop-down menu.
Click Upload.

For detailed instructions and field mapping options, see Import Orders via CSV.

If you use MailChimp, our MailChimp integration automatically creates new MailChimp email subscribers when new orders are imported.

In ShipStation, go to Settings > Integrations > Integration Partners > MailChimp to learn more.

To fix common CSV formatting and import issues, visit CSV Import Troubleshooting and Tips.