Starshipit WMS picking and packing

In Starshipit WMS, picking and packing turn allocated orders into ready-to-ship parcels. Allocation (covered in the Orders & Allocation guide) reserves specific stock for each order. Picking moves that stock from storage locations into the hands of a picker, and packing verifies and boxes items ready for shipping.

The typical flow is:

1. Orders are released and stock is allocated.
2. WMS creates one or more pick jobs (single-order or batch).
3. Pickers work jobs from the picking dashboard, moving stock into equipment and/or straight to a packing bench.
4. Packers use the packing dashboard to verify items, pack parcels and trigger shipping labels via Starshipit.

Picking dashboard

The Picking dashboard lists all active pick jobs created when orders are released or when an expedited flow is used. For each job you will typically see:

• Job ID or Batch Pick ID
• Type (single order vs batch)
• Status (e.g. Pending/Ready, In progress, Completed)
• Priority or due time (where configured)
• Number of orders and lines in the job

Pickers select a job, review the required items and then start working through the locations in an efficient route.

Unified pick interface

All picking interfaces (single pick, batch pick, replenishment pick) share the same set of capabilities:

• Barcode scanning for confirming picks.
• Unit of Measure (UoM) support — scans and quantities respect the product’s unit of measure configuration.
• Scan history — a log of scans made during the pick session.
• +/- buttons for manual quantity adjustment.
• Mark complete action to finish a pick line.

This means all pick workflows behave consistently regardless of which type of pick job is being processed.

Pick jobs are completed through the standard line-by-line picking workflow. Pick job details do not include "Complete" or "Fail" buttons, to prevent jobs from being prematurely closed.

Stage pick recovery

If an issue occurs during a staged pick (for example, a network error), you can recover and resume the pick rather than needing to start over.

Single-order picking

Single-order picking means one pick job corresponds to one order. WMS has already allocated stock to specific locations and (where relevant) batches/serials.

Working a single-order pick job

1. Open the Picking dashboard and select a job.
2. Review the picking list, which shows:
   • SKU and description
   • Quantity to pick
   • Source location (e.g. pick face bin)
   • Batch/serial information where applicable
3. Follow the list through the warehouse, picking items from each location.
4. Scan or confirm each item as you pick it (depending on your setup).
5. Place items into your equipment (trolley, tote, etc.) or directly into an order container.
6. Once all lines are picked, mark the job as Completed.

As items are picked, WMS:

• Updates allocations from ALLOCATED to PICKED.
• Reduces stock at the source location.
• Moves stock into an Equipment location representing the picker’s cart/tote (where configured).

When something cannot be picked

If you cannot find an item or there is less stock than expected:

• Record the short pick in the system (e.g. pick a lower quantity).
• WMS will flag the shortage so you can:
  • Investigate with a stocktake or adjustment, or
  • Partially ship the order or defer it until stock is available.

Batch picking (multi-order)

Batch picking groups items from multiple orders into a single pick job. This reduces travel time by letting a picker walk the warehouse once for many orders.

Creating and using batch pick jobs

Batch pick jobs can be created explicitly (e.g. selecting orders and building a batch) or as part of expedited flows like Batch Pack Now. Regardless of how they are created, they behave similarly in picking:

• The job has a Batch Pick ID.
• The picking list shows the combined quantities per SKU and location across all included orders.
• Behind the scenes, WMS still keeps track of which items belong to which order.

Working a batch pick job

1. Select the batch job from the Picking dashboard.
2. Use the picking list to gather all items, usually sorted by location to minimise walking.
3. Place items into different totes or compartments labelled per order, or use a sorting step later at the packing bench.
4. Mark the batch job as Completed once all items are picked.

Skip or remove orders from a batch

You can skip individual orders within a batch pick and remove them from the batch if needed. Visual progress bars appear on the overall batch and on individual order items within a batch pick, so you can track completion at a glance.

After completion:

• All associated orders move to the next stage (e.g. ready to pack).
• Items are considered to be in transit via equipment or at the packing bench, depending on your process.

Equipment and staging to packing benches

Starshipit WMS uses Equipment and Packing Bench locations to model where picked stock is physically sitting.

Equipment locations

Equipment locations represent a picker’s cart, tote or similar container. When you confirm a pick:

• Stock moves from the shelf (e.g. A1-01) into the equipment location.
• WMS records a stock movement (reason like “PICKED for Order XYZ”).

This helps if there is a delay between picking and packing, or if items are moved around the warehouse before reaching a bench.

Staging picked items to packing benches

When a picker arrives at a packing area, they can move picked items from equipment into a Packing Bench location. This can be done explicitly (e.g. a “Move to bench” or “Stage to packing bench” action) or implicitly as part of the packing process.

After staging:

• Equipment locations are cleared for those items.
• Packing bench locations now hold the stock ready to be packed.
• WMS records additional stock movements (for example, “TO_PACK_BENCH”).

