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ShipStation + Send To Many: Fulfill Bulk Orders from Shopify

Configure ShipStation to import and fulfill Send To Many recipient orders while filtering out aggregate orders that don't need shipping.

Send To Many generates standard Shopify orders for each recipient in a Send, so they flow into fulfillment tools like ShipStation just as any other order would. The main thing to get right is making sure ShipStation only picks up the recipient orders (the ones that need to be shipped) and skips the aggregate order (the parent order that captures payment but doesn't ship anything).

This article walks you through configuring ShipStation to work cleanly with Send To Many orders.

How Send To Many orders appear in Shopify​

When you generate orders for a Send, two types of Shopify orders are created:

  • Recipient orders: One per recipient, each with its own shipping address, products, and shipping rate/method. These are the orders ShipStation needs to fulfill.
  • Aggregate (gifter) order: A single order that captures the total revenue for the Send. It uses custom line items (not your catalog products), is tagged "Send to Many aggregate", and is marked "Does not require shipping."

Recipient orders look and behave like regular Shopify orders. They have real shipping addresses, real products, and flow into fulfillment workflows normally. The aggregate order is the one you need to keep out of ShipStation.

Aggregate orders may be filtered automatically

ShipStation typically does not import Shopify orders marked "Does not require shipping." Since aggregate orders carry this flag, they may never appear in your ShipStation queue at all. We still recommend setting up an automation rule as a safety net, especially if your ShipStation configuration has been customized.

Filtering aggregate orders out of ShipStation​

Even if ShipStation skips aggregate orders by default, it's good practice to have a backup filter in place. Here are three options, from most to least aggressive.

Option 1: Cancel the order in ShipStation​

ShipStation automation rules run on every order as it imports. You can create a rule that automatically cancels aggregate orders on arrival.

  1. In ShipStation, go to Settings > Automation.
  2. Click Add New Rule.
  3. Set the criteria: Order Tags > Includes > Send to Many aggregate.
  4. Set the action: Cancel Order.
  5. Save the rule and make sure it's positioned above any other rules that might act on these orders first.

Cancelling an order in ShipStation only removes it from your shipping queue. It does not cancel the order in Shopify. The aggregate order stays fully intact in your Shopify admin, with its revenue and payment status unchanged.

Option 2: Tag and filter​

If you'd rather keep aggregate orders visible in ShipStation but out of your day-to-day workflow:

  1. Create an automation rule (as above) but set the action to Add Tag with something like do-not-ship.
  2. In the ShipStation orders grid, click Saved Filters > Manage Filters.
  3. Create a filter that excludes orders tagged do-not-ship.
  4. Save and apply the filter as your default view.

This keeps your shipping queue clean while still letting you find aggregate orders if you ever need to look them up.

Option 3: Archive​

You can also create an automation rule that moves aggregate orders directly to the Shipped/Completed status (effectively archiving them), so they skip the queue entirely and land in your completed orders.

Import Shopify tags into ShipStation

By default, ShipStation doesn't import Shopify order tags automatically. To enable this, go to your Shopify store settings in ShipStation, click Edit Shopify Settings, and map Shopify order tags to one of ShipStation's custom fields. Once mapped, you can use those tags in automation rules and filters.

Configuring recipient orders for smooth fulfillment​

Recipient orders are standard Shopify orders, so ShipStation handles them normally. There are a few Send To Many settings worth configuring to make the experience seamless.

Order tags for routing​

Send To Many lets you apply tags to every recipient order in a Send. You can use static tags (e.g., "Corporate Gift") and dynamic variables (e.g., the send ID or customer name). These tags carry over to ShipStation and can drive automation rules for carrier selection, warehouse routing, or priority handling.

Configure order tags in your Send preset settings. Common patterns:

  • Tag by use case: Corporate Gift, Influencer Send, Holiday Campaign
  • Tag by customer: use the dynamic customer first and last name variables so each Send's orders are tagged with the gifter's name

Shipping method mapping​

When you use calculated shipping rates in Send To Many, each recipient order includes the selected shipping method name (e.g., "USPS Priority Mail" or "UPS Ground"). ShipStation can read the requested shipping service from the Shopify order and match it to a ShipStation carrier and service.

To set this up in ShipStation:

  • Go to your Shopify store settings in ShipStation.
  • Look for the Requested Shipping Service Mapping section.
  • Map the shipping service names that Send To Many uses to the corresponding ShipStation carrier services.

If you use fixed-rate shipping in Send To Many, the shipping method name is whatever you set in your Send preset (e.g., "Standard Shipping"). Make sure ShipStation has a mapping for that name, or set up an automation rule to assign the correct carrier service based on the tag or order properties.

Revenue handling: $0 vs. calculated recipient orders​

How you configure order revenue handling in Send To Many affects what ShipStation sees on each recipient order.

Calculated recipient orders (default for revenue-generating Sends): Recipient orders show the full product price, tax, and shipping. This is the standard setup and gives your fulfillment team or 3PL visibility into pricing on packing slips. It's also necessary if you need line-item values for customs declarations on international shipments.

$0 recipient orders: Recipient orders show $0 line items. Revenue lives only on the aggregate order. This can simplify fulfillment reporting since ShipStation won't show revenue totals across your recipient orders. However, note that some ShipStation configurations may treat $0 orders differently during import, so test this with your setup before using it at scale.

Choose the option that fits your reporting and fulfillment needs. See What Happens After You Generate Orders for more detail on how orders work.

Shipping notifications​

If ShipStation is handling your shipping confirmation emails, you'll want to suppress Shopify's built-in notifications to avoid duplicates. Send To Many's shipping notification settings let you suppress Shopify's order confirmation and shipping emails at the Send preset level. Set notifications to Suppress and let ShipStation handle the communication instead.

When notifications are suppressed, Send To Many sets the contact email on recipient orders to a blackhole address (suppressed+XXXX@sendtomany.com). This means ShipStation will see that address as the order's email. If ShipStation's customer notification emails are enabled, they'll be sent to the blackhole address and go nowhere, which is the intended behavior. No one receives an unwanted email.

If you're using ShipStation to send shipping notifications (rather than suppressing them), make sure the notification setting in Send To Many is set to Recipient so that the real recipient email appears on the order for ShipStation to use.

Test your notification setup before your first Send

If both Shopify and ShipStation send shipping confirmation emails, recipients will get duplicates. Decide which system sends notifications and disable the other. We recommend thorough testing of your notification flow with a small test Send before running a large batch.

Identifying Send To Many orders in ShipStation​

All Send To Many orders share a few consistent properties you can use for filtering and automation:

  • Payment gateway: "Send to Many"
  • Order tags: Configurable per Send, plus the automatic "Send to Many aggregate" tag on parent orders
  • Custom fields: If you've mapped Shopify tags to a ShipStation custom field, you can filter on any tag value

These identifiers make it straightforward to build automation rules that treat Send To Many orders differently from your regular storefront orders when needed.

Summary​

Order typeShips?TaggedWhat to do in ShipStation
Recipient ordersYes"Send To Many #XXXXX" plus any configured tags (e.g., "Corporate Gift")Fulfill normally. Use tags for automation rules.
Aggregate (gifter) orderNo"Send to Many aggregate"Filter out via automation rule or saved filter.

Next steps​

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