Goflow Documentation Logo

Managing External Fulfillment

Goflow supports multiple integrated fulfillment workflows, including warehouse fulfillment and 3PL fulfillment. For orders fulfilled outside of Goflow, you can manually update shipment details to take advantage of Goflow automations and features, including:

If you use an external system integrated through the Goflow API, use the API to return shipments. The following sections provide instructions for marking orders as shipped using the Goflow app.

Shipping a Single Order

To record a single-box small-parcel order shipment, follow these steps:

  1. From the left sidebar, go to Orders › Orders, and open the order.
  2. Verify that all order details are correct:
    • Carrier - That the carrier and shipping method are accurately set.
    • Warehouse - That the order is assigned to the correct warehouse.
    • Quantities - That the shipment is for the full order quantity. To record a partial shipment, first split the order.
  3. Click the pencil icon to edit the Order Status.
  4. Select Shipped from the status list.
  5. Enter the shipment tracking number.
  6. Record the cost of the shipping label.
  7. Ensure the Notify Channel checkbox is selected. This allows Goflow to send shipment notification to the channel.
  8. Click the Save button to ship the order.

To ensure tracking numbers are entered correctly and to prevent potential typos, Goflow validates the tracking number format for USPS, UPS, and FedEx. However, it's not possible to verify whether the tracking number has actually been issued for an active label.

If you don’t have a tracking number, you can still mark the order as shipped, but the channel will not be notified. To save the shipment without a tracking number, simply uncheck the Notify Channel box.

Orders with a status of Review or On Hold cannot be shipped. To proceed, first resolve the review reason or remove the hold from the order.

To record a multi-box shipment, use Import Shipments

Shipping Orders in Bulk

You can mark multiple orders as shipped in bulk by following these steps:

  1. From the left sidebar, go to Orders › Orders.
  2. Select the orders you want to mark as shipped.
  3. At the top of the page, click Actions › Change Order Status.
  4. Choose Shipped from the list of statuses.
  5. Confirm that you wish to mark the orders as shipped without notifying the channel of the shipment.
  6. Click Save to update the orders as shipped.

Due to the limitations of bulk updates, tracking numbers cannot be added, and shipment notifications cannot be sent to the sales channel. The primary purpose of marking orders as shipped in bulk without tracking is to ensure inventory and sales records remain accurate and up to date.

Importing Fulfillment Details in Bulk

Use a CSV upload to import fulfillment details in bulk. To access the upload, follow these steps:

  1. From the left sidebar, go to Orders › Orders.
  2. At the top of the page, click the Import icon, then select Import Shipments.
  3. In the Columns tab, review the required and optional headers.
  4. In the Upload tab, click to download a sample CSV template.
  5. Fill in the shipment details for the orders.
  6. Save the file and upload it.

This versatile tool includes many required and optional headers. Use only the headers relevant to your shipment. The upload supports the following scenarios:

Shipping Small Parcel Orders in a Single Box

To import shipments for multiple small parcel orders, where each order is packed in a single box, include the following required headers:

In the sample below, the UPS shipment is identified using the order ID, while the FedEx shipment is identified using the store name and order number.

Order IDOrder NumberStoreCarrierShip TypeTracking Number
1001UPSGround1ZKN1YKV8B53781041
749845889105043-3028379041TargetFedExHome Delivery785513141271773

In addition to the required headers, you can include the following optional headers to provide more details about the shipment:

In the sample below:

Order IDOrder NumberStoreCarrierShip TypeTracking NumberPoundsOuncesWidthHeightLengthOrder Shipping CostCurrencyNotify Store
1001UPSGround1ZKN1YKV8B5378104135103159.66EUR
749845889105043-3028379041TargetFedExHome Delivery785513141271773 35103159.66No

Shipping Small Parcel Orders in Multiple Boxes

For orders packed in multiple boxes, additional headers are required alongside those relevant for single-box shipments. Include the following required headers:

The carrier and shipping method must be the same for all boxes within a shipment. Orders with shipments involving multiple carriers must first be split, and then each order part can be shipped with its own carrier.

In addition to the required headers, you can include the following optional headers to provide more details about the shipment:

The sample below records a two-box shipment. It includes the products and quantities packed into each box, along with their measurements and respective shipping costs:

Order IDCarrierShip TypeBox NumberItem NumberQuantityTracking NumberBox Shipping CostPoundsOuncesWidthHeightLength
1001UPSGround1ph-49901031ZKN1YKV8B537810415.633510315
1001UPSGround2ph-49901131ZKN1YKV8B537810814.631510315

Shipping Open LTL Orders

To import LTL shipments for orders that have not yet been packed, include the following required headers:

In addition to the required headers, you can include the following optional headers to provide more details about the shipment:

The sample below details a three-box LTL shipment. It includes carrier information, the products and quantities packed in each box, their respective SSCC numbers, and box measurements. The total shipping cost for the entire shipment is recorded as 100:

Order IDCarrierShip TypeBox NumberItem NumberQuantityTracking NumberSSCCPoundsOuncesWidthHeightLengthOrder Shipping Cost
1001LTLAACT1B23289661318493198164580016132750123415152025100
1001LTLAACT2B23289661318493198164580016132750124517141924
1001LTLAACT3B23289661318493198164580016132750126720131823

When packing an LTL order manually, the order status is first set to Ready for Pickup, and only updated to Shipped once the PRO number is entered. With the bulk upload however, since all shipment information is provided upfront, the order status is immediately set to Shipped.

After updating the orders with box details, continue by importing the pallet details.

Shipping Packed LTL Orders

LTL orders that are already packed and in the Ready for Pickup status can be marked as shipped in bulk by uploading the missing shipment details. Since these orders already include box information, the upload will not modify the existing box details.

To import shipment for packed LTL orders, include the following required headers:

In addition to the required headers, you can include the following optional headers to provide more details about the shipment: