Fulfilling Orders From Extended Warehouses
Cahoot's Extended Warehouse feature handles order routing for sellers using a multi-warehousing strategy, automatically fulfilling orders from the optimal location based on shipping cost, proximity to the customer, inventory availability, and several other factors.
📦 Step 1: Add Inventory at Your Extended Warehouse (REQUIRED)
You MUST add inventory quantities to all SKUs that you stock at your Extended Warehouse location. Without inventory quantities, the system cannot route orders to this warehouse, even if the products exist in your catalog.
→ Follow this guide to add inventory at your Extended Warehouse
📏 Step 2: Configure Item Dimensions (Required for Auto Labels)
All products must have item dimensions (length, width, height, weight) configured to enable automatic label creation for multi-line and multi-quantity (MLMQ) orders. Without dimensions, you'll need to create labels manually.
How Cahoot's Auto-Label System Works:
- Repeat Orders: Cahoot remembers how you shipped previous orders and will automatically recreate labels for the same SKU-quantity combinations, regardless of whether dimensions are configured.
- New Combinations: For orders with SKU-quantity combinations you haven't shipped before, Cahoot needs dimensions to automatically select the right box size and create labels.
→ Learn how to use Automatic Box Selection for Multi-Item Orders
Quick Checklist - Complete These Before Fulfilling Orders:
- ☐ Log in to Extended Warehouse account
- ☐ Add inventory quantities for all stocked SKUs
- ☐ Configure product dimensions for auto label creation (If needed - optional)
- ☐ Verify inventory levels are accurate under the Partner Inventory with You page
Follow these steps to create shipping labels for orders assigned to your Extended Warehouse:
1Click into the Order ID you want to fulfill. Orders assigned to an Extended Warehouse will be in Match Confirmed status and can be found on the Print and Ship My Orders page, Processing page, or All Orders page.
2Click the Create Shipping Label button on the top right of the Sales Order page.
3Review the label configuration details (carrier, service type, package dimensions, weight). Once you've confirmed everything is correct, click Create Shipping Label to generate the label.
When orders with multiple items or quantities are too large to fit in a single box, you can split them into 2 or more independently trackable shipments.
Identifying Orders That Can Be Split
Orders with multiple line items will appear on the grid with one line for each SKU. Single line item orders with multiple quantities will show as highlighted.
How to Split an Order
1From within the order details, select the Create Shipping Label dropdown and choose Split Order.
2For each SKU in the order, enter the New Order Quantity that will be split into a Child Order, then click Split Order.
3Create shipping labels separately for each order (both parent and child). Repeat the split process until each order can ship in a single box.
Parent and Child Order Management
Tip 1: Parent and Child Orders link back to each other for easy navigation and organization.
Tip 2: You can merge child orders back into the parent order if needed. Orders must be in the same status - if an order has a shipping label, it cannot be merged back to the parent order.
In some situations, you may need to manually reassign an order from an Extended Warehouse back to your primary warehouse location.
1From within the order details, select the Create Shipping Label dropdown and choose Override Sales Order.
2In the Confirm Order Override popup, select Assign to your primary warehouse, specify the desired Service Type, Ship By Date, and Deliver By Date, then click Save Override.
Why aren't orders routing to my Extended Warehouse?
The most common reason is missing inventory. You must add inventory quantities for SKUs at your Extended Warehouse location. Without inventory, the system cannot route orders there. See Updating Inventory at Extended Warehouses. Additionally, make sure the SKUs are set to [Cahoot Only Fulfilled = No] in the primary account.
Why aren't my labels being created automatically?
Cahoot has two types of automatic label creation:
- Repeat Orders: If you've shipped this exact SKU-quantity combination before, Cahoot will automatically create labels using the same shipping configuration, regardless of whether dimensions are configured.
- New Combinations: For SKU-quantity combinations you haven't shipped before, Cahoot needs product dimensions to automatically select the right box and create labels. Without dimensions, these new combinations require manual label creation.
See the Automatic Box Selection for Multi-Item Orders guide to enable automatic processing for new order types.
How does Cahoot decide which warehouse to use?
The system evaluates multiple factors including shipping cost, delivery time, proximity to customer, and inventory availability to determine the optimal fulfillment location for each order.
Can I force all orders to ship from my primary warehouse?
Yes, you can use the Override Sales Order function on individual orders, but this may result in higher shipping costs and longer delivery times. To adjust your routing preferences, simply zero out the inventory for the SKUs you want shipped from the primary warehouse.
What happens if my Extended Warehouse is out of stock?
If inventory is unavailable at the Extended Warehouse, the system will automatically route the order to an alternative location with available stock, typically your primary warehouse.
How do I update inventory at my Extended Warehouse?
See the Updating Inventory at Extended Warehouses article for step-by-step instructions.