ShipStation Review – Make Your E-Commerce Business More Efficient

If you sell physical products online, you need a reliable and efficient way to manage your inventory, sales orders, shipping, and order fulfillment processes. As you grow, that messy Excel spreadsheet and handwritten labels aren’t going to cut it — if they ever did.

That’s where ShipStation comes in. ShipStation is a versatile shipping solution that keeps e-commerce businesses on top of their inventory, orders, and logistics. With multiple plans for enterprises of all sizes — including sole proprietors and side hustlers — it’s an indispensable tool for online sellers. 

Wondering whether ShipStation is right for you and your business? Read on for more about ShipStation’s key features, advantages, downsides, and overall suitability.

Key Features of ShipStation

ShipStation’s key features all work toward a singular goal: making your e-commerce business more efficient. It addresses needs at every step of the sales cycle, from inventory management to fulfilling sales orders as they come in. 

Order Management

ShipStation’s order management capabilities include: 

• Combine multiple orders to the same shipping address using the same shipping label
• Split single orders with items originating from multiple locations
• Filter orders by destination, store, tag, and other criteria, allowing you to quickly locate and address specific types of orders
• Prebuilt alerts for events like recommended order combination and reaching a predefined product threshold
• Unlimited order tags (color-coded labels) that allow you to sort and view orders according to your own custom criteria
• Edit order details after the transaction occurs, including shipping address, item details, order notes, and payment information

ShipStation also offers detailed order management reporting covering:

• Order reports for synced orders created in or imported to ShipStation
• Product reports for data related to products included in your ShipStation orders or returns
• Shipment reports for certain types of shipped orders

Shipping Labels and Logistics

Depending on your chosen plan, you can use ShipStation to create standard or custom-branded shipping labels to ship products processed through the platform. ShipStation can also handle some other critical fulfillment tasks, including:

• Print labels from your account dashboard
• Browse shipping rates using ShipStation’s Rate Browser feature, which presents the best available shipping options and shipping rates for each shipment
• Generate and print important shipping documents, such as pick lists and customs declarations
• Communicate directly with customers to provide tracking information and shipment updates
• Scan packing lists to generate order detail reports and shipping labels
• Scan a barcode to print a shipping label in real time
• Use ShipStation Connect to send multiple shipping label jobs to the printer
• Use Scan to Verify & Print to increase picking and packing accuracy and confirm that order contents are correct before shipping

Branded Shipping Capabilities

ShipStation makes it easy to brand your orders in ways that improve the customer experience and drive repeat orders. Its branded shipping capabilities include:

• Include your logo directly on customizable shipping labels, even on standard, uncustomized boxes
• Direct customers to a branded tracking page with your logo, color scheme, and links to social media accounts
• Branded text message notifications for shipping and order updates
• Customized packing slips with your logo and a personalized message
• Fully integrated and branded returns process that includes a branded returns portal
• Custom templates for delivery and shipping confirmation emails that can feature your logo, social media links, and unique messaging

Inventory Management

ShipStation has a number of inventory management features and capabilities that help you stay on top of your stock:

• Set inventory alerts when a product’s volume falls below a set threshold
• Order alerts or blocks when a customer attempts to place an order on a product with low or unknown stock availability
• Allocate stock to orders awaiting fulfillment to avoid taking orders on out-of-stock products
• Deallocate or release stock on orders no longer awaiting fulfillment
• Sync with a third-party inventory management system or ShipStation’s internal solution to view real-time stock levels
• Customize packing slips to include a product’s inventory location
• View inventory levels on your mobile device with the Mobile Inventory mobile app

ShipStation has robust inventory reporting capabilities as well:

• Low stock reports for all products below their reorder levels
• Log of orders with line item detail for out-of-stock products
• Status reports covering SKU-level inventory change events, such as orders

E-commerce Integrations and Partners 

ShipStation has active integrations with dozens of e-commerce platforms. Some of the biggest names in its lineup include:

• Amazon
• eBay
• Etsy
• Shopify
• Wix
• Mercado Libre
• BigCartel
• Volusion
• Salesforce Commerce Cloud

ShipStation also partners with the biggest names in logistics, including USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and international postal services like Australia Post and Royal Mail (UK). You can sync any account with these partners or e-commerce platforms with your ShipStation account, creating a one-stop dashboard for your entire order fulfillment and logistics operation.

ShipStation Plans and Pricing

ShipStation has several plan options. All include the capabilities described above and come with some additional value-added features, such as a Stamps.com account with discounted USPS pricing and the ability to link your FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other logistics carrier accounts.

The biggest difference between ShipStation plans is the number of shipments you’re allowed each month. Higher-priced plans also allow more users, customized labels, and more customer support options.

If you want to add a user without upgrading your plan, the cost is $5 per month, regardless of plan type.

