Scanning each item before it goes in the box is the single best habit for stopping wrong-item shipments: the screen checks the item, not the packer's eyes. You don't need a warehouse system or an expensive gun to do it. Almost any scanner sold today will work. The difference is in a few choices and a few settings.
The one thing every scanner should do: act as a keyboard
Most scanners work in keyboard mode (also called HID or keyboard wedge). The computer sees the scanner as a keyboard: click into any text box, scan, and the barcode types itself in, followed by Enter. That's why one scanner works in any app, browser tab or spreadsheet, with no driver or plugin. Shopify's own hardware page says "any HID barcode scanner" works with its POS, and the same is true for packing apps.
What to look for
1D or 2D
1D scanners read the familiar striped barcodes (UPC, EAN, Code 128). 2D scanners read those too, plus QR codes and Data Matrix, and usually codes shown on a phone screen. The price gap is small now; buy 2D. Serial numbers on electronics, shipping labels and many supplier labels are often 2D.
Corded, Bluetooth or a USB dongle
- Corded USB: no charging, no pairing, nothing to lose. Best for a packing bench where the scanner stays put.
- Wireless with a USB receiver: plug the dongle in and it works like a corded one, with range to walk to a shelf.
- Bluetooth: pairs with a phone or iPad as well as a computer. Handy for picking from a tablet; one more thing to charge and re-pair.
A stand
Many scanners come with or offer a stand that scans automatically when something passes under it ("presentation mode"). At a packing bench it frees both hands. Worth it.
Which brands
For Shopify POS, Shopify lists Socket Mobile scanners, the Zebra DS2208 and DS2278, and the HP Engage 2D. Any of those is a safe pick for packing too. Budget 2D scanners from Tera, Inateck, Netum and others work fine at a small bench; our packing station guide has typical prices.
Set it up in five minutes
- Test in a plain text editor first. Open Notes or Notepad and scan a product. You should see exactly the number printed under the barcode, then the cursor jumps to a new line. If it does, the scanner is ready for any app.
- Make sure it sends Enter. Apps use the Enter after a scan to know it's finished. If the cursor doesn't move to a new line, scan the "add Enter suffix" (or "CR suffix") code in the scanner's manual.
- Match the keyboard language. If you see the wrong characters (Z where you expect Y, symbols where you expect numbers), the scanner's keyboard language doesn't match your computer's. Set both to the same in the manual's setup codes.
- Check Caps Lock. With Caps Lock on, letters in a SKU can arrive in the wrong case and stop matching.
- Compare with Shopify. Scan a product, then open it in Shopify and compare with its Barcode field. They should be identical, digit for digit.
When a scan doesn't match
Step 5 catches the most confusing problem: a missing or extra leading zero. A US UPC is 12 digits; the same code written as an EAN-13 is 13, with a 0 in front. Some scanners add or drop that 0 by default, so the scan says 0012345678905 while Shopify has 012345678905. Either change the scanner's UPC-A setting so it sends the code as printed, or make the product's Barcode field in Shopify match what the scanner sends.
Other common causes:
- The product has no barcode in Shopify. Add it, or scan or type the SKU instead. Shopify's free Retail Barcode Labels app prints barcode labels for products that arrive without one.
- The supplier changed the barcode. Same product, new code on the box. Add the new code in Shopify, or as an alias if your app supports one.
- The cursor wasn't in the scan box. The code typed itself into a search field or another tab. Good apps keep the scan box focused.
- A Bluetooth scanner went to sleep. The first scan wakes it and gets lost. Scan again, or lengthen its sleep timer.
No scanner? Use a phone
A phone camera works as a scanner in apps that support it, through the browser. It's slower than a handheld gun on a busy day, and it's perfect for a second picker or a temp. One catch: browsers don't allow the camera inside apps embedded in the Shopify admin, so phone scanning happens in a normal browser tab.
How Pickadoodl works with scanners
I build Pickadoodl. Any scanner that types into a field works everywhere in it, including inside the Shopify admin, for picking, packing, Quick pack and returns. On a batch's work link, a phone camera works too, with no app to install. A scan has to match the product's Barcode or SKU in Shopify exactly; if suppliers ship the same product with different codes, register the extras as barcode aliases and any of them counts. No barcode at all? Type the SKU.
