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Managing Pre-orders
on ShipNetwork

ShipNetwork

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ShipNetwork is a fulfillment solution that connects with Shopify to import products, manage orders, and synchronize inventory levels. It supports both full and partial order fulfillment, can hold orders until all items are ready, and offers flexible workflows that can accommodate pre-orders. However, it doesn’t explicitly confirm negative inventory support, and special on-hold statuses for pre-orders may need additional coordination

This guide will break down how ShipNetwork handles key pre-order functions like negative stock, Shopify’s “On Hold” status, and fulfilment workflows—so you’ll know what to expect, where it excels, and any workarounds you may need.

How 3PLs and pre-orders work together in the modern ecommerce stack

Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers specialize in managing your fulfillment from start to finish. They:

Receive and store products in their warehouses
Pick and pack orders
Ship to customers using their own software that syncs with your ecommerce platform

Below is a typical flow. Click through to see how Shopify, the 3PL and pre-order application interact.

1

Inventory Sync

The 3PL continuously syncs inventory from either your ERP or Ecommerce platform

Key Considerations for Managing Pre-orders on ShipNetwork

In the diagram above you may have noticed the word “should” being used a couple of times… That’s because not all 3PLs fully support Shopify’s pre-order features out of the box. Some may lack support for negative inventory counts or fail to respect Shopify’s “On Hold” order status, requiring workarounds or additional configuration.

If your store uses an ERP, it often instructs the 3PL on which orders to fulfill—meaning you might not need all of the 3PL’s features we’re about to go through.

Read on to see how ShipNetwork interacts with Shopify pre-orders and what you might need to adjust.

Syncing Shopify Products and Inventory

ShipNetwork integrates with Shopify to sync product data—titles, SKUs, and inventory levels—helping ensure accurate and up-to-date listings.
• Real-Time Inventory: Updates stock availability in both systems
• Accurate SKUs: Maintains consistent product references

Syncing Shopify Orders

Yes. Orders placed on Shopify automatically transfer to ShipNetwork for fulfillment. This import includes order statuses, customer information, and line items so you can process everything in one place.

Custom Workflows with Shopify Tags and Metafields

ShipNetwork’s fulfillment flows can be tailored via third-party applications through their API.

Resources:

• Partner integrations

Respecting Shopify’s “On Hold” Status

Specific handling of Shopify’s “on hold” status isn’t explicitly documented. ShipNetwork does manage custom workflows for delayed or pre-order shipments, but you may need to coordinate how an “on hold” status is recognized and processed.

Pre-Order-Specific Features

While ShipNetwork doesn’t provide dedicated pre-order modules, its adaptable workflows can manage pre-orders by holding orders or partial items until products are in stock. You can set up custom rules by coordinating with their team to handle pre-order flows.

Partial Order fulfillment

ShipNetwork can fulfill partial orders, shipping in-stock items now and holding the rest for future fulfillment. This ensures customers receive available products promptly.

Re-syncs orders from platform

ShipNetwork automatically imports new orders and updates as they occur in Shopify, although post-import changes (like line item edits) may not reflect in real time. You can coordinate with ShipNetwork if you need deeper re-sync for on-hold or updated orders.

Summary

ShipNetwork support for
Shopify Pre-orders

Pre-order touchpoint	ShipNetwork support
Products sync with Shopify	✅ Syncs product titles, SKUs, and inventory with Shopify
Orders sync with Shopify	✅ Imports Shopify orders (statuses, line items, etc.) automatically
Negative custom workflows or automations	⚠️/✅ Customizable solutions via their application partners directory
Shopify “On Hold” status recognition	⚠️ Not explicitly documented; coordinate a manual or custom approach
Specific pre-order support	⚠️ No dedicated pre-order support
partial order fulfilment	✅ Full or partial shipments supported
Re-syncs orders	⚠️ Automatic for new orders; manual or custom steps for post-import edits

Strengths & Limitations

✅ Strengths
• Real-time inventory and order sync to avoid overselling • Partner integration library

⚠️ Limitations
• Negative inventory support not confirmed
• Shopify “on hold” status usage not clearly documented
• Post-import order changes may need manual sync steps

Next steps