AfterShip Order Edits give shoppers a short window to update their orders after checkout. During this time, shoppers can edit shipping addresses, swap products, adjust item quantities, or accept upsell offers, etc. However, many warehouses, ERPs, and 3PL systems start importing immediately after the Shopify order is created. If an order gets edited after that, the information in downstream systems may become outdated.

The AfterShip Order Hold feature helps resolve the issue by delaying order processing until the editing window closes. This gives shoppers enough time to complete changes before fulfillment begins.

AfterShip Order Edits currently supports two types of order holds:

Some downstream systems automatically wait before importing Shopify orders. For example, orders may sync after 15 or 30 minutes instead of immediately after checkout.

In this case, the existing delay already gives shoppers enough time to edit their orders.

Set the Order Edits time window equal to or shorter than the existing downstream import delay. Further, no order hold configuration is required.

If the downstream system imports Shopify orders after 15 minutes of order creation, configure the order editing window to 10 minutes or less.

This ensures edits are completed before the order reaches fulfillment systems.

Some ERP / WMS and 3PL systems import Shopify orders only when they are marked as Unfulfilled. For example, ShipBob, ShipHero, etc.

When enabled:

The order then moves to the ‘Unfulfilled’ status for fulfillment processing.

Some downstream systems, commonly ERP and accounting integrations, import Shopify orders only after the payment status becomes Paid. For example, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Shipstation, etc.

This setup has two core steps:

Before enabling Auto payment capture, Shopify payment capture must be updated to Manual:

Without this change, Shopify captures payments immediately after checkout, and downstream systems may process the order before edits are completed.

With Auto payment capture enabled:

This helps avoid unnecessary refunds or payment adjustments while shoppers continue editing their orders.

Search this list for your downstream system to see which scenario applies.

Every downstream system syncs orders from Shopify differently, and the built-in order hold options may not fit every setup. If you have any questions about how your orders sync, we're here to help.

Contact [email protected] for setup guidance and Shopify Flow recommendations that match your downstream system’s behaviour.

For most payment-based systems like NetSuite, our standard recommended approach is to keep orders in the Authorized state during the editing window and let AfterShip automatically capture payment when the window closes. This ensures that only finalized orders are synced to downstream systems.

However, some other environments with custom integrations may require a different configuration. For example:

The right setup depends on how your specific systems import and capture orders.

If you have a customized setup or aren't sure which approach is right for you, our technical team can work directly with your IT team to review your configuration, recommend the best approach, and validate it in a sandbox environment before you go live.

Reach out to [email protected] or your AfterShip account contact to schedule a working session.