Wholesale Orders Packed Outside ShipHero

This complete flow leverages our Public API to enable third-party systems to fully automate B2B fulfillment, drastically reducing manual operational time while keeping all ShipHero data perfectly accurate and in real-time sync.

When handling Wholesale Orders that are packed outside ShipHero, the Public API allows you to manage the entire flow — from creation to fulfillment — programmatically, without touching the ShipHero UI.

Below you’ll find each step in order, exactly as tested.

Statuses and transitions

Before diving into the flow, it’s important to understand how wholesale order statuses work in ShipHero. Each wholesale order goes through a series of well-defined states —from creation and inventory reservation to final fulfillment— that reflect its progress through warehouse operations. Transitions between these states are governed by strict business rules: inventory must be allocated before picking starts, packing can only occur after picking completes, and Fulfilled marks the point of no return when inventory is deducted and stores are notified.

1. Create the Wholesale Order

First, create a wholesale order.
You must include a valid SKU that already exists in your account.

mutation {
  wholesale_order_create(
    data: {
      partner_order_id: "WHOLESALE-1004"
      shop_name: "My B2B Channel"
      order_number: "OR-04"
      tags: ["wholesale"]
      shipping_address: {
        first_name: "Customer"
        last_name: "Wholesale"
        address1: "123 Street"
        city: "Santa Fe"
        state: "SF"
        zip: "3000"
        country: "AR"
      }
      line_items: [
        {
          sku: "WHITE-TSHIRT-M"
          quantity: 12
          price: "15.00"
          partner_line_item_id: "LINE-WHITE-TSHIRT-M-04"
        }
      ]
      allow_partial: false
      picking_flow: DESKTOP
    }
  ) {
    request_id
    wholesale_order {
      id
      picking_flow
      order {
        id
        order_number
        fulfillment_status
      }
    }
  }
}

In this example we’re using manual picking (picking_flow: DESKTOP).

2. Get Available Staging Locations

To see which staging bins are available, use:

query {
  wholesale_staging_location_candidates(warehouse_id: "V2FyZWhvdXNlOjE1MDU2") {
    request_id
    data {
      edges {
        node {
          id
          name
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Example result:

{
  "data": {
    "wholesale_staging_location_candidates": {
      "data": {
        "edges": [
          { "node": { "id": "QmluOjI0MTYxMjY5", "name": "EAD_II_11" } }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Avoid using a staging location that is already in use.

3. Assign a Staging Location

Assign one of the free locations from the list:

mutation {
  wholesale_order_update_staging_location(
    data: {
      order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz"   # new order id for OR-04
      staging_location_id: "QmluOjI0MTYxMjY5" # EAD_II_11
    }
  ) {
    request_id
    wholesale_order {
      id
      staging_location_id
      status
      order { id order_number }
    }
  }
}

4. Allocate Inventory for Picking

Now allocate inventory for this order.

mutation {
  wholesale_order_auto_allocate_for_picking(
    data: {
      order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz"
      prioritized_location_ids: ["V2FyZWhvdXNlOjE1MDU2"]
    }
  ) {
    request_id
    complexity
    line_items {
      line_item_id
      quantity
      product { sku }
      allocations {
        __typename
      }
    }
  }
}

A successful allocation will show "__typename": "AllocatedAllocationType".

5. Mark as Ready to Pick

After allocation:

mutation {
  wholesale_set_as_ready_to_pick(
    data: { order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz" }
  ) {
    request_id
    ok
  }
}

The order now moves from default → ready_to_pick.

6. Print the Manual Picking Sheet

Generate a PDF with manual picking instructions:

mutation {
  wholesale_order_print_manual_picking_sheet(
    data: { order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz" }
  ) {
    request_id
    picking_sheet_url
  }
}

Response example:

{
  "data": {
    "wholesale_order_print_manual_picking_sheet": {
      "picking_sheet_url": "https://d2s9s6xmfnfu1v.cloudfront.net/wholesale/picking_slips/2025-10-10/picking_slip_686300013.pdf"
    }
  }
}

This PDF can be printed and handed to warehouse staff for manual picking.

7. Transfer Picks to Staging

After picking is done, move items into staging.

mutation {
  wholesale_order_transfer_picks_to_staging(
    data: { order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz" }
  ) {
    request_id
    wholesale_order {
      id
      status
      staging_location_id
      order { id order_number }
    }
  }
}

Status should now read packing.

8. Fulfill the Order (Packed Externally)

Finally, after you externally packed and labeled packages, mark the order as fulfilled:

mutation {
  wholesale_order_fulfill(
    data: {
      order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz"
      is_packed_externally: true
    }
  ) {
    request_id
    wholesale_order {
      id
      status
    }
  }
}

Expected response:

{
  "data": {
    "wholesale_order_fulfill": {
      "wholesale_order": {
        "status": "fulfilled"
      }
    }
  }
}

The order is now fully fulfilled, just like an internal ShipHero order.

9. Verify the Order Status

Check the final state:

query {
  wholesale_order(order_id: "T3JkZXI6Njg2MzAwMDEz") {
    request_id
    data {
      id
      status
      picking_flow
      staging_location_id
      order {
        order_number
        fulfillment_status
      }
    }
  }
}

Summary Table

Step	Mutation	Description
1	`wholesale_order_create`	Create wholesale order (`picking_flow: DESKTOP`)
2	`wholesale_staging_location_candidates`	Get staging locations
3	`wholesale_order_update_staging_location`	Assign staging bin
4	`wholesale_order_auto_allocate_for_picking`	Allocate inventory
5	`wholesale_set_as_ready_to_pick`	Mark ready to pick
6	`wholesale_order_print_manual_picking_sheet`	Print picking PDF
7	`wholesale_order_transfer_picks_to_staging`	Move to staging
8	`wholesale_order_fulfill`	Fulfill packed externally
9	`wholesale_order`	Verify final status

3PL Billing Webhooks