Complete order flow
This page explains the full lifecycle of a pickup point order in Baltix, from the moment a customer places an order to delivery (or return). It covers both FULL mode and PICKUP ONLY mode, and all the situations that can happen along the way.
High-level overview
1. Order creation
When a customer places an order in your Shopify store, Shopify sends the order information to Baltix. The app checks whether the order uses a pickup shipping method and processes it accordingly.
Baltix extracts:
- Customer details (name, email, phone)
- Shipping address
- Order weight (from product weights)
- Pickup point selection (if already chosen during checkout)
Only orders that use a pickup shipping method are processed by Baltix. Regular shipping orders are ignored.
2. Pickup point selection
How the pickup point gets selected depends on your Shopify plan and store setup.
Shopify Plus stores
Customers select their pickup point during checkout using the Baltix checkout extension. The selection is saved immediately to the order. No extra steps needed.
Non-Shopify Plus stores
Customers select their pickup point after checkout, either:
- On the Thank You page (if the widget is enabled via Extensions)
- Via a recovery link shared by the store admin — see Recovery page
Auto-pickup fallback
If the customer does not select a pickup point within 30 minutes, Baltix automatically selects the nearest point based on the delivery address. A banner is shown in the admin to indicate the point was auto-selected.
3. Processing — FULL mode
In FULL mode, Baltix manages the entire shipping workflow: labels, fulfillment, tracking, and courier pickups.
Label creation
A shipping label can be created manually or automatically depending on your automation settings.
Manual: Open the order in Baltix and click Create Label.
Automatic: Baltix creates the label as soon as the order is processed, if all conditions are met (pickup point selected, weight valid, credentials configured). See Automation settings.
When a label is created:
- The carrier provides a tracking number and a printable label
- Baltix marks the order as shipped in Shopify and includes tracking information
- The customer receives a shipping confirmation from Shopify
For details on label formats, downloads, and troubleshooting, see Create a shipping label.
Pickup scheduling
After a label is created, your shipments need to be picked up by the carrier:
| Pickup mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Batch | Shipments are grouped for the day and scheduled at a set time (e.g. 4 PM) |
| Individual | Each shipment is scheduled with the carrier immediately |
See App Mode and Automation for full details.
Tracking updates
Once the parcel is in transit, Baltix updates the tracking status based on carrier information:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Label Created | Label generated, parcel ready for pickup by carrier |
| In Transit | Carrier has the parcel and is delivering it |
| At Pickup Point | Parcel is at the customer's selected pickup point, ready for collection |
| Delivered | Customer has picked up the parcel |
| Returned | Parcel was returned to sender (not collected, refused, etc.) |
| Cancelled | Label was cancelled before the parcel was shipped |
| Error | Label creation failed — see error details on the order page |
4. Processing — PICKUP ONLY mode (external provider)
In PICKUP ONLY mode, Baltix handles only the pickup point selection. The actual shipping is managed by an external provider like Swotzy.
What Baltix manages vs. external provider
| Responsibility | Baltix | External provider |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup point display in checkout/thank you page | ✅ | |
| Customer pickup point selection | ✅ | |
| Pushing selection to provider | ✅ | |
| Shipping label creation | ✅ | |
| Fulfillment & tracking | ✅ | |
| Courier pickup scheduling | ✅ |
In PICKUP ONLY mode, the Carriers, Shipping, Automation, and Pickups sections are hidden in Baltix. See App Mode and Automation for more details.
5. Pickup point changes
After a pickup point is selected, the customer or merchant may need to change it.
What happens when a pickup point changes
- The order is updated with the new pickup point
- The order information is updated in Shopify
- If a label already exists, it is marked as outdated because the pickup point changed
- A warning banner appears on the order page
- You must recreate the label to generate a new one for the updated pickup point
Changing the pickup point does not automatically cancel or recreate the existing label. The admin must take action to recreate it.
6. Returns
When a parcel is not picked up by the customer or is refused, the carrier returns it to the sender.
Return tracking
- The carrier updates the shipment status to Returned
- Baltix updates this status and displays it on the order page
- You can see the full timeline of status changes in the order history
Handling returns
When a parcel is returned:
- Check the order page for the Returned status
- Decide whether to reship or refund the customer
- If reshipping: recreate a new label from the order page
Baltix tracks return status but does not automatically reship or refund orders. You decide what to do next.
7. Error handling and edge cases
Common scenarios
| Scenario | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Product has no weight | Auto-label creation skipped; manual creation blocked | Add weight to all products in Shopify |
| Weight exceeds locker limit | Label creation blocked with error | Split into multiple shipments or use a different carrier |
| Credentials expired | Label creation fails with error | Re-enter your credentials in Settings > Carriers > Connection |
| Order changed after label created | Label marked as outdated | Recreate the label from the order page |
| External provider push fails | Baltix retries up to 3 times | Check provider configuration; retry manually if needed |
| Customer doesn't select pickup point | Auto-selection after 30 min timeout | Recovery link can be sent earlier for faster resolution |
| FREE plan quota exceeded | Pickup point selection blocked for new orders | Upgrade your plan |
Order change detection
Baltix watches for changes that affect the shipment:
- Weight change (above a 50g threshold)
- Pickup point change
- Delivery address change
If a change is detected and a label already exists, the label is flagged as outdated and you see a banner explaining what changed.
Summary
| Step | FULL mode | PICKUP ONLY mode |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup point selection | ✅ Baltix | ✅ Baltix |
| Label creation | ✅ Baltix | External provider |
| Shopify fulfillment | ✅ Baltix | External provider |
| Courier pickup | ✅ Baltix | External provider |
| Tracking | ✅ Baltix | External provider |
| Return detection | ✅ Baltix | External provider |