If you need to track specific items sent to customers, enable ShipStation's Serial Number Tracking feature for built-in, unit-level traceability, with no spreadsheets required. It works for any product where you need exact tracking for recalls, warranty claims, or return disputes, such as electronics or medical devices.
Once enabled, ShipStation prompts for a serial number every time that product ships, whether scanned on the Scan Page or entered manually. Each serial number connects directly to its order, allowing you to quickly look up specific units in the Order by Serial Number report.
Subscription Plan Requirement
This feature is not available on all subscription plans. To access this feature, you may need to upgrade your plan. To learn which features are included with your plan, visit Learn About ShipStation Subscription Plans.
To upgrade your plan, go to Settings > Account > Payment & Subscription.
Serial number tracking is turned on per product, so you have complete control over where it is required. Once you have determined which SKUs you need to track, follow the steps below to enable serial number tracking:
Once a product requires a serial number, any order containing it will prompt for one, either on the order itself or during packing. Serial numbers stay on the order after the label prints, as part of your permanent order record.
Whether a user can edit or delete serial numbers on an order is controlled by the Edit Serial Numbers user permission. Without it, a user can still see serial numbers that have already been entered, but can't change or remove them.
To Record on the Order Details Page:
Go to the orders tab and open the order you need to record a serial number in. Type or scan the serial number into the serial number field below the Shipment Item.
To Record on the Scan tab:
Go to the Scan tab and scan the product's barcode to verify it, the same way you verify any item at the packing station. Once the item is verified, scan or type its serial number. If the line item has a quantity greater than 1, repeat steps 1 and 2 for each additional unit.
Every serial number you capture is searchable, so you can trace a specific unit back to the order, and the customer, it shipped to.
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Go to Insights > Reports > Order by Serial Number.
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Search the Serial number or Run the report to see all orders, including the SKU, order date, store, and the customer's shipping address.
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Click Run Report.
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(optional) Use the Export To drop down to export the results any time you need to keep them for your records. You can export the report as a CSV, txt, pdf, or Excel file.
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Serial Number Rules in ShipStation:
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Within a Single Order: Every serial number must be unique. You cannot use the same serial number twice on the same order.
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Multiple Items (Same SKU) Within a Single Order: If an order includes more than one of the same item, you must enter a separate serial number for each individual item.
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Across Different Orders: Serial numbers can be repeated. ShipStation only checks for duplicate serial numbers within an individual order, not across separate orders.
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If a serial number is required but not entered ShipStation's default setting is to block label printing. You can manage this setting by going to
settings > warehouse > packing > serial numbers. -
Use the Edit Serial Numbers user permission to control who can add, edit, or delete serial numbers on an order. Everyone with order access can still view them.