Manifests
What this does
A manifest (also called a scan form or end-of-day form) is a document from the carrier that combines many shipping labels into one form with a single barcode.
When a carrier collects a large pickup, the driver scans the one manifest barcode instead of scanning every package. This makes pickup faster and means packages show as shipped in the carrier's tracking (and on the storefront) sooner, rather than waiting until each label is scanned at the carrier's facility.
In Teamship, warehouse users can:
- Create a manifest manually from a list of generated labels
- Let Teamship create one automatically every evening
- View every manifest and download its document from the Manifests page
Manifests are created through your organization's connected carrier accounts and apply to labels generated for ecommerce shipping orders.
When to use
- Before a carrier pickup — Create a manual manifest for the labels going out with that pickup and hand the printed form to the driver.
- Every day, hands-off — Turn on automatic manifest creation so the day's labels are bundled at 9 pm without anyone having to remember.
- Reconciling carrier invoices — Use the Manifests page to see which labels were included in which manifest, and when.
⚠️ Labels voided after they are included in a manifest may still be billed by the carrier. Reconcile your carrier invoice against your manifests and dispute any such charges with the carrier if required.
The Manifests page
Open Reports → Manifests to see all manifests for your organization. The page explains that manifests for ecommerce orders appear here and can be created manually or automatically.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Manifest Number | The manifest's document ID from the carrier |
| Warehouse | The warehouse the manifest was created for |
| Generated on | Date the manifest was created |
| Generated by | The user who created it, or Teamship for automatic manifests |
| Request Status | Pending, Successful or Failed. Failed requests show the reason. |
| Document | Download button for the manifest form |
Like other directory grids, the Manifests grid supports calculated columns in your saved views.
Downloading and printing a manifest
- Open Reports → Manifests.
- Find the manifest by number, warehouse or date.
- Select Download in the Document column.
- Print the downloaded form and give it to the carrier driver at pickup.
The download is available once the request status is Successful.
Creating a manifest manually
- Open Reports → Manifests and select Create Manifest.
- A list of generated labels opens. It shows labels from all warehouses in your organization. Voided labels are not listed.
- Select the labels to include (or Select all). Labels that already belong to a manifest show their Manifest Number and have no checkbox.
- Create the manifest.
- The new manifest appears on the Manifests page, with you as Generated by. Download it once it is Successful.
The label list shows:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Label ID | The label's ID |
| Tracking Number | Carrier tracking number |
| Ship Date | Ship date on the label |
| Order Date | Date of the shipping order |
| Shipping Order Number | The order the label belongs to |
| Warehouse | Warehouse the order ships from |
| Carrier | Carrier on the label |
| Customer Name / Company Name | The customer the order belongs to |
| Manifest Number | The manifest the label is already part of, if any |
Rules for manual manifests
- All selected labels must be from the same warehouse.
- A label whose ship date is later than the manifest date can't be manifested yet. Create its manifest on or after the ship date.
- A label can belong to only one manifest.
If the carrier rejects the request for any other reason, the message is shown at the top of the page under Carrier Error. It stays there until you close it.
Automatic manifest creation
Automatic manifests are switched on in Organization Settings, on the carrier settings page, in the Automated Manifest Creation section below your carrier accounts.
When it is on, every day at 9 pm in the organization's timezone Teamship creates a manifest for all labels that:
- Are not voided, and
- Are not already part of a manifest
Automatic manifests appear on the Manifests page with Generated by: Teamship.
Labels you have already manifested manually during the day are skipped, so you can combine both methods — for example, manifest a large mid-afternoon pickup manually and let the 9 pm run pick up everything else.
The run time follows the timezone set in Organization Settings. Changing the timezone changes when the automatic manifest is created.
Manifests on shipping orders
Once a label is included in a manifest, the manifest number is shown on the shipping order.
Customers see the linked manifest number on the completed shipping order detail page. They do not see the Manifests page or create manifests.
Roles and permissions
Warehouse users
- View the Manifests page and download manifest documents
- Create manual manifests
Administrators
- Turn automatic manifest creation on or off in Organization Settings
- Manage the organization's carrier accounts and timezone
Customers
- See the manifest number on completed shipping orders only
- Cannot view, create or download manifests
Common manifest issues
| Issue | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| A label isn't in the label list | The label was voided, or the order has no generated label |
| A label has no checkbox | It is already part of a manifest |
| Can't create the manifest | Selected labels are from more than one warehouse, or a label's ship date is later than today |
| A Carrier Error appears | The carrier rejected the request; read the message, adjust the selection and try again |
| Request status is Failed | The carrier couldn't create the manifest; check the failure reason shown |
| No Download available | The request is still Pending or has Failed |
| The automatic manifest ran at an unexpected time | It runs at 9 pm in the organization's timezone; check the timezone in Organization Settings |
| No automatic manifest was created | The setting is off, or every label that day was voided or already manifested |
| Carrier billed a voided label | The label was voided after it was manifested; reconcile and dispute with the carrier |