This article explains how to use the Wholesale workflow in ShipHero. It covers how to flag orders as wholesale, understand order statuses, navigate the Wholesale dashboard, and manage fulfillment from picking through shipment. Wholesale orders can be created and managed within the ShipHero platform and via the API.
For full API details and documentation, visit the ShipHero Developer Portal. Resources include the Public API Schema, Webhook Documentation (with ASN and Carrier Label Generation examples), and an End-to-End Wholesale Flow Example covering a complete workflow managed entirely outside ShipHero's UI.
Requirements and Limitations
Before working with wholesale orders, review these requirements and limitations. Several of these are hard constraints that will block order processing if not addressed.
- Build Kits only: Regular Kits are not supported in the wholesale flow. Regular Kits must be converted to Build Kits before a wholesale order can be processed. More information about Kits can be found here.
- Staging locations required: An empty staging location must be assigned to each wholesale order, and only one staging location can be assigned per order. The staging location is where inventory is moved after picking. Once the order is marked Complete, the staging location is emptied and available for a new order. See How to Assign a Staging Location to a Wholesale Order for more information.
- No partial shipments: All items on a wholesale order must be fully allocated before the order appears in the Orders to Process list. If a wholesale order has a backorder, it will not appear in the list. The "Allow Partial" flag does not apply to wholesale orders.
- No split shipments: A wholesale order must be fulfilled entirely from a single warehouse. If inventory is split across locations, create two separate orders — one for each warehouse — with the quantities that will be fulfilled from each.
- Retailers: Retailers can only be set on a wholesale order via the API or through an SPS/EDI connection or manually in the shipping details on the Wholesale order page. See How to Generate GS1 Retailer Compliance Labels for more information.
How to Set an Order as a Wholesale Order
For an order to appear in the Wholesale workflow, it must be flagged as wholesale. There are two ways to do this in ShipHero:
- Using Automation Rules: Create an automation rule with the Action "Toggle wholesale order flag based on specific order properties." This is the best option for high-volume or recurring wholesale orders that share consistent properties.
- Manual toggle: On the order details page, check the "Wholesale Order" box and click "Update details." Use this for one-off orders or when testing the wholesale flow.
Wholesale Page Overview
The Wholesale page is the central hub for managing wholesale orders in ShipHero. This section covers the statuses orders move through and the three tabs that make up the Wholesale Orders dashboard.
Wholesale Order Statuses
Wholesale orders move through the following statuses as they progress through the fulfillment process.
| Wholesale Order Status | Definition |
|---|---|
| Default | The first status the order gets after creation. |
| Ready to Pick | The order has all inventory allocated and is ready to pick. |
| Picking | Picking is in progress. |
| Packing | Packing layout is being created. |
| Packed | All items have been packed. |
| Generating Labels | Labels are being generated. |
| Ready to Print | All labels have been generated and are ready to print. |
| Warehouse Complete | Labels have been generated and printed. (Outbound Schedule starts here.) |
| Fulfilled | Fulfillment is complete and inventory has left the warehouse. Fulfillment status in app.shiphero.com changes to "FULFILLED". |
| Wholesale Order Error Status | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hospital | During mobile picking, pickers can mark a location as "hospital" if they encounter a problem. This prevents further picking from that location until a new location is assigned or the Inventory team resolves the issue and removes the flag. Picking can continue at other non-hospital locations. |
| Label Error | There was a problem with label generation, which may affect all or some labels. The order remains in Label Error status until the problem is fixed and labels are regenerated. |
Wholesale Orders Lists
The Wholesale Orders dashboard gives a clear view of all your wholesale orders, divided into three tabs: Orders to Process, Outbound Schedule, and Fulfilled. The top banner shows a summary of orders in the Orders to Process and Outbound Schedule tabs. Select a tab to see the detailed list for that stage.
Navigating the Orders to Process Tab
The Orders to Process tab is selected by default when you navigate to the Wholesale Orders dashboard. The top banner shows the total number of orders being processed and a snapshot of orders in the key stages: Ready to Pick, Picking, and Packing.
Orders to Process Tab: Available Filters and Key Features
- Search: Find specific orders by Order Name or Order ID. Partial search is available starting at the 3rd character.
- Filters: Filter orders by Status (wholesale order status), Type (Courier or Freight), Client (3PL accounts only), Retailer, and Fulfillment Status (Default or Custom Status).
- Columns: Customize the displayed columns by selecting the Columns icon. Checked column names appear in the table; uncheck a column name to hide it.
- Export: Export visible rows to a CSV file based on active filters. To expand the number of orders displayed, increase the Rows per page in the bottom left corner (options: 10, 20, 50, or 100).
- Sort columns: Sort the list by Prep by date or Ship by date.
