Plans: All plans | Platforms: All platforms
Overview
Save on shipping costs by merging multiple orders going to the same recipient into one label, or automatically break up an order across warehouses so each location ships only what it has in stock.
Combine and split now work at the shipment level instead of the order level. This means you can freely combine, split, and re-split shipments without ever touching the original orders in your store, and tracking always syncs back to every order it came from.
How combine and split work
Combine and split act on shipments, not on your store orders. The link between items and their original orders is preserved, so tracking updates still sync back to every order involved.
You can combine shipments after splitting them, split a shipment after combining it, and repeat this as many times as you need.
Combined and split shipments are labeled on the shipment list and detail page so you can always tell what happened to an order:
Label | Where you'll see it | What it means |
| Next to the order number, e.g. | This shipment is one part of a split order |
| Next to the surviving order number, e.g. | This shipment absorbed one or more other shipments |
On a combined shipment's detail page, you'll see every original order listed with links back to them (for example, "Original order #1044, #1045").
Use Related shipments on the detail page to jump to the other shipments tied to the same original order(s).
For example:
#1093 (Combined)is the surviving shipment. It's already shipped (see the "Shipped" tag).The "original order" list: #1093, #1098, #1099, #1100, #1102 tells you five orders' items all ended up on this one shipment/label.
But two of those, #1098 and #1102, weren't combined in whole. The Related shipments popover shows them as
(1 of 2), meaning each of those orders was first split into two separate shipments, and only one half of each (the "1 of 2" portion) was pulled into this combined shipment. The other half (2 of 2for each) exists as its own separate shipment elsewhere, not shown here.
Combine shipments
Combining merges two or more shipments bound for the same recipient into a single shipment, and a single shipping label, without changing anything in your store.
When you can combine
Combine is available for shipments in Awaiting shipment status, through any of these entry points:
Suggestion banner on the shipment list: AfterShip automatically groups shipments it thinks you can combine. Review each group, untick anything you don't want to include, and select Combine now.
Shipment detail banner: if other shipments share the same recipient, you'll see a prompt like "x other shipments to the same recipient can be combined" with a Combine now link.
Manual selection: select two or more shipments from the list, then go to ••• → Combine shipments.
Eligibility criteria to combine shipments
Shipments can only be combined if they share all of the following:
Ship-from address (the same saved location, or identical address details)
Recipient address (name and full address/contact details)
Order currency
Order source (platform and store)
If a selection doesn't qualify, AfterShip shows an error message explaining what to fix. For example, Please select shipments from the same store.
Which shipment survives
The earliest-created shipment in the group becomes the surviving shipment. It's marked with a "Surviving" badge and pinned to the top of the Combine dialog. All other shipments' items are added to it, and it keeps its original order number.
All shipment-level amounts item subtotal, discounts, buyer-paid shipping, taxes, duties, and shipment total are summed onto the surviving shipment. Items from different orders are always listed separately, even if they're the exact same SKU.
What happens after you combine
Only the surviving shipment stays on the list, but searching for any of the original order numbers will still find it.
Combining doesn't change anything in your store. The original orders remain separate there. Once the combined shipment ships, the tracking number is written back to every original order (so, for example, two separate Shopify orders both move to Fulfilled with the same tracking number).
The activity log notes the combine, e.g. "Shipment combined with #x, #y."
There's no un-combine. If you need to separate items again, use split shipment. This creates a new shipment rather than restoring the originals.
Split shipment
Splitting breaks one shipment into two or more, either manually or automatically by warehouse location.
Manual split
Available for any shipment with more than one unit.
Select the shipment, then go to ••• → Split shipment, or open the shipment detail page and select Split shipment in the Items card.
Set how many units of each item to move to the new shipment using the quantity steppers. The Move N units to new shipment button stays disabled until you move at least one unit (and can't be used to move every unit).
Once Confirmed, each split creates exactly one new shipment.
The new shipment retains the original's package configuration. Its weight starts as package weight plus the weight of the moved items (you can edit this), and its customs information is regenerated based on its actual items.
Automatic split by location
If an imported order's items are assigned to different store locations, AfterShip automatically creates one shipment per location.
Each shipment gets the matching Ship-from location and the shipping method from that location's fulfillment order.
Your store locations sync automatically into Settings → Ship from locations once you connect a platform.
What happens after you split
Both the original and the new shipment show
(n of M)next to the order number, and each one is fully independent. You can get rates, buy labels, hold, cancel, or split/combine it further on its own.
Order-level amounts (discounts, buyer-paid shipping, and taxes) are split proportionally by item subtotal and rounded to the currency's smallest unit, so the amounts across all resulting shipments always add up to the original order total.
Find combined or split shipments
Use the Combine/Split filter on the shipment list and choose Combined or Split.
Or search for any of the original order numbers, combined and split shipments will still come up.
Important considerations
Combining across different stores, platforms, or currencies isn't supported yet.
Combine needs at least two selected shipments. The button stays disabled for a single selection. Split works on exactly one shipment at a time.
Shipments created by a split won't be picked up again by the combine suggestion banner.
If you edit an order upstream (change an item or quantity) after combining or splitting, that change keeps syncing to the affected shipment(s). You'll see it reflected in the activity log, e.g.
Item quantity increased … to match order #1044.
FAQs
1. Does combining or splitting change my orders in Shopify (or my other store)?
No. Combine and split only affect the shipment record in AfterShip. Your orders stay exactly as they are in your store. The only thing that syncs back is the tracking number once a shipment ships.
2. Can I undo a combine?
Not directly. There's no un-combine action, if you need the items apart again, use split shipment to move them into a new shipment.
3. Can I combine shipments from different stores or platforms?
No, not currently. Combine requires the same ship-from address, recipient address, order currency, and order source (platform and store).
4. What happens to pricing when I combine shipments?
Item subtotal, discounts, buyer-paid shipping, taxes, duties, and the shipment total are all summed onto the surviving shipment. Items are always listed separately by original order, even for identical SKUs.
5. What happens to pricing when I split a shipment?
Order-level amounts (discounts, buyer-paid shipping, and taxes) are allocated proportionally based on each item's subtotal, rounded to the smallest currency unit, so the totals across the resulting shipments always match the original.
6. Can I combine a shipment that was created by a split?
Yes. You can combine after splitting, split after combining, and repeat as needed. Combine and split can be used together in any order.
7. How do I know which shipments were combined or split?
Look for (Combined) or (n of M) next to the order number on the shipment list, or use the Combine/Split filter to find them directly.
Key takeaways
Combine and split now operate on shipments, not store orders. Your original orders stay untouched, and you can combine, split, and repeat freely.
Combining merges shipments to the same recipient into one label; the shipments must match on ship-from address, recipient address, currency, and store/platform.
The earliest-created shipment in a combine survives, absorbing items and amounts from the rest, with a "Surviving" badge and
(Combined)label.Splitting divides one shipment into two or more, either manually by quantity or automatically when items are assigned to different warehouse locations.
Split shipments are labeled
(n of M), and order-level amounts (discounts, shipping, taxes) are allocated proportionally so totals always reconcile to the original.There's no un-combine. To separate a combined shipment again, use split shipment, which creates a new shipment rather than restoring the originals.
Need Help?
If you have any questions, contact our support team through live chat or email us at [email protected].