The CanShip workflow: pick, pack, and ship an order

Applies to: All tiers  ·  Last reviewed: 2026-06-24

What this is

The core daily loop, from an allocated order to a label and tracking. The path is the same whether the order came from Shopify, Amazon, Extensiv, or the Manual Orders channel: order in, pick, pack, ship, tracking out.

1. Pick

1. In Orders & Sales > Orders, select the orders to fulfill. An order has to be allocated and marked Ready before it can join a pick job. If it is still Open, select it and choose Actions > Mark Ready first (it must be fully allocated; use Allocate Inventory if it is not).
2. With your Ready orders selected, choose Actions > Add to Pick Job. Start a New Pick Job (you can name it) or add to an Existing one, then Confirm. If you run more than one warehouse, CanShip asks which warehouse first, so the job stays scoped to one building. CanShip tells you if any selected order was skipped, and why.
3. Find the job under Fulfillment > Pick Jobs and open it. Click Start Picking. CanShip sorts the picks by warehouse location to cut walk time, and you can batch several orders into one job.
4. Pick each line and scan to confirm. Scanning verifies you pulled the right SKU before it moves on.

2. Pack

1. Open the order at the pack station.
2. Scan each item into the box. CanShip blocks the wrong item before it ships.
3. Choose your box and capture the weight and dimensions.
4. Print the packing slip, in English or French.

3. Ship

1. CanShip rate shops across your connected carriers (Canada Post, UPS, FedEx, FleetOptics, and others) and shows the options.
2. Rates and the Ship button stay hidden until every problem on the shipment is resolved, so you cannot ship an order that still has an unresolved error.
3. Pick a rate and click Ship. CanShip generates the label and captures the tracking number.
4. Tracking writes back to the order's sales channel automatically, so a Shopify or Amazon customer gets the normal shipping notification.

At the end of the day, close your carrier manifests so the parcels are formally accepted. See "How to print a Canada Post end-of-day manifest".

What can go wrong

• The Ship button is missing. The shipment still has an unresolved error (for example, a missing weight or an address problem). Resolve the flagged issue and the rates and Ship button appear.
• An order will not pick. It may be unallocated (no stock on hand) or assigned to a different warehouse. Check the order's inventory status and assigned warehouse.