How StuckOrders compares
If orders are getting stuck between Shopify and ShipStation, you have four real options: track them in a spreadsheet, lean on ShipStation's reports, migrate to a full WMS, or add an exception queue. Here's how they actually stack up — including where StuckOrders is the wrong choice.
| Capability | Spreadsheet + Slack | ShipStation reports | Full WMS / OMS | StuckOrders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sees Shopify + ShipStation + CSVs together | Only what you paste in | No — ShipStation data only | After full migration | Yes |
| Flags paid orders that never reached ShipStation | Only if you check by hand | No — can't see Shopify | Varies | Yes, automatically |
| Every exception has an owner | A column nobody updates | No | Varies by setup | Yes |
| Age clock + cutoff alerts | No | Limited (ship-by date) | Varies | Yes — Slack digest + alerts |
| Next action tracked to resolution | Manual | No | Yes (heavyweight) | Yes |
| Audit trail of who did what | Version history at best | Limited | Yes | Yes — append-only |
| Claims-ready exports | Do it yourself | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Keeps your stack (read-only, no migration) | Yes | Yes (it is your stack) | No — replaces it | Yes |
| Time to value | Instant, manual forever | Already there | Months | Minutes to connect |
| Typical cost | "Free" + hours of labor | Included with ShipStation | $$$$ + implementation | From $400/mo |
Scroll the table sideways on mobile. "Varies" means it depends heavily on how the system was configured or migrated.
When a spreadsheet is actually fine
If you ship a handful of orders a day and one person touches every one of them, a shared sheet and a Slack channel will hold. You don't need software to watch a queue you can keep in your head. The spreadsheet breaks the day volume outgrows one person's memory: rows stop getting updated, nobody's sure which system is right, and the exceptions you forgot to paste in are exactly the ones that turn into refunds.
What ShipStation's reports do — and don't
ShipStation is excellent at what it's for: rates, labels, and shipping workflows. Its reports and filters are great for questions inside ShipStation. The gap is that ShipStation can only see ShipStation. The most expensive exception — a paid Shopify order that never synced across — is invisible to it by definition, because the order isn't in ShipStation to report on. There's also no concept of an owner or a resolution trail for the problems it can show you.
When you genuinely need a WMS or OMS
If you're standing up multi-warehouse pick/pack, barcode scanning, lot tracking, or you want a single system of record for inventory across channels, that's a WMS or OMS — and StuckOrders is not a substitute. But that's a months-long migration that replaces how your floor runs, and it's overkill if your actual problem is just that orders slip through the cracks between the tools you already have. Many teams buy a WMS to solve an exception problem and inherit a year of implementation.
Where StuckOrders fits
StuckOrders is the layer between your tools, not a replacement for any of them. It connects read-only to Shopify, ShipStation, and your CSVs, watches for the seven exceptions that fall between them, and turns each into one queue item with an owner, an age, and a next action — with a Slack digest, cutoff alerts, an audit log, and claims exports. You keep Shopify, you keep ShipStation, and you stop losing orders in the gaps.
Not sure which you need? The free 30-day stuck-order audit shows you exactly how many orders slipped through last month before you connect anything.
Common questions
Is StuckOrders an alternative to ShipStation?
Is StuckOrders a WMS or OMS?
Can't I just track stuck orders in a spreadsheet?
Do I have to leave my current tools?
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