Why aren't my customers getting tracking when order says fulfilled

[WillowsMama]

I'm a new owner and I ordered some items myself as a test and I still haven't received them it's been a while all it says is shipped on shop and I'm not getting a tracking number what have I done wrong or what can I do to alleviate that? Also I added shippo but I don't know if that pertains to orders that have already been made I could really use the community's help or the experts help because everyone on social media just wants to sell you service

[Mirdas]

Hello @WillowsMama ,

Many new owners often become confused about managing shipments in Shopify. They may try random approaches and wonder why things don't work.

The best approach is to prepare your shipment strategy without initially considering Shopify.

• Consider which carrier you plan to use for shipping?
• Can you negotiate rates with the carrier?
• Do you need to use a reseller account to get better shipping rates, especially if your volume is low (e.g., Shopify Shipping)?
• What shipping rates will you offer buyers?
• Will it be free, flat rate, or exactly the same rate as the shipping cost?

Once you have this strategy in place, life will become much easier.

With this strategy in place, it will be easier for you to explore different options in Shopify.

• How do you generate shipping labels?
• How do you send tracking numbers to customers?
• How do you integrate your carrier account?
• How do you configure shipping rates at checkout?

Please understand that you may need to configure all of this; nothing comes out of the box.

Regarding your specific query,

you may need to generate the shipping label first, then add the tracking number while fulfilling the order. After this, buyers will receive an email with the tracking number.

If you are using an app that helps generate shipping labels, you do not have to add the tracking number manually.

[JoesIdeas]

It sounds like your dropshipping / relying on a fulfillment service. If that's the case, you would want to reach out to them to ask where the packages are.

Whoever ships your products would be the best person / company to ask.