Split a fulfilment in Shopify
Some orders cannot ship as one parcel. Order 1044 has 2 tees in Toronto and 1 hoodie in Vancouver, so this tutorial splits it into two fulfilments and ships each parcel from its own location, each with its own tracking number.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 4 minutes read
The worked example
| Order | 1044 |
| Toronto parcel | 2 × Trail Crew Tee, $56.00 items, $9.50 shipping |
| Vancouver parcel | 1 × Summit Hoodie, $45.00 items, $7.25 shipping |
| Items total | $101.00 |
| Shipping total | $16.75 |
| Order total | $117.75 |
Download the plan: split-fulfilment-plan.csv (195 bytes).
A split fulfilment plan for order 1044: the Toronto parcel is $65.50 and the Vancouver parcel is $52.25, and the two add to the $117.75 order total. It is a planning record, not a file Shopify imports.
1Open the order
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders and click order 1044. The Unfulfilled section holds all 3 items, but they sit in two different locations.
2Split the fulfilment
In the Unfulfilled section, click the menu, then click Split fulfillment. Shopify asks which items belong in the split.
3Select the items to split off
Select the Summit Hoodie, the item that ships from Vancouver, and click Split fulfillment. The order now has two Unfulfilled sections, one per location.
4Fulfil the Toronto parcel
In the Toronto section, click Mark as fulfilled, enter the tracking number for the Toronto parcel, and click Mark as fulfilled. The 2 tees ship first.
5Fulfil the Vancouver parcel
In the Vancouver section, click Mark as fulfilled, enter the tracking number for the Vancouver parcel, and click Mark as fulfilled. The hoodie ships separately.
6Check the order status
The order status becomes Fulfilled only after both sections are fulfilled. Until then it reads Partially fulfilled, and the customer gets a shipping confirmation email for each parcel.
The arithmetic
Two parcels means two shipping charges.
| Parcel | Items | Shipping | Parcel total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 2 × $28.00 = $56.00 | $9.50 | $65.50 |
| Vancouver | 1 × $45.00 = $45.00 | $7.25 | $52.25 |
| Total | $101.00 | $16.75 | $117.75 |
$56.00 + $45.00 = $101.00 of items, $9.50 + $7.25 = $16.75 of shipping, and $65.50 + $52.25 = $117.75 in total. Splitting costs the customer an extra parcel charge, so say so before you split.
Held at the counter
You cannot split a fulfilment in the Shopify mobile app. Splitting and merging fulfilments need a desktop device or the Shopify web version on a mobile device. The mobile app does not offer the Split fulfillment menu.
Each fulfilment is fulfilled separately. A split order has two Unfulfilled sections and two tracking numbers, so the customer gets two shipping confirmation emails. One email does not cover both parcels.
Merging only works inside one location. You can merge fulfilments from the same location back into one. Fulfilments from different locations cannot be merged, so check the locations before you split.
Sources
- Fulfilling your own orders individually — Shopify's help pages: the split fulfilment steps, the merge rule, the mobile app limit, and the rule that each fulfilment is fulfilled separately.