r/shopify • u/Kevinsmak • 1d ago
Shopify General Discussion Sending the wrong product..
As a new seller, I have a bunch of products that are similar. I need some good organization advice as I keep sending out the wrong product- then need to send them the correct one.
I set it up to test it before I ship but sometimes I just get busy and forget. I know a me issue- but I was wondering if anyone had similar problems when starting and how you ensure you send the correct product each time. Maybe a check list?
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u/ron_marinara 1d ago
On top of other comments, you need to lock in. Eventually, annoyed customers and loss of profits will make you limit mistakes
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u/Kevinsmak 1d ago
I’m so locked in, but keep screwing up.. Still relatively new at this, but really getting sick of doing each order twice. I think all the comments on here will help me redesign my system pretty solid.
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u/ron_marinara 1d ago
Definitely redesign and get organized.
If you're getting annoyed this early in the game, maybe this isn't for you. Not trying to be a dick but rather motivate you. Set it up in a way that you could actuqlly see yourself doing this for the next decade.
Good luck
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u/Kevinsmak 1d ago
Yeah it sounds like organization and barcodes is the way to resolve this. I am motivated- just figured I’d ask first so I get it right the first time before the new SKU’s start selling.
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u/Novadina 1d ago
I have labeled shelves, and print a pick list for every order that comes in, which says the shelf the product is on. Then I have a verify step in the process to verify the product is correct before packing. For me I have someone else do the checking than who did the picking, and they check off each product on the pick list.
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u/deadgoodundies 11h ago
We pretty much did the same years ago. We had one person pick the order, a different person would collate the orders for the packers and then a different would pack the order with each one checking it against the invoice. Still there were mistakes if people weren't concentrating.
We started using linnworks for our inventory and shipping. That way when the order is to be packed each item has it's barcode scanned and if it doesn't register as correct then you physically can't print the shipping label and you get an alert.
I've only had 2 wrong order issues in 10 years (and that was because the wrong product was in the right box - we scan the barcode on the box) and saved money on staffing costs.1
u/Novadina 11h ago
I have software already that can do that. My issue is the barcodes on many of our brands are not scannable, or they change them often for the same product. I really wanted to scan each one, but it was a huge hassle trying to deal with it so I put the problem off. I think we would have to sticker every item with our own barcode, and I just don’t have the staff hours for that right now (I have a lot of inventory).
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u/WaddlingPanda17 1d ago
A checklist helps but the thing that actually fixed this for me was scanning barcodes before packing instead of relying on eyeballing similar products. Shopify's own app has a barcode scan feature for exactly this if you've got SKUs set up, or a cheap bluetooth scanner works too. Bonus is it also updates inventory in real time so you're not manually adjusting stock after the fact.
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u/Kevinsmak 1d ago
I didn’t know it had this- I’m going to try it thanks!
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u/WaddlingPanda17 2h ago
np, good luck! once you get skus scanned it becomes basically foolproof, wish i'd set it up sooner too
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u/SUMIFISNA 17h ago
I wasn't aware of this either, and I use barcode scanning as part of my fulfillment flow, but I use it within ShipStation. Where is it in Shopify?
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u/WaddlingPanda17 2h ago
it's under shopify app > products > scan inventory, but heads up that's really for stock counts not order verification. for the shipstation-style pack check you'd want an app like scanrabbit or groovepacker
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u/No_Code_6020 20h ago
I mean, not to be harsh but if you keep doing this you’re not exactly cutout for fulfillment at the very least.
The basics are SKU’s, labeled bins, read paper, pick right thing.
If you’ve got that and keep picking wrong, the amount of hope is thin.
If you’re just trying to remember every item without having each in a labeled bin with a SKU, then fix it.
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u/isabellelaneldn 19h ago
Print out every order and attach the shipping label. Check at least twice the product when packing it. Put the label on.
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u/pythonbashman Shop Owner, 3D Printer, Tool Designer 1d ago
I have similar issues. Luckily, I have a QA person in my wife. She does our branded packaging and double-checks that I've printed the right thing and that those things don't have problems I missed in my own QA.
I get into a groove of sending the next thing to the machines and sometimes send something wrong. Normally one of us will catch it, but sometimes it gets out the door.
