Details like order weight, dimensions, packaging type and its details and the shipping service can all be manually entered and/or edited on any open order. (Double-click > Edit or Right-click/Actions > Shipping > Change Service).


However, in order to make Shipping Management in Linnworks as automated and simple as possible, there are certain details which you can add to your SKUs in My Inventory to let the system fill in these details automatically. 



1. Item Weights and Dimensions

Adding weights and dimensions to your items in My Inventory will allow Linnworks to automatically calculate and add the order weights and dimensions when any orders are downloaded/imported/created and the items are appropriately linked.


These can then be automatically passed on to your Courier when using a Shipping Integration, allowing you to print the shipping labels without needing to enter these details to each order manually.


Item weights and dimensions can be added and updated manually in Inventory > My Inventory > click on SKU > Product Details > Postage Definition > Weight and Dimension. To add weights to items in bulk, you can use a regular Inventory Import


2. Packaging

An order weight and dimensions would normally also need to include the weight and dimensions for the packaging itself in order to be correctly passed on to the Vendor for the shipping label.


Linnworks has several different Packaging Assignment methods available. Full details on each are available here. Be sure to check all available options to find the most suitable one for your workflow. 


Depending on the suitable method, you can then create Packaging Groups and Types in your Linnworks account and then add weight, dimensions and Default Packaging Groups to your inventory items using an Inventory Import to have the system automatically assign the packaging and its weight and dimensions to your orders.


3. International Shipping Details

A lot of Vendors also require certain details to be added to your orders/order items in case of International shipments. In most cases, these required details are HS Tariff Codes and Country of Origin


To make sure that your items have the details added already, to avoid having to add them manually for any of the orders, please see this solution article for steps on importing them and mapping them to your Shipping Integrations.


4. Default Postal Service

There are two ways for automatically assigning Shipping Services to your orders in Linnworks. The main difference lies in whether you need the service to be assigned based on any specifics on the order or whether you simply want to use the service as chosen by your buyers on the channel.


If the option that suits your workflow best is to use the service that your buyers choose on the channel, then you can use the Shipping Mapping feature, which is available for most channel integrations. Please see here for full details and instructions.


If there are any specifics on your orders that would determine the correct Shipping Service for your orders, then you can use our Rules Engine to set up conditional rules to assign the needed services.


If the needed Shipping Services in some way depends on the items on the order, then in Inventory > My Inventory > click on SKU > Product Details > Postage Definition you can see the field Default Postal service. 


NB! This field is not a standalone setting and will not do any assignment to your orders on its own. Default postal service field is meant for use in e.g. Rules Engine.


If you have a Default Postal Service specified on the items, then you can use this as a condition for assigning a specific service to any orders containing a SKU with this Default Postal Service.



Please see here for full details on using the Rules Engine.


Default Postal Services can be added to your items either manually in  Inventory > My Inventory > click on SKU > Product Details > Postage Definition > Default postal service or in bulk by using an Inventory Import.


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