Most orders fit in one box, and most shipping setups assume they always will: one order, one label, one tracking number. Then a customer orders six of the big thing. The packing is the easy part. The hard part is the paperwork around it: one label per box, every tracking number on the order, and a customer who knows that the box on their porch isn't the whole order.
Two ways to record it in Shopify
1. Split the order into separate fulfillments
Fulfill the items in box 1 with box 1's tracking number, then the items in box 2 with box 2's. Shopify then knows exactly which items went in which box, which helps if one box goes missing or comes back.
The catch is email. Each fulfillment sends its own shipping confirmation, so a ten-box order sends ten emails. A merchant who asked about it on the Shopify forum was told by Shopify support that this is expected and there's no built-in way to group them. It's also slower at the bench: someone has to decide and record which items went in which box.
2. One fulfillment with several tracking numbers
Fulfill the whole order once and attach every box's tracking number to that fulfillment. Shopify's fulfillment tracking accepts a list of numbers, each with its own tracking link, for exactly this: "shipping assembly parts of one furniture item in several boxes", in Shopify's own example. The customer gets one shipping confirmation, and merchants report that it lists all the numbers. What you give up is the item-by-item map of which box holds what.
Which to use: one fulfillment for most retail orders, where the boxes travel together and the customer just wants it all to arrive. Separate fulfillments when boxes ship on different days, from different places, or when knowing exactly what's in each box matters, for high-value items or B2B orders that get checked in by box.
One label per box
Postal and parcel carriers price and track each box separately, so each box gets its own label, weight and dimensions. Weigh each box on its own, after it's sealed. Don't divide the total by the number of boxes; carriers re-weigh, and an underpaid box comes back to you as an adjustment.
UPS and FedEx also offer multi-piece shipments, where the boxes travel under one master tracking number. That's handy for freight-style orders, but it ties you to one carrier's tools. For most shops, separate labels and a list of tracking numbers on the order work just as well.
When two boxes are cheaper than one
Carriers bill large, light boxes by size rather than weight (dimensional weight). A big box full of pillows can cost more than two smaller ones holding the same thing. If you ship bulky orders often, price both ways once and write the answer on the wall by the packing bench: "over 3 pillows, use two medium boxes."
Packing so the customer isn't confused
- Mark each box "1 of 3", "2 of 3" next to the label, plus the order number.
- Put the packing slip in box 1, listing everything in the order. If you split fulfillments, put a slip in each box listing what's in that box.
- Say it in the shipping email or a note: "Your order ships in 3 boxes. They may arrive on different days."
- Check every box against the order before it's sealed. Splitting is when items get missed; the second box is often packed in a hurry.
- Keep the heavy items low and together. Don't spread one heavy item's weight across a box that will be thrown.
When a box goes missing
Two boxes of three delivered is the classic multi-box ticket. Tracking numbers per box are what make it a five-minute answer instead of a refund: you can see which box is stuck and open a claim on that one. With separate fulfillments you also know which items were in it. With one fulfillment, a quick photo of each open box before you seal it does the same job (Pickadoodl's packing photos are made for this).
How Pickadoodl does it
I build Pickadoodl. On the Pro plan, with your own EasyPost account:
- When an order doesn't fit in one box, the packer chooses Add another box and enters its weight and size, right after scanning the items.
- On the Ship step, each box gets its own rates and its own label, up to 10 per order.
- The order counts as labeled once every box has one, and all of the tracking numbers go to Shopify on a single fulfillment, so the customer gets one shipping email.
- Bought the wrong size for box 2? Void and re-buy that box alone; the others keep their labels.
See the shipping labels help for the details.
A quick checklist
- Decide your default: one fulfillment with several numbers, or a fulfillment per box.
- Weigh and label each box on its own.
- Mark boxes "1 of N" with the order number.
- Slip in box 1 (or one per box if you split).
- Tell the customer how many boxes are coming.
- Photograph or check each box before you seal it.
