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Managing Pre-orders
on ShipStation

ShipStation

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ShipStation is primarily a shipping and fulfillment management tool that pulls orders from Shopify (and other sales channels), then sends shipping updates and tracking details back. However, it does not manage inventory syncing or pre-order status natively, so merchants will need to rely on the ecommerce platform and/or ERP for pre-order holding and partial fulfilment.

This guide will break down how ShipStation 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 ShipStation

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 ShipStation interacts with Shopify pre-orders and what you might need to adjust.

Syncing Shopify Products and Inventory

ShipStation does not sync product catalog data or inventory (like titles, SKUs, levels). It only pulls item details within an order for shipping purposes.
• No full product catalog sync
• No inventory level tracking
• Order-based item info is imported for shipping labels

Syncing Shopify Orders

Yes, ShipStation does sync Shopify order data—statuses, customer details, line items—into its dashboard for fulfillment.
• Imports order headers (number, status, date)
• Captures line items (SKUs, quantities, item prices)
• Pulls customer info (name, address, shipping method)

Custom Workflows with Shopify Tags and Metafields

ShipStation offers automation rules that can create basic custom workflows. These rules typically leverage order tags, shipping service, or other criteria but don’t automatically read Shopify metafields. Although you can map Shopify order metadata to ShipStation’s Custom fields 1, 2 or 3.

Resources:

• Order Automation Docs

Respecting Shopify’s “On Hold” Status

ShipStation does not understand the Shopify status of “on hold”, neither does Ship Sation automatically hold orders until all items are in stock. However, you can use their automation rules or manually apply a hold in Ship Station.
• Manual Hold: You can mark orders with “Hold Until…” in the UI
• Automation: Use automation rules or tags to keep orders from shipping prematurely
• No Native ‘All Items In Stock’ Check: You must decide when to release the hold

Resources:

• Holding Orders

Pre-Order-Specific Features

ShipStation does not include specific features for pre-orders (i.e., deposit handling, custom statuses). Instead, it relies on:
1. External Pre-Order Configurations in Shopify or a dedicated pre-order app
2. Manual or automatic tagging/rules in ShipStation to identify pre-orders and keep them on hold
3. Split Orders if partial stock is ready

Partial Order fulfillment

ShipStation supports partial fulfillment via split shipments, allowing you to ship available items and hold the rest.
• Split Order Feature: Designate which items to ship now vs. later
• Tracking: Each partial shipment receives its own tracking number synced to Shopify
• Awaiting Shipment: Unshipped line items remain in “Awaiting Shipment” until you fulfill them later

Resources:

• Split Orders

Re-syncs orders from platform

ShipStation automatically updates order statuses (e.g., when an order is paid) but does not deeply re-sync inventory or line-item changes from Shopify without a manual refresh.
• Order Status changes: Typically auto-updated
• Line Item Adjustments: Require manual refresh or come in with the next scheduled store sync

Summary

ShipStation support for
Shopify Pre-orders

Pre-order touchpoint	ShipStation support
Products sync with Shopify	⚠️ No product catalog sync—only order-based item data
Orders sync with Shopify	✅ Full order sync (statuses, items, addresses) with Shopify
Negative custom workflows or automations	✅ Supports workflows via tags and metafields
Shopify “On Hold” status recognition	⚠️ Does not respect Shopify’s “on hold”; must manually hold orders
Specific pre-order support	⚠️ No native pre-order features; rely on Shopify or external apps
partial order fulfilment	⚠️ Limited re-sync; auto-updates some statuses but requires manual refresh for other change
Re-syncs orders	✅ Basic automation rules; advanced metafield usage requires API work

Strengths & Limitations

✅ Strengths
• Easy partial shipments
• Automations and tags for basic hold workflows
• Simple shipping label creation with tracking sync to Shopify
• As of 2024, you can map Shopify order metadata to ShipStation’s Custom fields 1, 2 or 3.

⚠️ Limitations
• No product catalog or inventory syncing
• No direct “on hold” sync from Shopify