Cross-docking (also called crossdocking or flow-through fulfillment) lets you ship inbound items straight to the orders that need them, without putting them away on a shelf first. A packer scans each item as it arrives. SKULabs finds an open order that needs that item and assigns the item to it at the packer's station. When every item on an order has been scanned, SKULabs opens the order so the packer can confirm it and ship it.

Use cross-docking when stock arrives already allocated to customers, for example drop-in deliveries from a supplier, consolidated purchase orders, or items you receive in the morning and ship the same day.

Check these points before your team scans the first item:

The user permissions for cross-docking are in the same user dialog:

Every user can open the Scan page. No station permission is needed to scan.

A station is a named work area in a warehouse, for example "Station 1" or "Packing table A". Stations belong to a warehouse, and each warehouse has its own cross-docking settings.

Station names must be unique in a warehouse. You cannot remove a station that still has items in its scan log. Resolve those items or move them to another station first.

Changes to these settings apply to every open station session in that warehouse right away.

Go to Cross-Docking > Scan. The page shows a scan box (Scan or type item barcode), the number of active orders that cross-docking can fill, a View Delayed Orders button, the Scan Log, and the Settings panel.

Choose your station in Work area. Your default work area is marked "default". Each user works in their own session at a station, and the session number shows as Session: #N. If another user already owns the session at that station, the page opens read-only and shows who owns it.

A session ends after 24 hours without activity (longer over a weekend). Items that were not finished move to the next session at that station, so nothing is lost.

Reset settings sets these back to the defaults. These settings belong to your session at that station, so two packers can work with different settings.

Cross-docking only fills orders that are open in the Processing tab. The order must:

Split parent orders and orders combined into another order are skipped. Items are matched across all warehouses, so a scan at one warehouse can fill any eligible order.

Scan the item barcode. SKULabs matches the barcode against the item's UPC (barcode), additional barcodes and serial numbers. A SKU alone does not match unless it is also one of those barcodes.

The Scan Log lists the items scanned in this session. The Scanned tab holds items assigned to orders. The Issues tab holds free items, damaged and lost items, and items whose order was cancelled. Each card shows the item, SKU, order number and scan time, plus an action button:

When the last item of an order is scanned, the Complete Order #N dialog opens. It shows the order number, the total items, and the stations that hold items for this order. If some items were scanned at other stations, Collect Items From: lists each station and how many items to collect there.

Ship Now opens the ship window instead when: the shipment fails validation ("The shipment needs review before it can ship."), a shipping rule asks the packer to choose the hazmat type, the order has a warning that blocks shipping, or the label purchase fails.

If you close the ship window without shipping, SKULabs undoes the confirmation, so the order goes back to its scanned state.

To leave the dialog without shipping, click the X. Close keeps the order as it is; reopen it later from the green check in the Scan Log. Remove Last Scan un-assigns the item you scanned last, so you need to scan it again.

Use Ship Later when an order is ready but cannot ship yet, for example because it waits for a pickup. The confirmed items are saved on the order and received into inventory, and the order status changes to Delayed.

Delayed orders belong to the warehouse, so any station in that warehouse can scan more items into them and ship them. A delayed order that is still missing items can only ship when Partial ship is on ("Enable Partial Ship option to be able to partially ship this order").

To cancel a delay, close the Complete Order dialog and choose Release Items. The items go back to the free items pool.

Click the flag icon on an item, in the Scan Log or in the Complete Order dialog, to open Report Issue.

Set the quantity, add an optional note, and click Confirm Issue. A flagged unit frees its place on the order, so the next matching scan can fill it.

Items that match no order are free items. They stay in the Issues tab of the Scan Log. When a matching order arrives, use Assign Order. If no order needs them, use Put Away: choose the destination warehouse, zone and bin. Putting away a free item increases on-hand inventory, and that stock can sync to your sales channels.

Cross-Docking > Stations lists the items sitting at your stations, with the item, order, warehouse, station, session, who scanned it, quantity and last update. Filter by station or search. Select items and use the actions menu to:

Packers can run cross-docking with a scanner only, without touching the screen. Print the command barcodes from Printing > Utility. Commands are not case-sensitive.

Why did my item become a free item when I know an order needs it?
The order is not eligible. Check that it is in Processing, that its order date is inside your Processing date range, that its store is active, and that it matches your Include Tags and Exclude Tags. Also check that the order is not already fully assigned.

Why does a scan say "Item Not Found" when the item exists?
Cross-docking matches barcodes, additional barcodes and serial numbers, not SKUs. Add the scanned code to the item as its barcode or an additional barcode.

Why did Ship Now open the ship window?
SKULabs could not buy the label on its own. The usual causes are a shipment that needs review (for example missing weight or dimensions), a hazmat rule that asks the packer to choose, an order warning, or a carrier error. Finish in the ship window, or close it to undo the confirmation.

Can two packers fill the same order?
Yes. Each packer scans at their own station. When the order is ready, the Complete Order dialog lists the stations that hold its items.

Can I see a station that another user is working at?
Yes, read-only. Only the user who owns the session at that station can scan or change it.

Why can I not delete a station?
It still has items in its scan log. Move them with Move to Another Station on the Stations page, or resolve them, then delete the station.

Does Ship Later hold stock for the order?
No. Ship Later receives the confirmed items into inventory and marks the order Delayed. The items are saved on the order, so they are shipped with it later.

Which orders does cross-docking ignore?
Cancelled and shipped orders, orders in inactive stores, orders outside your Processing date range, split parent orders, and orders combined into another order.