Starter Plan

For $9 per month, the ShipStation Starter Plan offers:

• 50 shipments per month
• 1 user
• Branded shipping labels and packing slips
• Customer support via email and the ShipStation community forum, a user-generated content resource

Bronze Plan

For $29 per month, the ShipStation Bronze Plan offers:

• 500 shipments per month
• 1 user
• Branded shipping labels and packing slips
• Customer support via live chat, email, and the ShipStation community forum

Silver Plan

For $49 per month, the ShipStation Silver Plan offers:

• 1,500 shipments per month
• 2 users
• Fully customized shipping labels and packing slips
• Customer support via live chat, email, and the ShipStation community forum

Gold Plan

For $69 per month, the ShipStation Gold Plan offers:

• 3,000 shipments per month
• 3 users
• Fully customized shipping labels and packing slips
• Customer support via live chat, email, and the ShipStation community forum

Platinum Plan

For $99 per month, the ShipStation Platinum Plan offers:

• 6,000 shipments per month
• 5 users
• Fully customized shipping labels and packing slips
• Phone-based customer support in addition to live chat, email, and the community forum

Enterprise Plan

For $159 per month, the ShipStation Enterprise Plan offers:

• 10,000 shipments per month
• 10 users
• Customized shipping labels and packing slips
• The same customer support options as the Platinum Plan

Customized Plan

ShipStation offers custom pricing and capabilities for higher-volume sellers that consistently process more than 10,000 orders per month. Contact ShipStation directly for a quote.

Advantages of ShipStation

ShipStation’s top advantages include its vast array of e-commerce integrations, support for external fulfillment, the ability to add users without upgrading plans, and the ability to create a custom branding experience for your customers.

• Dozens of E-commerce Integrations. ShipStation’s shipping software integrates with dozens of e-commerce marketplaces, including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, and BigCartel. No matter where you sell your products or how many selling channels you have, the platform probably integrates with ShipStation. And that includes international platforms for transactions in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and elsewhere.
• Effortless Order Management Automation. ShipStation has a slew of automation capabilities for faster, more efficient order management. According to one testimonial featured on ShipStation’s website, the platform shaved two minutes off one client’s order fulfillment times. That’s huge for enterprises that fulfill dozens or hundreds of orders every day.
• Easy to Add Users Without Upgrading. ShipStation makes it easy to add users to your account without upgrading your plan. This is useful if you’re a relatively low-volume seller with multiple employees responsible for order management and fulfillment. 
• Custom Inventory Management Capabilities. ShipStation’s inventory management capabilities are more than powerful enough for complex e-commerce systems. No matter how many sales channels or inventory locations you have, ShipStation can help you keep everything straight.
• Custom Branding Available at Higher Price Points. At higher price points, ShipStation’s shipping software offers a host of custom branding options that enhance the user experience and have the potential to drive repeat sales. If you’re paying for a plan that supports them, there’s no reason not to use them.
• Supports External Fulfillment. ShipStation supports external fulfillment solutions, such as Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and dropshipping providers. This is great news for e-commerce businesses that don’t directly warehouse their own inventories, including side hustlers and sole proprietors who dropship or use FBA out of necessity.

Disadvantages of ShipStation

ShipStation isn’t perfect. Its principal downsides include limited customer support at lower price points and higher cost for high-volume sellers.

• Limited Customer Support at Lower Price Points. ShipStation’s lower-priced plans lack live customer support. You can always consult the ShipStation user community or email support, but neither channel produces instantaneous answers. 
• Higher-Volume Sellers Need Higher-Priced Plans or Custom Pricing. ShipStation’s lower-priced plans support very limited order volumes — just 50 orders per month for the Starter plan, or fewer than two orders per day. If you’re running a full-time e-commerce retailer, it’s unlikely that you can stay at those order volumes for very long.

How ShipStationStacks Up

ShipStation isn’t the only platform that helps online retailers manage and grow their fulfillment businesses. Here’s how it stacks up against another shipping service: ShipWorks.

• Plans Start At: $9 for the ShipStation Starter Plan. $49 for the ShipWorks E-commerce Essential Plan, which supports 1,500 orders per month.
• Maximum Monthly Shipments in Noncustom Plans: 10,000 for ShipStation ($159/month plan); 50,000 for ShipWorks ($799/month plan).
• Custom Branding: Offered by both.
• Compare Shipping Rates: Offered by both. ShipWorks has a Best Rate tool that ensures you get the best available rate for every order.
• Customer Support Options: Email, live chat, phone, and community forum support for ShipStation customers, depending on plan. All ShipWorks customers get unlimited white-glove support.
• Bottom Line: ShipStation is a better fit for lower-volume sellers seeking streamlined e-commerce fulfillment. ShipWorks is a better fit for higher-volume businesses with multiple warehouse or store locations.

Final Word

ShipStation is one of the best e-commerce fulfillment solutions around. Whether you’re looking to start a dropshipping business in your spare time or eying an expansion of your e-commerce empire, ShipStation keeps your logistical ducks in a row.

ShipStation’s considerable advantages include its network of dozens of e-commerce and logistics partners, effortless automation rules for order management, custom inventory management capabilities, and the ability to add users without upgrading your plan.

ShipStation does have some downsides, like limited customer support at lower price points and low order maximums in the entry-level plan. But the platform’s advantages more than compensate. If you’re in the market for a shipping solution that can grow with your business, ShipStation deserves a closer look.