ShipStation is a multi-carrier shipping solution for e-commerce retailers. This web-based software helps you to organize, process, and ship your online orders quickly and efficiently by automating the creation of shipping labels and packing slips for however you ship.
If you use ShipStation to manage shipping, you can use ShipStation Order Sync to connect your DecoNetwork account to ShipStation so orders automatically sync across. Once connected, you can import orders into ShipStation, create shipping labels, and have shipment updates flow back to DecoNetwork. This article shows you how.
Deconetwork also supports ShipStation as a live shipping rate provider. You can set up all the carriers you want to use in ShipStation and have live shipping rates displayed at checkout on your Deconetwork website. Rather than setting up multiple carriers in Deconetwork, you can set up a single integration with ShipStation to obtain live shipping from all the carriers that you have added to your ShipStation account. For information on how to set up ShipStation as a live shipping rate provider, see the help article, Connect with ShipStation for live shipping estimates.
This article only provides instructions for setting up ShipStation Order Sync. For information on using ShipStation, see the ShipStation Help Center.
In this article
- Prerequisites
- Why use ShipStation Order Sync
- Step 1: Connect your DecoNetwork store to ShipStation
- Step 2: Sync your DecoNetwork orders in ShipStation
- Step 3: Configure shipping notifications
- Step 4: Exclude shipping methods from syncing
- Step 5: View orders in ShipStation
- Step 6: Set up carriers in ShipStation
- How order status updates work
- Best-practice tips
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
- Additional resources
Prerequisites
- You must have a ShipStation account.
- You must log into DecoNetwork with a user that has the Administrator role.
Why use ShipStation Order Sync
- Reduce manual entry by importing DecoNetwork orders directly into ShipStation.
- Ship faster with ShipStation’s label creation and carrier tools.
- Keep statuses aligned by syncing shipment updates back to DecoNetwork.
Step 1: Connect your DecoNetwork store to ShipStation
- Log in to your ShipStation account.
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From the Onboard screen click on the View More... link in the Connect to a store section.
Click the image to enlarge.
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Click on the Add a store tile.
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Locate the Custom Store tile in the Connect a Store popup and click on it.
The Set Up Store Connection popup is displayed.
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Enter your store's connection URL as displayed under Admin → Settings → Shipping → ShipStation Order Sync.
- Enter credentials for a user assigned the Administrator role on your DecoNetwork account.
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IMPORTANT Enter the order mapping statuses as follows:
- Awaiting Payment Status: ss_unpaid
- Awaiting Shipment Status: ss_paid
- Shipped Status: ss_shipped
- Cancelled Status: ss_cancelled
- On-Hold Status: ss_on_hold
- Click on the Test Connection link to ensure that the correct URL, username and password have been entered.
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If the test is successful, click on the Connect button.
Once connected, you will be redirected to your ShipStation account, where you can configure the settings for your DecoNetwork store.
Step 2: Sync your DecoNetwork orders in ShipStation
Once you have connected your DecoNetwork store, your orders will be automatically imported into ShipStation. By default, ShipStation uses an auto-update feature to periodically import new orders and sync already imported orders from your store. For this reason, it is recommended that you use the manual import command to ensure that you are working with your most recent orders and up-to-date orders.
Only orders with the statuses, awaiting_production, awaiting_shipping, shipped, and canceled will be synced. Orders that are awaiting payment, on hold, awaiting PO, and awaiting artwork will not be synced.
Orders with status on_hold will be synced as soon as 1 item has at least 1 piece marked as produced. This allows a shipment to be split and produced items to be marked as shipped while pending items are left on-hold.
If you have affiliate stores, orders from all stores will be imported under a single custom store within ShipStation.
Import your orders into ShipStation by using the Import icon at the right of the top toolbar.
To import orders from all connected stores, click Update All Stores.
To import orders from an individual store, click on the refresh icon next to the store's name.
ShipStation will display a popup notification to let you know when the import is complete. The import may take a few minutes depending on the volume of orders.
Step 3: Configure shipping notifications
You can choose whether DecoNetwork should send the order shipped email even if ShipStation also sends shipping notifications.
- Log into your DecoNetwork website.
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Browse to Admin → Settings → Shipping → ShipStation Order Sync.
The ShipStation Order Sync settings page will be displayed.
Click the image to enlarge.
If you have connected your DecoNetwork account to ShipStation, your ShipStation connection URL will be shown in the Marketplace Connection URL field.
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Configure the Notifications option as required.
Tick the "Send order shipped email even when ShipStation order shipped email already sent" checkbox if you want DecoNetwork to send shipping notifications even if notifications have already been sent by ShipStation. Untick the checkbox if you do not want DecoNetwork to send shipping notifications when they are being sent by ShipStation.
- Click Save.
Step 4: Exclude shipping methods from syncing
If you have shipping methods in DecoNetwork that you do not want included in ShipStation sync, you can exclude them.
