What it does
ShipStation sends the physical orders from your store into your ShipStation account, so you stop re-keying them by hand. When a customer pays for an order that contains at least one physical item, the plugin creates an order in ShipStation with the VeloCMS order ID as the order number, the order date, the status you chose (Awaiting Shipment unless you change it), the buyer's name, address and phone, and every line with its name, SKU, quantity and unit price. Digital-only orders are skipped. Sending the same order again updates it instead of adding a second one. You can also buy a label from the order page, using the carrier, service and package codes you saved.
Who it's for
Store owners who already run their shipping from ShipStation and want paid orders to arrive there without copying them over. It suits shops that always ship with the same carrier and service, because the label button uses one set of saved codes and does not compare rates. If you need rate shopping or parcel-specific sizes, do the labelling inside ShipStation and use this plugin only to get the orders in.
How it works
In ShipStation, generate an API key and secret under Settings, Account, API Settings. In VeloCMS, open the ShipStation plugin, paste both, switch on the order sync and save. Both are stored encrypted.
Press Test Connection. This creates a real order in ShipStation, numbered velocms-connection-test and put on hold. Pressing it again updates the same order. Delete it in ShipStation afterwards.
When a customer pays for an order with a physical item and a shipping name and address, VeloCMS creates the order in ShipStation in the background.
To buy a label, fill in the Label defaults and ship-from address, open the order and press the ShipStation label button. VeloCMS buys a label with your saved codes and stores the tracking number and carrier on the order.
Settings you configure
- API Key
- Found in ShipStation under Settings, Account, API Settings. Stored encrypted and never shown back after you save.
- API Secret
- Found next to the API Key in the same place. Stored encrypted and never shown back after you save.
- Default order status
- The ShipStation status given to each order that is sent. It falls back to awaiting_shipment when left empty.
- Send physical orders to ShipStation
- Starts switched off. While it is off, nothing is sent, even if a key and secret are saved.
- Label defaults
- A carrier code, a service code and a package code, such as fedex, fedex_ground and package. Buying a label stops with an error if any of the three is empty.
- Ship-from address
- Name or business, street, city, state, ZIP and country. It is the origin printed on every label you buy.
What it can access
After a paid order, the plugin reads the order ID, the date, the shipping name, address and phone, and the items bought. It sends those details to ssapi.shipstation.com and nowhere else. It does not read your posts or members. Your ShipStation API key and secret are stored encrypted and are never shown back in plain text. Buying a label spends money from your ShipStation account.
Permissions
- Read order shipping address and line items after purchase
- Make network calls to ssapi.shipstation.com
- Store your ShipStation API key and secret encrypted
- Store your default carrier, service, and package codes plus your ship-from address
- Purchase a shipping label with your saved carrier, service and package codes (default 1 lb parcel) and save the label URL and tracking number to the order when you click Buy label
External network access
This plugin makes requests to the following domains:
ssapi.shipstation.com
Capabilities
commerce:readnetwork:fetchui:settingsorder:afterCreate
Screenshots
Honest limits
The label button does not compare rates. It buys exactly the carrier, service and package you saved, for a 1 lb parcel dated today. A label for a service that does not suit the parcel is still a purchase.
Buying a label is a real purchase billed through ShipStation, and the plugin asks for no extra confirmation after you press the button.
The label is bought on its own. VeloCMS does not update the queued order in ShipStation afterwards.
An order with no shipping name or address is skipped and logged, and so is a digital-only order.
If ShipStation is unreachable or rejects the request, the sale still goes through. The failure is recorded in the connector activity and is not retried automatically. Create that order in ShipStation by hand once the key works.
It is one way. Status changes you make in ShipStation are not pulled back into VeloCMS.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a ShipStation account?
Yes. The plugin uses your own ShipStation account through an API key and secret you paste in. ShipStation's own plans and label costs apply and are billed by ShipStation.
Will the same order be sent twice?
No. VeloCMS remembers an order it already sent, and ShipStation updates an order with the same ID instead of adding another.
Why did the connection test leave an order in ShipStation?
Because ShipStation has no simple check call, the test creates a small order on hold. Repeating the test updates that same order. You can delete it.
Can the plugin pick the cheapest carrier?
No. It uses the carrier, service and package codes you saved and does not compare rates. Use ShipStation itself when you want rate shopping.
Related plugins
Specifications
- Category
- Commerce
- Price
- Included
- Version
- 1.1.0
- Source
- First-party
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