Portless does not have a sandbox or test mode. When you place a test order, it enters the real fulfillment pipeline and will ship unless you intervene quickly. This guide helps you run your first order deliberately, using a real low-stakes order to catch setup errors before they affect customer shipments.
Before you place the test order
Work through this checklist with your onboarding contact before placing anything.
Inventory
Your inventory has been fully put away at the Portless warehouse. Putaway takes up to 48 hours after your first inbound. If you’re shipping from a bonded warehouse, it would take up to 72 hours. Your onboarding contact will confirm when it's complete. Do not place a test order before this step.
The SKU you're testing is visible in the Portless portal at portal.portless.com with the correct quantity.
Product data
HS code and COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) are entered for every SKU you're testing. Portless needs this to calculate duties. Orders cannot ship without a valid HS Code and COGS. Confirm with your onboarding contact that these have been added to the system.
Package dimensions
Your test order's total packed dimensions fall within carrier limits: max 55 cm length × 40 cm width × 30 cm height, 20 kg weight. If an order requires multiple boxes, it must be split into separate Shopify orders, not a single order with multiple packages.
Integration
Your Shopify store is routing orders to Portless. Confirm with your onboarding contact that fulfillment routing is active and that test orders won't route to a different fulfillment location.
Portal access
You can log in to portal.portless.com. If you haven't set your password, click "Forgot Password" on the login page.
Placing the test order
Use a real address, yours or a teammate's. The order will ship, so use a delivery address you can receive at (or be ready to intercept it. See below.)
Use a real, live SKU from your Shopify store. This tests the full end-to-end flow: order sync, SKU matching, pick-and-pack, and label generation.
Place the order in Shopify normally through checkout or a draft order. Once ready for fulfillment, add the "portless_ready" tag.
Notify your onboarding contact at [email protected] that a test order is in flight. Include the Shopify order number. This gives the team visibility of whether anything needs to be caught.
After placing: Log in to portal.portless.com and confirm the order appears.
Note: If you are only testing system functionality, we can use our designated test address. This ensures that test orders are flagged and not physically shipped.
What to check after placing
Checkpoint 1. Order appears in the Portless portal. The order should be visible in the portal. Confirm the order number matches your Shopify order number. If you see a Core SO- number instead of your Shopify number, reach out to your onboarding contact to check your integration mapping (see Common Errors below).
Checkpoint 2. Shipment Standard processing is 1–2 business days. You'll receive two tracking numbers:
First Mile - internal tracking for the international leg from the origin warehouse. This number is for your reference only. Do not share it with customers; it may reveal that the order ships from China.
Last Mile - the customer-facing tracking number (e.g. AusPost, USPS). This is the number to share with customers.
Checkpoint 3. Last Mile tracking. Last Mile tracking typically becomes available 24–48 hours after the order departs. No updates before then are normal. It means the handoff to the local carrier hasn't happened yet. If there are still no updates after 48 hours, contact support via the Help Center.
Common go-live errors
Error: Order shows Core SO- number instead of Shopify order number in the portal. Root cause: Custom order number mappings in the integration (e.g., Pipe17) that override Shopify order IDs. Fix: Contact your onboarding contact and ask them to remove the custom mappings. Going forward, Shopify order numbers will be used.
Error: Order split into multiple packages by Portless. Root cause: The order exceeded carrier size limits (55 cm × 40 cm × 30 cm, 20 kg). Portless manually split it. Fix: For orders that naturally require multiple boxes, submit them as separate Shopify orders. One per package. Each order must fit within the carrier's limits.
Error: Last Mile tracking showing no updates. Root cause: The order has shipped, but the local carrier hasn't scanned the package yet. Last Mile tracking typically activates 24–48 hours after departure. Fix: No action needed until 48 hours have passed. After that, contact support via the Help Center.
If you need to stop a test order
Act immediately. Orders can enter the packing queue within hours of being placed.
Contact Portless support via the Help Center or email [email protected].
Include your Shopify order number and state clearly that you need the order stopped.
If the order has already shipped, interception is not possible. You'll receive the package at the delivery address you used.
When you're ready to go live
Test order shipped successfully with correct SKU, tracking numbers confirmed
HS codes and COGS confirmed in the system for all SKUs
Integration mapping confirmed (Shopify order numbers syncing correctly)
Portal login working
Your onboarding contact has signed off and confirmed go-live readiness
Your onboarding team will schedule a go-live call to walk through final operational checks before real customer orders begin processing. Go-live does not start until after that call.