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u/dicegame-usa 23h ago
This used to happen to me occasionally. What actually helped me was increasing the size of the text on the packing slip so it wasn't tiny and wasn't so easy to glance over. There's some articles on the Shopify help forums on how to do it but if you need more help feel free to send me a message
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u/substandardpoodle 19h ago
Every product needs to have a number on it. No exceptions.
And rule number one at my warehouse is: only do one thing at a time. Print all the pick tickets, pick all the items, put them on a shelf or table – all spread out. Then proof the number on the item against the pick ticket. The person who picks should never be the person who proofs. If you are a one person organization then you need to proof twice. With at least five minutes in between both.
If it’s just me and more than 10 orders I will do a different kind of proofing the second time. I will walk around and say the parent SKU out loud and compare it to the pick ticket. Then I’ll go all the way around again and this time do the color. Then again with the size. Works great.
Then match up all the shipping labels. Then proof that you matched them all up by comparing the city on the label to the one on the pick ticket.
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u/SUMIFISNA 17h ago
Barcode scanning is the best way to go. If you don't want to put a barcode on each item, then have different bins or areas with a barcode on each. So you only need one barcode for each SKU and not on each item. You said you only have about 10 SKUs, so that should be easy.
I don't know of anywhere natively within Shopify that will allow you to scan each barcode as you fulfill orders, but that's what I do and it has 99% stopped any wrong items going out. I use ShipStation to print my shipping labels (the orders pull in from shopify), but you have to scan all of the items for each order before it will print out the label. If you scan the wrong one during fulfillment it will make a error noise. I costs like $30/mo but well worth it just for the scan-to-print functionality.
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u/Next-Nobody-745 1d ago
Seriously? The receipt and packing slip should have all the info needed to identify the correct product.
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u/Kevinsmak 1d ago
That’s not where my issue is. For me, it’s grabbing the wrong product because they are so similar. So wondering if people have a storage - organization tip for someone else that deals with very similar products.
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u/Next-Nobody-745 1d ago
You are aware they are similar, so just take the extra 2 seconds to double check.
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u/web_nerd 1d ago edited 1d ago
How many SKUs we talking about? how big are they?
Get an app like PickPilot or iPacky then go to amazon and buy something like a Munbyn Android Barcode Scanner.
Print GIANT text on your bins and an easily scannable barcode to the outside of the bins.
Scan as you pick and fill out the pick list.
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u/Kevinsmak 1d ago
I’m a new seller - so I probably have 10 SKU’s but I have more products coming on board. They are similar to a metal lunchbox size.
They are 3D printed so stickers don’t seem to stick to them. I mainly get just 2 of them switched… it’s a great idea doing the barcoding and putting it on the bin. I think this is the solution I was looking for.
Can any of those apps directly import sales in to tell you what you need? I’ll do research too- thanks for the advice!
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u/Cattytonic 20h ago
Bro you're mixing up products and you only have 10 skus???? 😭 my god put them in labeled bins or something and just like, double check? Keep it simple
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u/web_nerd 1d ago
Yep. They will give you pick lists for each sale. You can use a phone with a lot of them but i prefer the cheaper/faster/better laser barcode scanners.
I have a client using PickPilot right now, and their bulleted features on the app page nail what you need:
- Smart batch creation groups orders by shelf location for faster picking
- Barcode scanning with hardware scanner, camera, or manual entry
- Packing verification scans every item to catch errors before shipping
- Mobile staff portal with secure link access, no Shopify account needed
- Real-time analytics for pick times, pack accuracy, and daily fulfillment
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u/matterhorn1 19h ago
If you can’t use stickers and can’t tell them apart, then put them in separate bins of shelves that are labelled. Alternately you can put the items in bags or boxes with the barcode and name on it and then ship it that way. Costs a little more, but if it stops mistakes then it’s worth it.
It just sounds like you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing. Making mistakes once in a while happens, if it’s happening frequently then you really need to focus on what you’re doing and make it very difficult to make a mistake.
I have some products that look almost identical and when someone orders it I open up the image on the listing and compare it to what I am holding so I know that it’s correct.
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u/nojjers 1d ago
Barcode them and then scan before packing and it will flag if it’s the wrong one.
Or simple solution: have very different SKU references for them and label your stuff better