Shipping & Fulfillment

The Shipping settings page lets you manage all shipping carriers and shipping methods in OmniOrders. Configure default carriers like USPS, FedEx, and UPS, or create custom carriers and methods that match your business needs.

Quick Access

Navigate to Settings → Shipping to configure carriers and shipping methods at any time.

Why Configure Shipping?

Shipping configuration controls which carriers and methods are available when creating or fulfilling orders. Without active carriers, your team cannot assign a shipping method to any order. OmniOrders also maps shipping methods imported from sales channels to your configured carriers automatically.

Control Fulfillment

Define which shipping methods are available when creating or editing orders. Only active methods appear in dropdown menus during order processing.

Carrier Flexibility

Work with any carrier your business uses. Enable default carriers or create custom carriers for regional providers, freight companies, or local delivery services.

Method Mapping

Match shipping methods from sales channels to your internal methods. When orders import, OmniOrders maps customer-selected shipping to your configured methods automatically.

Organized Processing

Keep shipping options organized and consistent across all fulfillment locations. Your team always knows which methods are available for each carrier.

How Shipping Configuration Works

Default vs Custom Carriers

OmniOrders provides two types of carriers:

Default Carriers

• Pre-configured carriers like USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other major shipping providers
• Come with standard shipping methods already set up (Ground, 2-Day, Overnight, etc.)
• Can be activated or deactivated as needed
• Shipping methods can be enabled or disabled individually

Custom Carriers

• Carriers you create for your specific business needs
• Regional carriers, freight companies, local couriers, or internal delivery
• You define both the carrier name and all shipping methods
• Full control over method names and descriptions

How Shipping Methods Work

When you create or edit an order in OmniOrders:

1. Select a Carrier (e.g., FedEx)
2. Select a Shipping Method for that carrier (e.g., Ground, 2-Day)
3. Only active methods appear in the dropdowns

When orders import from sales channels:

• The channel provides a shipping method name (e.g., “Standard Shipping”)
• OmniOrders maps it to your configured carrier and method
• If no match exists, the order holds with a shipping method error

Accessing Shipping Settings

1. Navigate to Settings

   Click Settings in the main navigation menu or open your user menu and select Settings.

2. Open Shipping Section

   In the Settings area, click Shipping from the sidebar menu or tabs.

3. Choose Carrier Type

   You’ll see two tabs at the top:

   • Default Carrier - Pre-configured major carriers
   • Custom Carriers - Carriers you create

4. Configure Carriers

   Browse the carrier list, activate/deactivate carriers, and enable shipping methods as needed.

Managing Default Carriers

Default carriers are pre-configured with common shipping providers and their standard methods.

Viewing Default Carriers

The Default Carrier tab shows a table with:

• Name - Carrier name (e.g., USPS, FedEx, UPS)
• Description - Brief carrier description
• Shipping Methods - Count of active methods vs total methods (e.g., “5/8” means 5 active out of 8 total)
• Status - Active or Inactive toggle

Activating a Default Carrier

1. Find the Carrier

   Browse or search for the carrier in the table. Use the Name column filter to search by name.

2. Enable the Carrier

   Toggle the Status switch from Inactive (off) to Active (on). The carrier is now available.

3. Configure Shipping Methods

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the carrier and select Shipping Methods to choose which methods are active.

Configuring Shipping Methods for Default Carriers

1. Open Shipping Methods Dialog

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to a carrier and select Shipping Methods.

2. Review Available Methods

   A dialog opens showing all shipping methods for that carrier. Each method has:

   • Method name (e.g., Ground, 2-Day, Overnight)
   • Description

3. Enable Methods

   Toggle each method you want to use from Inactive to Active. Only active methods appear in order creation dropdowns.

4. Save Changes

   Click Save Changes to apply your method configuration. The carrier’s method count updates in the table.

Start Simple

Enable only the shipping methods you actually use. Too many active methods can confuse order processing. You can always enable more methods later as needed.

Deactivating a Default Carrier

If you no longer use a carrier:

1. Find the carrier in the table
2. Toggle the Status switch from Active to Inactive
3. The carrier and all its methods become unavailable in orders

Deactivating a carrier doesn’t delete it - you can reactivate it anytime.

Managing Custom Carriers

Custom carriers let you add regional carriers, freight companies, local couriers, or any shipping provider not in the default list.

Creating a Custom Carrier

1. Open Create Dialog

   On the Custom Carriers tab, click the Actions button in the top right and select Create Carriers.

2. Enter Carrier Details

   Fill in the form:

   • Code - Carrier code or name (e.g., “Regional Express”, “Local Courier”)
   • Description - Brief description of the carrier (optional)

3. Save Carrier

   Click Save Changes to create the carrier. It appears in the Custom Carriers table with status Inactive.

4. Activate the Carrier

   Toggle the Status switch to Active to make it available.

5. Add Shipping Methods

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) and select Shipping Methods to add methods for this carrier.

Adding Shipping Methods to Custom Carriers

1. Open Shipping Methods Dialog

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to your custom carrier and select Shipping Methods.

2. Create New Method

   Click Create Method to add a new shipping method.

3. Enter Method Details

   Fill in the form:

   • Method Name - The shipping method name (e.g., “Same Day”, “Standard Ground”)
   • Description - Description of the method (optional)
   • Status - Active or Inactive

4. Save Method

   Click Save to add the method. It appears in the methods list for this carrier.

