What each platform needs
Shippo
A CSV uploaded on the Orders page, with each column matched to a Shippo field. Every order needs a recipient name, street, city, postal code, two-letter country code and email; US addresses need a state, and international FedEx, UPS and USPS Priority Mail Express shipments need a phone number. A summary email lists the orders that failed.
ShipStation
A CSV or tab-delimited file imported into a manual store, not available on the Starter or Startup plans. Only the order number is required, or AUTO if the store numbers orders for you. Headers that match ShipStation's field names are mapped automatically.
Pirate Ship
A CSV, ODS, XLS or XLSX file with a header row. The headers can be anything, as long as each part of the address has its own column; you match them on the first upload. Weights and sizes left blank use the default package you enter when uploading.
Errors, and the fix
The whole address is in one cell
All three need the address split up: street, second line, city, state, postal code and country in their own columns. Pirate Ship asks for each part of the address in its own column. Shippo has a separate Street Number column, but only DHL Germany needs it; otherwise keep the house number in the first street line.
Countries are spelled out
Shippo reads two-letter ISO country codes, such as US, GB or DE, not United States or Germany. US states are two-letter codes too, such as CA or NY.
ZIP codes have lost their leading zeros
Excel turns 02134 into 2134, which is no longer a valid ZIP code. Keep the postal code column as text. For countries without postal codes, such as Hong Kong, Shippo asks for 00000. Excel leading zeros guide.
Weights and sizes have units typed in
Cells such as 2 lbs or 10" aren't numbers. Pirate Ship takes numbers only, in pounds or ounces (one column of each if you like). Shippo wants the number in one column and the unit in another: oz, g, lb or kg for weight, and in, cm or mm for size.
Package sizes are only partly filled in
Shippo's width, height, length and unit go together: fill in all four, each greater than zero, or leave all four blank. In Pirate Ship, any blank weight or size falls back to the default package for the whole upload, so check that default before you buy labels.
Email or phone is missing or a placeholder
Shippo needs an email on every order and rejects N/A; it suggests your own address if you don't have the customer's. Shippo only needs a phone number for some international services. ShipStation fails on letters in the phone field. CSV phone numbers guide.
Two customers became one parcel
Shippo and ShipStation both combine rows that share an order number into one order, and Shippo keeps only the first row's address. Repeat an order number only for extra items in the same order, and check for accidental duplicates before uploading. CSV duplicate rows guide.
A re-import wiped order details
When an order number already exists in the ShipStation store, the import updates that order, and blank cells erase what's there; a blank order date becomes today. Include every column when re-importing. Orders already shipped or cancelled aren't updated.
The import failed with no clear reason
ShipStation says currency symbols, accented letters and other special characters in any cell can make an import fail, and an @ outside the email column can too. Write prices as plain numbers. If the file still fails, ShipStation suggests pasting the data into a new CSV file, saving it and uploading again. CSV special characters guide.
The header row is rejected or mismatched
A trailing space in a Shippo header ("Orders " instead of "Orders") stops the upload. ShipStation needs every header to be different, and a period in one, such as Order No., can cause errors. CSV header naming guide.
Order dates are read wrongly
Shippo asks for year, month, day: 2026-10-20, not 10/20/26. Excel often rewrites dates when a file is opened and saved, so check the column before uploading. CSV date formatting guide.
Orders with several items
In Shippo and ShipStation, an order with two items is two rows with the same order number. Repeat the order and address details, and change only the item columns. ShipStation reads order notes from the order's first row only.
| Order Number | Recipient Name | Street Line 1 | Item Title | SKU | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1042 | Ana Silva | 12 Harbor St | Canvas tote | TOTE-01 | 2 |
| 1042 | Ana Silva | 12 Harbor St | Enamel mug | MUG-07 | 1 |
The same rule works against you when order numbers repeat by accident, such as two shops both starting at 1001. Give each order its own number, or add a prefix per shop.
Before you upload
Collect orders in the right format
Send whoever has the orders a form instead of a spreadsheet. Required address fields, country codes, emails, weights and units are checked as they type, and postal codes keep their zeros. Data is checked in the browser and never stored by us.