- Log into your DecoNetwork website.
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Browse to Admin → Settings → Shipping → ShipStation Order Sync.
The ShipStation Order Sync settings page will be displayed.
Click the image to enlarge.
- Scroll down to the Exclude Shipping Methods section.
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Tick the checkboxes of the shipping methods to exclude when syncing orders to ShipStation in the Configure Shipping Methods section.
- Click Save.
Step 5: View orders in ShipStation
Once you have imported your orders, you can view them by clicking on the Orders tab in the top toolbar.
By default, ShipStation will display orders with the Awaiting Shipment status.
For details on how to manage your orders in ShipStation, visit the Manage Orders section in the ShipStation Help Center.
Step 6: Set up carriers in ShipStation
- Log in to your ShipStation account.
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Click on the cog icon in the top toolbar.
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Click on the Shipping from the left menu.
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Click on Carriers from the Shipping dropdown menu.
The Carriers screen will be displayed.
Click the image to enlarge.
- Click on the ellipsis icon
for the carrier you want to set up.
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Click on the activate carrier button.
The carrier setup popup will be displayed.
- Configure the carrier settings.
How order status updates work
Shipped Orders
ShipStation automatically sends a shipment notification to your DecoNetwork store as soon as you create a shipping label for an order or mark it as Shipped (unless you have the Notify marketplace option disabled for the order). This will cause the order status to be updated to 'Shipped' in Business Hub.
For details on how to ship orders in ShipStation, visit the Ship Orders section in the ShipStation Help Center.
Canceled Orders
When you cancel orders in ShipStation, ShipStation does not notify DecoNetwork, so the order will remain active in Business Hub. For this reason, it is recommended that you cancel your orders in Business Hub to ensure the order status match on both platforms.
For details on how to cancel orders in ShipStation, visit the Manage Orders section in the ShipStation Help Center.
Split Orders
ShipStation allows you to split an order into multiple orders so that you can ship only part of the order or ship items in the order as separate shipments. Be aware, however, that when you split an order in ShipStation, the order status will not be updated in Business Hub.
Whenever possible, split (or combine) orders directly in the selling channel before they import into ShipStation, rather than in ShipStation directly to ensure that order statuses can be synced.
For details on how to split orders in ShipStation, visit the Combine & Split Orders section in the ShipStation Help Center.
Best-practice tips
- Run a manual import in ShipStation before processing shipments, especially for high-volume days.
- Align time zones across platforms to reduce confusion with order and shipment dates.
- Keep exclusions intentional: only exclude shipping methods you truly never want ShipStation to process.
Troubleshooting
Test Connection fails in ShipStation
- Confirm the Store Connection URL was copied from Admin → Settings → Shipping → ShipStation Order Sync.
- Confirm the username/password belongs to a DecoNetwork user with the Administrator role.
- Re-check the order mapping statuses are set exactly:
- ss_unpaid, ss_paid, ss_shipped, ss_cancelled, ss_on_hold
New orders are not showing in ShipStation
- ShipStation imports on a schedule. Run a manual import for your store/channel to pull in the latest orders.
- If you expect older historical orders, ShipStation may only import a limited window by default. Contact ShipStation support about importing older orders.
Customers receive duplicate shipment emails
- Review your DecoNetwork setting under Admin → Settings → Shipping → ShipStation Order Sync that controls whether DecoNetwork sends shipped emails when ShipStation sends notifications.
- Decide which platform should send the customer-facing shipment email, then adjust the setting accordingly.
Order/shipment dates don’t match between systems
- Check time zone settings in both ShipStation and DecoNetwork. A mismatch can cause dates/times to appear different.
FAQs
Which orders sync to ShipStation?
Orders sync based on their status. Typically, only orders that are relevant to production/shipping (for example, awaiting production, awaiting shipping, shipped, cancelled) are included.
If I cancel an order in ShipStation, does it cancel in DecoNetwork?
No. ShipStation does not notify DecoNetwork when an order is cancelled in ShipStation. Cancel the order in DecoNetwork if you need it cancelled there too.
Do split orders sync back to DecoNetwork?
No. ShipStation split-order statuses do not sync back to DecoNetwork. If you need separate shipments reflected cleanly, split the order in the selling channel before import (where possible).
Does this integration provide live shipping rates at checkout?
ShipStation can be used as a live rate provider in DecoNetwork (depending on your configuration). If you want live rates, review the ShipStation live rates setup guidance in the Help Center.
Additional resources
- Connect with ShipStation for live shipping estimates
- How to Connect Shipstation for Live Rates and Seamless Shipping
- ShipStation Help Center (ShipStation)
Still have questions? Use the Search Tool at the top of the page to find more related guides. Need help? Click the icon to submit a support ticket—our Client Services team is ready to assist!
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