Custom Material Orders: What to Know and How to Handle Them

Last updated: June 5, 2026

What custom materials are

Custom materials are non-saleable items we add to your outbound orders on your behalf. Common examples include marketing inserts, thank-you cards, sample packs, and branded packaging.

These items are added automatically using ShipHero Automation Rules, which run inside our fulfillment system after an order imports. Because the rule runs in ShipHero rather than in Shopify, it affects how the order behaves, especially when an order is edited or cancelled.

The risks

Cancelled orders can still ship

When a ShipHero rule adds a custom item to an order, that addition exists only in ShipHero and is not reflected back in Shopify. If the order is later cancelled in Shopify, the cancellation does not always carry through to the order in ShipHero.

The risk is that the custom material stays on the order in ShipHero and keeps it active in our system. The material can then still be picked, and potentially packed and shipped, even though the order was cancelled on your side.

To cancel an order that includes a custom material, the order must be cancelled directly in ShipHero, not only in Shopify. Cancelling in Shopify alone is not enough. If you are unsure whether an order included a custom material, contact your Manifest Account Manager before cancelling and we will confirm and handle it with you.

Running out of a custom material can hold up the whole order

A custom material is treated as a line item on the order. If it goes out of stock, the entire order can be marked as backordered, even when every other item is available. This prevents the order from being fulfilled until the material is back in stock. See the section below for how to reduce this risk.

Keeping inventory accurate

Custom materials are received against a PO and exist as a SKU in ShipHero. We can turn on low-stock alerts so you are notified when a material reaches a threshold you set. We do not, however, actively track or manage inventory levels for custom materials, so keeping enough on hand is your responsibility.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Running out can cause orders to be incorrectly marked as backordered, so please replenish with enough lead time.

  • If a material runs out unexpectedly, we may ask for pre-approval to substitute a comparable item, such as a paper mailer in place of a poly mailer, to avoid delaying your orders.

Quick summary

  • Custom materials are added to your orders through ShipHero Automation Rules.

  • If an order includes a custom material, cancel it in ShipHero, not only in Shopify.

  • If a custom material goes out of stock, the entire order can be backordered until it is restocked.

  • When in doubt about a cancellation, check with your Manifest Account Manager first.