By default, SKULabs notifies your sales channel immediately when an order is shipped. The Release orders upon scan option lets you delay that notification — shipping the order internally in SKULabs without notifying the channel until you explicitly release it.
This is useful when you need to verify, inspect, or stage shipments before the customer receives tracking information and the order is marked as fulfilled on your sales channel.
How it works
You ship an order normally (single ship, bulk ship, or batch ship).
SKULabs creates the shipment and label, but does not notify your sales channel.
The order is marked as Delayed and tagged with Hold Release Shipment.
The order remains in the Processing tab until you release it.
When you release the shipment, SKULabs sends the tracking and fulfillment data to your sales channel, and the tag is removed.
Step 1: Enable "Release orders upon scan"
Go to Settings > Stores and click on the store name.
Scroll down and expand the Shipping defaults and settings panel.
Find the Automatically send shipment notifications dropdown.
Select Release orders upon scan.
Click Save at the top of the page.
Step 2: Ship orders as usual
Ship orders using any method—single ship from the order page, bulk ship from the Processing tab, or batch shipping. The shipping label is created and the order is processed normally.
After shipping, you'll notice two things on the order:
The order status changes to Delayed.
A tag called Hold Release Shipment is applied to the order.
The order stays in the Processing tab. Your sales channel has not been notified yet—the customer will not see tracking information until you release the shipment.
Step 3: Release the shipment
There are three ways to release held shipments and notify your sales channel:
Option A: Scan the release barcode (single order)
You can print a utility barcode to release shipment notification from the Utility Barcodes page.
Open the order.
Scan the release barcode:
releasebarcode.The shipment notification is sent to your channel, the Hold Release Shipment tag is removed, and the order moves to Shipped tab.
A prompt appears so you can continue to the next order or close.
Option B: Bulk release from the Processing page
Navigate to Orders > Processing.
Select the orders you want to release.
Click Actions > Bulk Shipment Notification.
The selected orders are released, tags are removed, and your channel is notified.
Option C: Use the orders list banner message
On the Orders page, look for the warning banner that says "X orders waiting to release shipment."
Click the link to see all orders with held shipment notifications.
Select the orders and use Actions > Bulk Shipment Notification to release them.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work with batch shipping?
Yes. When you ship orders through a batch, each order in the batch is set to Delayed and tagged with Hold Release Shipment. To release, find the orders on the Processing page, select them, and use Actions > Bulk Shipment Notification.
What happens if I forget to release an order?
The order stays in the Processing tab with the Delayed status and the Hold Release Shipment tag. Your sales channel is not notified until you explicitly release it. Use the warning banner on the Orders page to identify orders waiting to be released.
Can I release a single order without scanning?
Yes. You can use Actions > Bulk Shipment Notification from the Processing page even for a single selected order, or use the Menu > Send Shipment Notification option from within the order.
Will SKULabs send customer emails before I release?
No. If you have SKULabs shipment notification emails enabled, the email is only sent after the shipment is released—not when the label is initially created.