Orders to Process Tab: Columns Defined
| Column Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Order | The order number. |
| Type | Indicates whether the wholesale order is Freight or Courier. |
| Client (3PLs only) | The client account the wholesale order is associated with (created in). |
| Preview | Thumbnails of the products on the order. |
| Required | Total quantity needed across all line items on the order. |
| Status | The wholesale order status. |
| Retailer | Set via the API or SPS/EDI workflows; otherwise shows as default. |
| Prep by date | The date the order should be picked and packed by. Must be set manually after order creation. |
| Ship by date | Pulled from the Required Ship Date field on an order. Can be edited via the API, Manage Orders page, or Order Details page in app.shiphero.com. |
Navigating the Outbound Schedule Tab
The Outbound Schedule tab shows orders that have reached Warehouse Complete status and are ready for pickup scheduling. The top banner displays the total number of orders in the Outbound Schedule, with a snapshot of orders in the key stages: Awaiting Schedule, Ready to Pick Up, and Due today (scheduled for pickup today).
Outbound Schedule Tab: Available Filters and Key Features
- Search: Find specific orders by Order Name or ID.
- Filters: Filter orders by Client (3PL accounts only), Status (wholesale order status), Type (Freight or Courier), Outbound Progress, and Retailer.
- Columns: Customize the displayed columns by selecting the Columns icon. Checked column names appear in the table; uncheck a column name to hide it.
- Export: Export visible rows to a CSV file based on active filters. To expand the number of orders displayed, increase the Rows per page in the bottom left corner (options: 10, 20, 50, or 100).
- Sort columns: Sort the list by Prep by date or Pickup date.
Outbound Schedule Tab: Editing Options
Outbound Progress and Pickup date can be edited directly from the list, either individually or in bulk.
- Individually: Click into the field you want to update on a specific order and edit.
| Editing the Outbound Progress per order | Editing the Pickup date per order |
|---|---|
- In bulk: Select the orders you want to update, then choose the field to update.
| Editing the Outbound Progress in bulk | Editing the Pickup date in bulk |
|---|---|
Outbound Schedule Tab: Columns Defined
| Column Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Order | The order number. |
| Type | Indicates whether the wholesale order is Freight or Courier. |
| Label | Shows the status of label generation and when labels were printed. |
| Client | The client account the wholesale order is associated with (created in). |
| Retailer | Set via the API or SPS/EDI workflows; otherwise shows as default. |
| Carrier | The carrier assigned to the order for label generation. ShipHero does not quote or generate freight labels; for Freight orders the carrier will always show as Generic. |
| Status | The wholesale order status. |
| Bill of lading | Manifest ID identifier. |
| Outbound progress | Which stage of the outbound process the order is in: Awaiting Schedule, Ready for Pickup, or Complete. |
| Pickup date | The date the wholesale order is scheduled to be picked up. |
| Prep by date | The date the order should be picked and packed by. Must be set manually after order creation. |
Navigating the Fulfilled Tab
The Fulfilled tab shows a complete list of wholesale orders that have been fully processed and shipped.
The table opens by default with a pre-set filter showing the last year of orders. The Fulfilled date filter has a maximum date range of one year; if a Start Date of 01/01/2024 is selected, the End Date cannot exceed 01/01/2025.
Fulfilled Tab: Available Filters and Key Features
- Search: Find specific orders by Order Name or ID.
- Filters: Filter orders by Client (3PL accounts only), Retailer, and Fulfilled date.
- Columns: Customize the displayed columns by selecting the Columns icon. Checked column names appear in the table; uncheck a column name to hide it.
- Export: Export visible rows to a CSV file based on active filters. To expand the number of orders displayed, increase the Rows per page in the bottom left corner (options: 10, 20, 50, or 100).
Fulfilled Tab: Columns Defined
| Column Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Order | The order number. |
| Type | Indicates whether the wholesale order is Freight or Courier. |
| Client | The client account the wholesale order is associated with (created in). |
| Retailer | Set via the API or SPS/EDI workflows; otherwise shows as default. |
| Carrier | The carrier used for label generation. ShipHero does not quote or generate freight labels; for Freight orders the carrier will always show as Generic. |
| Pickup date | The date the wholesale order was scheduled to be picked up. |
| Fulfilled date | The date the wholesale order was marked as fulfilled. |
Wholesale Order Types
The wholesale flow supports two order types: Freight and Courier. The order type determines the shipping container used (pallets vs. boxes) and affects how labels are generated. You can change the Order Type at any point before picking begins or after picking is completed, up to when the order reaches Packed status.
You cannot change the Order Type while the order is actively in the Picking stage. For more information on changing the order type and how it affects your processing flow, see How to Change a Wholesale Order Type.
- Freight (default): Orders packed and shipped using pallets as the shipping container. Freight orders include specific pallet-related fields in the Order details tab.
-
Courier: Orders packed and shipped using boxes as the shipping container. Courier orders require a Carrier and Shipping Method to be set.
- Supported carriers: Generic, Cheapest, FedEx, UPS, DHL Ecommerce, USPS_MODERN, Purolator, Canada Post, Shippo, Endicia, Veho, and SendCloud.
Canceling or Resetting a Wholesale Order
If you need to correct a mistake or restart the fulfillment process, wholesale orders can be canceled or reset. For full instructions, see How to Cancel or Reset a Wholesale Order.