Connect ShipStation to Queue Orders and Labels

The ShipStation connector sends every physical order straight to ShipStation's Awaiting Shipment queue as soon as it's placed, then lets you buy a label right from the order screen — the label URL and tracking number are saved back to the order automatically. It's a free alternative to re-keying orders and tracking numbers by hand.

Installing the plugin and the common what-to-check list are identical for all integrations, so they are documented once in the shared integrations guide. This article is only about ShipStation.

Step 1 — Get your ShipStation API key and secret

In ShipStation, go to Settings → Account → API Settings and generate an API key and an API secret if you don't already have them.

Step 2 — Fill in the ShipStation panel

Open Admin → Plugins → ShipStation and paste the key and secret. Switch on Send physical orders to ShipStation; it starts off, and nothing is sent while it is off. Default order status is the ShipStation status given to each new order and falls back to awaiting_shipment when you leave it empty.

The Label defaults section is what makes label buying work. Enter a carrier code, a service code and a package code, using the values ShipStation lists under Settings → Shipping → Carriers & Fulfillment, for example fedex, fedex_ground and package. Then enter the Ship-from address: name or business, street, city, state, ZIP and country. Click Save Settings, then Test Connection.

Test Connection creates a real order in ShipStation: an On Hold order numbered velocms-connection-test, shipping to VeloCMS Connection Test at 123 Test St. Repeating the test updates that same order instead of adding more. Delete it in ShipStation once the test has passed.

What happens after an order

Orders with at least one physical item are sent; digital-only orders are skipped.
ShipStation receives the VeloCMS order ID as the order number, the order date, your default status, the buyer's name, address and phone, and each line with its SKU, name, quantity and unit price.
An order with no shipping name or address is skipped and logged rather than sent half-empty.
An order that was already sent is not sent again, and the same order ID updates rather than duplicates in ShipStation.

Step 3 — Buy a label from the order screen

Open the order in Admin → Orders. On the Shipping labels card, click Buy ShipStation label. VeloCMS does not compare rates here, which is the main difference from the Shippo connector. It buys a label with exactly the carrier, service and package codes you saved, for a 1 lb parcel dated today, shipping from your saved address to the order's address. The label link, tracking number and carrier come back onto the card, with a Download label link, and the tracking number is copied to the order if it had none.

If any of the three codes is empty the purchase stops with the message that carrier, service and package are not configured, and an incomplete ship-from or shipping address stops it too. Because the service is fixed, check it suits the parcel before you click: a label for a service that does not fit the order is still a purchase. Use one label provider at a time — if both Shippo and ShipStation are installed and enabled, Buy label goes through Shippo.

When something fails

If ShipStation is briefly unreachable or your key is wrong, the queue push fails quietly in the background and never blocks or delays the order. The failure is listed against the order under Admin → Integrations → Sync activity, and ShipStation has no Retry button there, so create that order in ShipStation by hand once the key works.

Disconnecting

Switch off Send physical orders to ShipStation, or clear the key and secret, to stop sending orders. Orders already in ShipStation and labels already purchased are untouched; no further orders are sent after disconnecting.