How Luminous and Shipstation Work Together
Luminous creates a Fulfillment Order (FO) as an internal record of exactly what you've requested to be fulfilled. This FO acts as a fixed reference point. Shipstation (or your 3PL system) is responsible for the actual fulfillment process, and during this process, orders may be split, merged, or adjusted based on shipping efficiencies or warehouse procedures.
However, any changes made within Shipstation, like splitting an order into multiple shipments, do not automatically reflect back onto your original Fulfillment Order in Luminous. This is intentional, ensuring the integrity of your original request and clear recordkeeping.
How Order Updates Are Handled
Instead of syncing fulfillment statuses directly, Luminous syncs back shipment data. This means:
Shipment details (quantities shipped, tracking numbers, shipment statuses) are synced back from Shipstation.
Luminous updates your FO status (fully fulfilled, partially fulfilled, or unfulfilled) based on the actual shipment data received.
Example Scenario:
You create a Fulfillment Order in Luminous requesting 10 units.
In Shipstation, you split this order into two separate shipments of 6 units and 4 units.
These shipment details (6 units shipped first, then 4 units shipped later) are synced back into Luminous.
Your Fulfillment Order in Luminous updates based on these shipments, reflecting the total fulfilled quantity, but the original FO itself remains a single, unchanged request for 10 units.
Why Some Fulfillment Orders Might Not Show as Fully Fulfilled:
Sometimes, your fulfillment orders may not show they've been fully fulfilled. This happens because we occasionally receive shipment data from the 3PL that doesn't clearly reference your original FO. When this occurs, we do our best to match the data to your orders accurately. However, if the 3PL has made significant changes—like merging, splitting, or adjusting quantities—our system can only reflect fulfillment based on the information we receive. As a result, some fulfillment orders may remain partially fulfilled even though the items have been shipped.
What to Expect:
Your original Fulfillment Order stays intact as your record of what was requested.
Actual fulfillment progress is clearly tracked through synced shipment data.
This approach keeps your order records accurate, traceable, and clearly separated from the operational decisions made by Shipstation or your 3PL provider.