- Short answer
- A custom email service doesn't update the order status automatically: after fulfillment, you track with the service and update the order yourself.
- If automatic fulfillment is on
- Orders are marked fulfilled when paid, with no manual fulfillment steps.
- Adding tracking
- Add it yourself when the service ships; you can still add it after fulfilling.
- No tracking number
- Mark as delivered after your customer receives it; otherwise the order stays On its way.
- Canceling
- Contact the service directly; canceling in your admin doesn't stop a fulfillment in progress.
Does a custom fulfillment service update the order status?
Shopify answers this directly:
Unlike fulfillment services that integrate with Shopify through an app, custom fulfillment services don't automatically update the order status in your Shopify admin.
With a fulfillment service app, the fulfillment status updates automatically as the service processes orders, and any tracking information it provides is added to the order automatically.
Instead, marking an order as fulfilled in your Shopify admin sends your custom fulfillment service an email with the order and customer details, including which items to ship. With automatic fulfillment, orders are automatically marked as fulfilled when they're paid, with no manual fulfillment steps.
How do you keep the order and your customer up to date?
Shopify says to track progress with the service directly, "such as by email or through their website."
When the service ships an order, add the tracking information yourself in your Shopify admin so your customer can track the shipment; a tracking number that arrives after you fulfilled the order can still be added. Once a tracking number is on the fulfillment, delivery status comes from the shipping carrier.
If the service doesn't provide tracking numbers, mark the order as delivered after your customer receives it, which updates their order status page and customer account; otherwise the order remains On its way. The Mark as delivered button shows only on fulfillments without a tracking number.
What if you need to cancel or change the fulfillment?
To cancel or change a fulfillment, contact your custom fulfillment service directly: canceling a fulfillment in your Shopify admin doesn't stop one that's in progress.
After you've contacted the service to cancel, you update the order status in your Shopify admin manually.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
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