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# Sync Preorders with Third-Party Fulfillment Services like ShipStation and ShipBob

When managing preorders in Shopify, syncing them with third-party fulfillment platforms like ShipStation and ShipBob requires a clear understanding of how order statuses affect visibility. Unlike standard orders, **preorders are often intentionally delayed** using statuses like *Scheduled* or *On Hold*. These statuses directly control whether orders are pushed to your fulfillment partner.

This article explains exactly how each status behaves in both platforms, and how you can control when your preorder orders are released for fulfillment.

### Why Preorders Don’t Sync Automatically

Both ShipStation and ShipBob are designed to **only act on fulfillable orders**.

Orders that are **not ready for fulfillment** (Scheduled / On Hold) are either hidden completely or segregated from active fulfillment queues. This ensures warehouses don’t accidentally ship items before they are available.

### ShipStation Behavior

##### Scheduled Orders

* Orders in **Scheduled** status **do not appear in ShipStation**
* Scheduled orders are treated as **not ready for fulfillment**
* They will only appear once the status changes to **Unfulfilled**

Orders in **Scheduled** status do not appear in ShipStation because they are not mapped to the **'Awaiting Shipment'** status, which is required for orders to be imported. Since Scheduled orders are not considered ready for fulfillment, they are excluded from syncing. Once the order status is updated to something that indicates it is ready to ship - such as **Unfulfilled - **the order becomes eligible to sync and will appear in ShipStation after the usual import delay.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_1m7ww28.png)

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_17d5zrr.png)

##### On Hold Orders

* Orders set to **On Hold** **do sync**, but they appear in a **separate “On Hold” section**. They do **not show in the main orders list**

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_1rxq6ii.png)

##### Unfulfilled Orders

* Orders in **Unfulfilled** status sync normally.
* New orders may still take **up to 2 hours** to appear.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_1tvwcpk.png)

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_agf02d.png)

##### ShipStation Summary

* **Scheduled** → Not visible
* **On Hold** → Visible (separate section)
* **Unfulfilled** → Visible (with delay)

##### Recommended Workflow for ShipStation

* **To show orders :** Set them to **Unfulfilled**
* **To delay visibility :** Keep them as **Scheduled**, then switch to **Unfulfilled** when ready (allow up to 2 hours for sync)
* **To temporarily hold orders :** Use **On Hold** (they will appear in a separate section)

### ShipBob Behavior

##### Scheduled Orders

* Orders in **Scheduled** status **do not appear**
* Changing to **Unfulfilled** → **Syncs instantly.**

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_1uiwqjz.png)

##### On Hold Orders

* Orders on hold **do not appear**. Once you **release the hold**, they **sync and appear**

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_94byzg.png)

##### Unfulfilled Orders

* Orders in **Unfulfilled** status **sync immediately without issues**

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_u5dk7j.png)

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/f/6/9/b/f69b1402a211d800/image_1al36sh.png)

### Recommended Workflow for ShipBob

* **To show orders:** Set them to **Unfulfilled**
* **To hide orders:** Keep them as **Scheduled** or **On Hold**
* **To release orders for fulfillment:** Change to **Unfulfilled** or remove hold

### Key Differences

| Feature | ShipStation | ShipBob |
| ---- |
| Sync Type | Delayed (polling) | Real-time |
| Scheduled Orders | Not visible | Not visible |
| On Hold Orders | Visible (separate section) | Not visible |
| Unfulfilled Orders | Visible (up to 2h delay) | Visible (instant) |

### FAQs

**Q: Why is my preorder not showing in ShipStation?**
**A:** Orders in **Scheduled** status won’t appear. Change them to **Unfulfilled**, and they’ll sync (may take up to 2 hours).

**Q: Why is my order not showing in ShipBob?**
**A:** Only **Unfulfilled** orders show in ShipBob. Scheduled or On Hold orders are not synced.

**Q: I changed the order to Unfulfilled. Why is it still not visible?**
**A:** In ShipStation, syncing is delayed (up to ~2 hours) unless you manually import. In ShipBob, it should appear instantly if all conditions are met.

**Q: How can I control when preorders are sent to fulfillment?**
**A:** Keep orders **Scheduled** (or On Hold) to hold them back, and switch to **Unfulfilled** when you're ready to release them.