# Pack and ship orders in WMS
URL: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/14700000000012-pack-and-ship-orders-in-wms
Canonical: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/14700000000012-pack-and-ship-orders-in-wms
Markdown: https://support.starshipit.com/articles/14700000000012-pack-and-ship-orders-in-wms.md
Updated: 2026-05-07

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.starshipit.com/llms.txt).

> Verify picked items, pack parcels, and generate shipping labels from WMS packing benches.

**Packing** turns picked stock into a ready-to-ship parcel. The packing workflow in WMS:

* Confirms the correct items are present (scan verification)
* Captures serial or batch information that must be verified at pack time
* Creates a shipment and prints a label via your Starshipit account
* Finalises stock movements and marks the order as shipped

Packing happens at a **Packing Bench** location - either after items have been picked and staged, or immediately after an expedited flow (Pack Now / Batch Pack Now).

## The packing dashboard

The **Packing dashboard** shows orders and pack jobs that are ready to be packed. You will typically see:

* Orders with completed pick jobs, with items staged at a packing bench
* Expedited orders sent directly to a bench via Pack Now or Batch Pack Now

From the packing dashboard, select an order or batch to open the **packing screen**.

Use the **Packing Bench Report** when supervisors need to see what is waiting at each bench and where work is building up.

## Packing a single order

1. Select an order from the **Packing dashboard**.
2. Review the items and quantities that should be present.
3. Scan the **product barcode** for each item as you place it in the carton:
   * For **serial-tracked** items: scan or enter each serial number.
   * For **batch-tracked** items: confirm the batch/lot and expiry date if required.
4. Repeat until all items are confirmed.
5. Select a packaging type (box, satchel, etc.) if required.
6. Click **Pack & Print Label** to create a shipment in Starshipit and print the shipping label.

WMS validates that:

* The correct SKUs are packed (wrong items will be flagged).
* The correct quantities are packed.
* All required tracking (serial/batch) has been captured.

### If a discrepancy is found during packing

If an item is missing or wrong:

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

## Partial packing

If you need to ship part of an order now and the rest later:

1. Pack and confirm the items you have.
2. Select **Partially Pack & Print Label**.
3. WMS prints a label for the packed quantity and keeps the remaining items open.
4. The order moves to **PARTIALLY_SHIPPED** status.

The remaining items can be packed and shipped once the stock is available.

If your account uses the dedicated ship workflow, packing and shipping are separate steps. Packers confirm the packed contents first, then shipping is completed from the shipping dashboard. Use this when your team separates pack verification from label generation or final carrier handoff.

## Pack screen customisation

The packing screen can be tailored to your workflow:

* **Column layout** - choose which columns appear in the items table, so packers see the fields most relevant to their process.
* **Bundle line visibility** - choose whether bundle parent lines are shown when packing orders that contain bundle products.
* **Custom packaging** - create packaging records directly from the pack screen when standard templates are not suitable.

When selecting packaging, WMS uses package dimensions from Starshipit. If dimensions look wrong, check the package configuration in your Starshipit account.

## Packing summaries

A **packing summary** is a document listing items to be packed. You can generate:

* **Order-level summaries** - for a single order.
* **Batch-level summaries** - a consolidated list for multiple orders in a batch (commonly used with Batch Pack Now).

For Batch Pack Now workflows, WMS requires you to generate a packing summary before finalising. This acts as a consolidated pick/pack list - staff retrieve all items in one warehouse pass and sort them per order at the bench.

Batch order packing slips can download automatically, which is useful when packers need paperwork for every order in a batch before final label creation.

## How labels are generated

Once packing is complete, WMS creates a shipment via Starshipit:

1. WMS calls Starshipit's API using your existing carrier rules and services.
2. Starshipit generates the shipping label and tracking number.
3. The label is sent to your label printer.
4. Starshipit fires an **order_shipped** webhook back to WMS.

WMS then:

* Marks the order as **SHIPPED** (or **PARTIALLY_SHIPPED** for partial packs).
* Finalises pick and pack jobs.
* Writes **SHIPMENT** stock movements to reduce on-hand inventory.

If a label fails to print due to a validation issue in Starshipit (such as a missing address or invalid service), WMS surfaces a clear, actionable error rather than a generic failure - so you know exactly what to fix before retrying.

If a shipment needs to be redone, WMS can hand off the redo flow while preserving the stock context needed to reopen the order at the correct location. Review the process log entry if a redo cannot be completed automatically.

Barcode alias matching is supported for shipper and product scans, helping packers scan expected barcode variants without manual lookup.

## Mobile packing

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

* **At-bench mode** - load packing jobs assigned to a specific packing bench.
* **By order number** - look up and start a pack job by scanning or entering an order number.
* **Existing pack jobs** - open or claim a pack job that was created after picking.

In the standard workflow, completing a pick on mobile creates the pack job and returns the user to the jobs list. Packing then begins when the user opens or claims that pack job.

When packing on mobile, WMS can print the label automatically via Starshipit unless the user opts out.

## Best practices

* **Scan at packing to catch mis-picks.** Barcode verification at the pack step is your last chance to catch the wrong item before it ships to a customer.
* **Use partial packing rather than holding orders.** If one item is out of stock, ship what you have rather than blocking the whole order.
* **Use batch packing summaries for high-volume runs.** For Batch Pack Now or large batch picks, consolidated summaries reduce sorting errors at the bench.
* **Use the dedicated ship workflow when roles are split.** It keeps pack verification separate from final shipment handoff.
* **Keep packing benches tidy.** Staging clears the equipment location and moves stock to the bench - a tidy bench reduces mix-ups between orders.

## Related guides

* [Picking orders](/articles/14700000000011-picking-orders)
* [Expedited fulfilment (Pack Now & Batch Pack Now)](/articles/14700000000013-expedited-fulfilment-pack-now-batch-pack-now)
* [Orders and allocation](/articles/14700000000010-starshipit-wms-orders-and-allocation)