Packing Recommendations automatically recommends the best package configuration for an order based on your product dimensions, weights, and available custom packages. You can review the recommendation before applying it, or let an automation rule do it for you.
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.
Packing Recommendations can help you:
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Eliminate packing guesswork: Pack the right box every time, reducing void-fill waste and oversized packaging.
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Lower shipping costs: Minimizes dimensional (DIM) weight by selecting the most compact box configuration.
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Prevent rate adjustments: Sets package dimensions and weights on the order prior to purchasing labels.
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Accelerate fulfillment: Populates package details for warehouse pickers and automation can apply it before the order reaches the warehouse.
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Standardize packing workflows: Enforces a consistent packaging process across all team members and fulfillment stations.
Before you use Packing Recommendations, you will need to complete the following:
There is an onboarding guide to setup the Packing Recommendations feature in the Warehouse section of your account settings. The onboarding guide walks you through the three requirements and you will be able to track your progress with the "steps complete" indicator at the top of the card.
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Select Warehouse from the side navigation bar, then choose Packing.
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Click Get Started in the Packing Recommendations section and follow the prompts to complete setup.
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(Required): Add dimensions and weights to your products.
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(Required): Configure your custom packages with dimensions and maximum weight.
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Choose how recommendations are made:
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Fewest Boxes: Fits the order into as few boxes as possible.
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Weight Distribution: Splits the items across boxes so the weight is spread more evenly, instead of packing one box as full as possible.
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Choose a recommendation override:
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Allow override: The recommendation is shown, but the packer can ship in any box without being stopped.
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Warn before override: The packer sees a warning and must acknowledge it before shipping in a different box.
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Request a reason to override: The packer must enter a reason before shipping in a different box. The reason is saved to the order's activity log.
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(optional): Slide the toggle to create an automation rule and automatically get packing recommendations on incoming orders. To adjust the default rule criteria go to Settings > Automation > Automation Rules and click edit.
To get a packing recommendation on an individual order:
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Select an order.
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Click Package Recommendations in the order details.
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Click Run.
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Review the recommendation. The panel will show the recommended box and which items go in it. If the order needs more than one box, each box is listed with its items.
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(as needed) Click Rerun to generate a new packing recommendation if needed.
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Click Apply to set the recommended package on the order if you approve the recommendation. The package type, dimensions and weight on the order will be updated. To void the recommendation, click Reject.
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Automation Rules to Recommend Packages: this action automatically recommends the best package configuration for an order based on your product dimensions, weights, and available custom packages. If ShipStation can't recommend a box, the order is left unchanged and the reason is recorded in the order's activity log.
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Default Rule: Navigate to Settings > Warehouse > Packing to toggle the default package recommendation rule on or off. Toggling this setting only controls the default rule; it does not affect any of your custom packing recommendation rules.
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Custom Rules: You can create as many rules as needed to customize the criteria of when packing recommendations are applied.
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Multi-package Recommendations: If the items on an order don't fit in a single box, ShipStation recommends more than one. When the recommendation is applied, ShipStation automatically creates a multi-package shipment for you.
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The order weight is the combined weight of all boxes.
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Each box gets its own package type, dimensions and weight. The weight includes the items and the box's own weight if you entered one.
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Each item is assigned to the box it should be packed in, so the packer knows what goes where.
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ShipStation can detect when a multi-package recommendation is needed. You don't need to split the order, create a specific rule, or add packages yourself.
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Activity Log: Every recommendation outcome is recorded in the order activity log, whether you ran it manually or via automation rule.
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Failed Recommendations: A recommendation can't be made when ShipStation doesn't have enough information. The most common reasons are:
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Items are missing dimensions. If none of the items on the order has length, width and height, there is nothing to pack. If only some items are missing dimensions, those items are left out of the recommendation.
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No custom packages with dimensions are enabled in your account. You need at least one custom package with length, width and height to use Packing Recommendations.
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The order has no items, so there is no source of dimensions for the recommendation.
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If the items don't fit in any of your custom packages ShipStation will not be able to provide a recommendation. Make sure you have large enough custom packages set up in your account.
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The recommendation may have timed out due to a temporary service issue. Click Rerun to generate a new packing recommendation.
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