Packing dashboard

The Packing dashboard lists orders and pack jobs that are ready to be packed. Typically, you will see:

• Orders with completed pick jobs and items staged at a packing bench.
• Expedited orders that were sent directly to a packing bench via Pack Now or Batch Pack Now.

From the packing dashboard, packers can:

• Select an order or batch to work on.
• See which packing bench the items are at.
• Open the packing screen to start scanning and confirming items.

Packing process (scan and confirm)

The packing screen is where the physical contents of an order are confirmed and packed into parcels.

Pack screen layout customisation

You can customise the pack screen layout by choosing which columns appear in the items table. This allows each user or warehouse to tailor the packing view to show only the information relevant to their workflow.

Pack screen scan actions

The pack screen supports scanning barcodes in the format prd_{serviceCode} to select a shipping service. The available scan actions are displayed on screen so users know what barcode formats are accepted.

Picking settings enforced on pack screen

Picking settings (configured in Settings) are enforced consistently on the pack screen. This ensures that barcode scanning requirements and other pick configuration choices apply throughout the pack workflow.

Packing bench selection

When expediting a pick job to packing, you can choose which packing bench the job should be directed to via a selection dialog. This replaces the previous behaviour where jobs went to a default bench.

Steps to pack an order

1. Select the order or pack job from the Packing dashboard.
2. Review the list of items and quantities that should be present.
3. As you place items into a carton:
   • Scan the product barcode (or confirm manually).
   • For serial-tracked items, scan or enter each serial number.
   • For batch-tracked items, confirm the batch/lot and (where needed) expiry.
4. Repeat until all items are confirmed as packed.
5. Confirm the packing step to mark the order as packed and ready for shipping.

WMS validates that:

• The correct SKUs are packed (no wrong items).
• The correct quantities are packed.
• All required tracking information (serial/batch) is captured.

If a discrepancy is found (e.g. item missing or extra), you can:

• Adjust the pick if it was a mis-pick.
• Update the order in Starshipit (for substitutions or order changes).
• Investigate stock levels via inventory or movement logs.

Packing summaries and documents

Starshipit WMS can generate packing summaries and documents to support packing and order checking.

Packing summaries

A packing summary is a document that lists items to be packed. It can be:

• Order-level – a summary for a single order.
• Batch-level – a consolidated list for multiple orders in a batch (commonly used for batch picks or Batch Pack Now).

In expedited workflows, WMS may require you to generate a packing summary before completing a batch. This summary acts as a consolidated pick/pack list for warehouse staff.

Packing slips and inserts

Depending on your configuration, you can print packing slips or summaries to include in the carton. These can be printed during or after packing and may show:

• Order details
• Line items and quantities
• Any notes or references needed for the customer or returns

Shipping and label creation

Once packing is complete, the next step is to generate a shipping label via your main Starshipit account. There are two common workflows:

Trigger labels from WMS

In this workflow:

• Packer clicks a Print label or similar action in WMS.
• WMS calls Starshipit’s APIs to create a shipment using your existing carrier rules and services.
• Starshipit generates the label and tracking number.
• WMS receives the label and sends it to the label printer.
• Starshipit fires an order_shipped webhook back to WMS to finalise stock movements and update order status.

If a label print or reprint fails due to a validation issue in Starshipit (for example, missing address data or an invalid service), the error is presented as a fixable issue with a clear message, rather than appearing as a generic server error. This allows you to understand what needs to be corrected in the order before retrying the print.

Trigger labels from Starshipit

Alternatively, you may:

• Use Starshipit’s web or mobile interface to process and print labels once WMS indicates orders are ready.
• When the label is printed in Starshipit, it still sends an order_shipped webhook to WMS.

In both cases, WMS:

• Marks orders as SHIPPED or PARTIALLY_SHIPPED.
• Finalises pick and pack jobs.
• Writes SHIPMENT stock movements to reduce on-hand stock.

Mobile packing

Mobile devices are automatically detected and redirected to a mobile-optimised packing experience. The mobile packing view supports:

• At-bench — loading packing jobs assigned to a specific packing bench location.
• By order number — looking up and starting a pack job by scanning or entering an order number.

Best-practice picking and packing

• Group work by priority.
  Use order priority or courier cut-offs to decide which orders to pick first.
• Use batch picking for volume, single-order picking for complexity.
  Batch picking is great for many small orders with similar items; single-order picking suits complex or high-value orders.
• Separate picking and packing roles where possible.
  Let pickers focus on walking the warehouse and packers focus on accuracy and documentation.
• Always stage correctly to packing benches.
  Keep a clear handover from pick to pack by using equipment and packing bench locations consistently.
• Scan wherever practical.
  Scanning SKUs and serials at packing sharply reduces mis-picks and incorrect shipments.
• Use packing summaries for batch work.
  For batch picking or Batch Pack Now, rely on consolidated summaries to guide both picking and sorting at the bench.

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