5. Repeat for More Methods

   Add as many shipping methods as needed for this carrier.

Editing Custom Carriers

1. Open Edit Dialog

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the custom carrier and select Edit.

2. Update Details

   Change the Code or Description as needed.

3. Save Changes

   Click Save Changes to update the carrier information.

Deleting Custom Carriers

Permanent Action

Deleting a carrier removes it and all its shipping methods permanently. This action cannot be undone.

1. Open Delete Dialog

   Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the custom carrier and select Delete.

2. Confirm Deletion

   Review the confirmation message and click Yes to permanently delete the carrier.

Only delete carriers that are no longer used and have no active orders associated with them.

Filtering and Searching Carriers

Searching by Name

Both Default and Custom Carrier tables have a Name column filter:

1. Click in the Name filter field
2. Type part of the carrier name
3. Press Enter to filter
4. Click the X icon to clear the filter

Using Saved Filters

If you’ve created saved filters for carriers:

1. Click the Filter List button (bookmark icon) in the header
2. Select a saved filter
3. The table updates to show matching carriers
4. Click All to clear and show all carriers

Refreshing the List

If carriers don’t appear or data seems outdated:

• Click the Actions menu and select Refresh (if available)
• Or refresh your browser page to reload data

How Shipping Affects Orders

During Order Creation

When creating a manual order:

1. Select a Carrier from the dropdown (only active carriers appear)
2. Select a Shipping Method for that carrier (only active methods appear)
3. The selected method saves with the order

During Order Import

When orders import from sales channels:

1. The channel provides a shipping method name
2. OmniOrders tries to map it to a carrier and method
3. If a match is found, the order imports successfully
4. If no match exists, the order holds with a Shipping Method Missing error

To fix mapping issues:

• Create a custom carrier/method that matches the channel’s shipping name
• Or configure your sales channel to use standard shipping method names

During Fulfillment

When processing orders:

• Fulfillment staff see the carrier and method assigned to each order
• Warehouse systems can use this information to select the correct carrier
• Tracking numbers are associated with the carrier/method combination

💡 Best Practices

Enable Only Used Methods

Activate only the shipping methods you actually use to avoid confusion during order processing. Review your active methods quarterly and disable unused ones.

Use Clear Method Names

When creating custom carriers, use clear, descriptive names that your team easily understands. Avoid abbreviations or internal codes that might confuse new staff.

Match Channel Methods

Create custom methods that exactly match shipping names from your sales channels. This prevents mapping errors when orders import automatically.

Document Custom Carriers

Keep notes about what each custom carrier is for, especially if you have many. Add detailed descriptions to help team members understand when to use each one.

Test Before Activating

Before activating a new carrier or method, create a test order to verify it appears correctly in dropdowns and processes as expected.

Review Regularly

Audit your active carriers and methods quarterly. Remove carriers you no longer use and add new ones as your shipping partners change.

Troubleshooting

Carrier Doesn’t Appear in Order Creation

Problem: A carrier you activated doesn’t show in the carrier dropdown when creating orders.

Solutions:

• Verify the carrier Status is Active (green toggle)
• Ensure at least one shipping method for that carrier is also Active
• Refresh the order creation page to reload available carriers
• Check if you’re filtering by location - some carriers may be location-specific

Shipping Method Missing on Imported Orders

Problem: Orders import with a “Shipping Method Missing” error.

Solutions:

• Check the channel’s shipping method name in the error details
• Create a custom carrier and method that exactly matches the channel’s name
• Or configure your sales channel to use standard method names (like “Ground”, “2-Day”)
• Review import logs to see which shipping names are causing issues

Can’t Delete Custom Carrier

Problem: Delete option is disabled or delete fails with an error.

Solutions:

• Check if orders are using this carrier - delete is blocked if orders reference it
• First reassign orders to a different carrier
• Or deactivate the carrier instead of deleting it (safer option)
• Contact support if the carrier should be deletable but the option is unavailable

Too Many Shipping Methods

Problem: The shipping method dropdown has too many options and it’s confusing.

Solutions:

• Review each carrier’s shipping methods
• Deactivate methods you don’t actually use by opening the Shipping Methods dialog
• Consider combining similar methods (e.g., merge “Standard” and “Ground” if they’re the same)
• Keep only 3-5 active methods per carrier for simplicity

Changes Not Saving

Problem: Carrier or method changes don’t save or revert after saving.

Solutions:

• Ensure you clicked the Save Changes button before closing dialogs
• Check for validation errors (red text) indicating required fields or invalid data
• Verify you have permission to edit shipping settings
• Try refreshing the page and making changes again
• Clear browser cache if issues persist

Method Count Incorrect

Problem: The “Shipping Methods” column shows wrong count (e.g., “3/8” but you only see 2 methods).

Solutions:

• Open the Shipping Methods dialog to see the actual count
• Some methods may be inactive and hidden from the main view
• Refresh the page to reload accurate counts
• Contact support if counts remain incorrect after refresh

Related Features

Configure Fulfillment Locations
Fulfillment Locations - Set up warehouses and fulfillment centers where orders are shipped from

Manage Orders
Managing Orders - Take actions on orders including editing shipping methods

Order Creation
Creating Orders - Create manual orders with custom carrier and method selection

Next Steps: Review your current carriers and methods, enable only those you use, and test order creation with the configured options.