Shopify Shipping and Fulfillment Reports: What Every Store Owner Should Know

Why Shipping and Fulfillment Reports Matter

For Shopify merchants, success doesn’t end when a customer clicks “buy.” The real test is ensuring orders are shipped on time, arrive in perfect condition, and provide an experience worth repeating. This is where shipping and fulfillment reports become indispensable. They give store owners and managers the visibility they need to track deliveries, manage inventory, and improve operational efficiency.

While Shopify offers some built-in shipping reports, many businesses need customized, automated solutions to meet their unique workflows. In this guide, we’ll cover what Shopify shipping and fulfillment reports are, why they matter, key terms to know, and how to go beyond Shopify’s defaults for deeper insights.

Why Are Shopify Shipping Reports Important?

Shipping reports ensure that you have granular visibility into whether products are being shipped and delivered within the expected time frame. They offer insights that go beyond order confirmation, allowing you to track performance at every step of the journey.

Here’s what they help you achieve:

1. Better Inventory Management

By tracking what has shipped, you can adjust stock levels according to demand. This prevents stockouts (lost sales) and overstocking (increased storage costs), both of which can lead to delays and reduced profit margins.

2. Optimized Logistics

Shipping is a critical part of the eCommerce supply chain. Reports help identify which carriers, routes, and methods are most efficient, enabling you to optimize costs and speed.

3. Spotting Trends

Shipping data reveals patterns — such as seasonal spikes, recurring delays, or certain products with higher shipping costs — allowing you to make proactive changes.

4. Faster Dispute Resolution

If a customer claims their order was delayed or never arrived, shipping reports provide a verifiable record of events, including dates, locations, and carrier details.

Key Shopify Shipping Terms to Know

Understanding a few core terms will help you interpret and customize shipping reports effectively:

• Shipping Label – Contains recipient and origin addresses, barcode, and shipment details. Can be purchased from carriers, third-party apps, or directly in Shopify using Shopify Shipping.
  
  
• Packing Slip – A document that includes shipping and billing addresses, SKUs, weight, and quantity, intended for the customer.
  
  
• In-House Logistics – When a company handles its own delivery process using internal staff and vehicles.
  
  
• Third-Party Logistics (3PL) – Outsourcing fulfillment and shipping to providers that handle storage, transport, and sometimes returns.
  
  

Native Shopify Shipping Reports

Shopify provides a few built-in reports to help track fulfillment:

1. Fulfillment, Shipping, and Delivery Times – Measures time from order receipt to delivery, with breakdowns by stage.
   
   
2. Shipping Labels Over Time – Tracks label purchases through Shopify Shipping, excluding returns, cancellations, and adjustments.
   
   
3. Shipping Labels – Shows details and costs for purchased labels, excluding non-Shopify labels.
   
   
4. Shopify Shipping Integrations – Works with carriers like FedEx, USPS, UPS, and DHL, but often lacks advanced cost tracking compared to carrier APIs.
   
   

While these are useful for basic oversight, they may not cover advanced needs like custom filtering, partial shipments, or integrated 3PL data.

Going Beyond Shopify: Custom Shipping Reports

Merchants needing deeper insights often turn to advanced reporting tools that can integrate with Shopify and third-party logistics providers. Custom reports allow you to combine fulfillment data with cost, vendor, and product details for a complete operational view.

Here are three powerful examples:

1. Shipping Report

A comprehensive view of orders, products, shipping costs, quantities, and vendor details. Useful for monitoring carrier performance, identifying costly shipments, and tracking supplier relationships.

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2. Partial Shipping Report

For orders split into multiple shipments, this report tracks each fulfillment separately — including dates, addresses, and shipped items — to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

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3. Shipping Label Cost Report

Breaks down the total cost of shipping per order, including label purchases and any extra fees. Essential for understanding the true impact of shipping on profit margins.

Case Study: Tracking Shipping Label Costs with Price Adjustments

Business Type: Beauty & Personal Care

Challenge:
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The merchant needed a report showing shipping label costs, including additional “Shipping Label Price Adjustment” fees carriers sometimes add after label purchase. For example, in one order (#56710), they were charged:

• $5.62 for the original label (including insurance)
  
  
• An extra $3.37 for a carrier adjustment fee
  
  

They wanted to calculate average shipping costs while including these adjustments.

Solution:
By pulling data from Shopify’s Order Timeline, a custom Shipping Label Report was created to include:

• Shipping Label Cost
  
  
• Shipping Label Price Adjustment
  
  
• Average Shipping Cost
  
  

Result:
They gained full visibility into standard and adjusted shipping costs, enabling better carrier evaluation and cost control.

Integrating with Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Providers

If you use a 3PL, custom reports can pull data directly from services like:

• Easy Ship
  
  
• Printful
  
  
• ShipBob
  
  
• ShipHero
  
  
• ShippingEasy
  
  
• Shippo
  
  
• ShipStation
  
  
• Veeqo
  
  

This allows you to maintain a single source of truth for all shipping data, regardless of fulfillment method.

Automating Shopify Shipping Reports

Manually checking shipping data is time-consuming and prone to oversight. Automation ensures you always have up-to-date, accurate reports without lifting a finger.

With automation, you can:

• Schedule reports to run hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly
  
  
• Send them via email, Google Drive, Slack, BigQuery, FTP, or other destinations
  
  
• Automatically track shipping status for each product in every order
  
  
• Free up time for higher-value business activities
  
  

Key Metrics to Include in Your Shipping and Fulfillment Reports

To get the most out of your reports, include:

• Order ID and Customer Info – For tracking and communication
  
  
• Fulfillment Date vs. Order Date – For measuring processing speed
  
  
• Carrier and Service Level – For comparing performance and costs
  
  
• Shipping Cost and Adjustments – For profit analysis
  
  
• Delivery Status and Time – For customer service metrics
  
  
• Partial Shipment Indicators – For split-order management
  
  

Wrapping Up

Shipping and fulfillment reports are more than just operational documents — they’re decision-making tools. They help you:

• Control shipping costs
  
  
• Improve delivery speed
  
  
• Enhance customer satisfaction
  
  
• Resolve disputes with verified data
  
  

While Shopify’s built-in reports provide a starting point, most growing businesses benefit from custom, automated solutions that integrate with both Shopify and third-party logistics providers.

Start automating your Shopify shipping reports today to gain the visibility you need, streamline operations, and make smarter shipping decisions.