ShipStation’s Pack Station provides a consolidated packing, verification, and label-printing workspace. With Pack Station, your warehouse personnel can scan an order, confirm item accuracy in the box, and generate shipping labels from a single interface.
How Pack Station helps streamline warehouse fulfillment operations:
- Supports multiple packing workflows: Select between Scan to Verify, Scan to Print, and Scan to Verify & Print directly within the station settings panel.
- Scan barcodes continuously: Item barcodes are automatically detected as soon as an order is loaded. The station listens for the scanner on its own.
- Flag inventory issues from the bench: Report missing, damaged, or incorrect inventory directly from the station to automatically set the order to On Hold.
- Review shipping rates inline: Review carrier services, delivery estimates, and postage costs next to the print action before generating a label.
- Configure workflow displays: Customize visible shipping details, package fields, and section cards for each workflow.
The following is required to use Pack Station:
- Barcode Scanner: A standard barcode scanner.
- ShipStation Connect: ShipStation Connect app must be installed, active, and logged in on the workstation to communicate with local thermal printers and scales.
- Product Identifiers: Items must have matching SKUs or barcodes configured in your ShipStation product catalog.
-
Subscription Requirement: Your ShipStation plan must include Barcode Scanning.
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.
If you created your account before November 2026 you may have access to ShipStation's Classic Barcode Scan workflow. You can enable the Pack Station workflow in your account at any time. Please note that migrating your workflow to Pack Station is an account wide setting and will update for all work stations and users.
To enable Pack Station:
If you would like to return to the Classic Barcode Scan workflows you can do so at any time by opening the settings panel in the scan tab and clicking on the option. Pack Station settings are not stored when migrating between workflow experiences.
Configure Pack Station to fit your warehouse layout and operational requirements. You can define specific fulfillment workflows, link local scales and thermal label printers, and control data visibility for packing personnel.
To customize your Pack Station settings:
Pack Station supports three fulfillment workflows. Workflows can be changed at any time, even mid-batch.
| Workflow | Description |
|---|---|
| Scan to Verify |
Scans each item barcode to confirm order contents match. This workflow does not generate or print a shipping label. Scan to Verify is generally best for quality-control stations or operations where labels are pre-printed or batched elsewhere. |
| Scan to Print |
Scans the packing slip or order number to print a label immediately without verifying individual items. This workflow is generally best for fast-paced, high-volume shipping of single-line or pre-sorted orders. |
| Scan to Verify & Print |
Requires verification of all item barcodes before unlocking label printing. This workflow is generally best for complete check then ship packing benches requiring physical item verification. |
Speed up station operations using the following hotkeys:
| Key | Action | Availablity |
|---|---|---|
| v | Mark as Verified | Active whenever item verification is open. |
| p | Print Label | Active on printing workflows once all verifications are met. |
| r | Report an Issue | Active on any loaded order. |
| esc | Dismiss a scan warning | Clears scan warning popups to resume scanning. |
| Enter | Search for the typed order number | Executes order search when cursor is in the search box. |
Single-letter shortcuts pause while the station is waiting for item scans, so a barcode containing an r or a p won't trigger anything by mistake. They work again once every item is verified.
Review the following if you encounter unexpected behavior while operating Pack Station:
| Issue | Troubleshooting Steps |
|---|---|
| Item scans are not registering |
This typically occurs because the cursor is inside an active text box, or a popup dialog is open. Click on a neutral area of the page to remove focus from text fields. Close any open warning modals or serial number entry dialogs before resuming scanning. |
| Order search cannot locate the order |
This typically occurs when the order is in an ineligible status (such as Shipped, Cancelled, or On Hold). Verify the order status in the Orders grid. Ensure the order number is typed correctly if the packing slip barcode fails to read. |
| Printer shows as (Offline) |
This indicates ShipStation Connect is closed or signed out on the local workstation. Open the ShipStation Connect desktop application and confirm it is signed into the active account. The device list will update automatically. |
| Print Label button is grey or unresponsive |
This indicates items remain unverified, serial numbers are missing, or a label request is loading. In Scan to Verify & Print, verify all items and enter any required serial numbers. Ensure the label purchase request has finished loading. |
| Rate summary displays an error |
This typically means the account postage balance is insufficient, or carrier terms have not been accepted. Review the error message in the footer. Have an account admin add postage funds or accept the carrier agreement. |
| Scale weight reading is incorrect |
This is typically caused by hardware miscalibration or temporary communication drop. Deselect Use Scale and type the package weight manually. This toggle re-enables whenever the page is reloaded. |
| Screen layout changed unexpectedly |
It is possible another user modified Display Options for that workflow on a different station. Display Options apply account-wide per workflow. Coordinate layout adjustments with your account administrators. |