SamCart's App Marketplace allows you to automatically send order data to ShipStation, freeing up time for you to focus on driving more traffic to your SamCart pages instead of manually exporting orders for fulfillment.
Below, we'll break down how to connect SamCart with ShipStation and how to create rules enabling you to automate the process.
Connecting SamCart With ShipStation
Start by clicking over to the Apps section of your marketplace to access the App Marketplace.
Once you are in the App Marketplace, you can search for the specific app you want to connect with! Search for ShipStation and click the Install button:
This will bring up a popup window where you can enter the API Key and API Secret from ShipStation (there is also an optional Store ID field, this can be used if you have multiple stores in one ShipStation account). Once you have entered that information in the correct fields, the Connect button will turn blue and you can click it to complete the connection!
Your API Key and API Secret will need to be generated within the ShipStation dashboard. To get these, head over to ShipStation and go to Account Settings (1). Choose API Settings (2) and then press the green Generate New API Keys button (3).
After you generate the API Keys, they will appear on the screen like this:
Once ShipStation is successfully connected, you will be redirected back to the App Marketplace and see the ShipStation connection page. This is where you can create rules for your connection, but first we'll need to make sure you are collecting a shipping address on all orders. Read on to learn more! 
Adding Shipping Fields to your Checkout Form
For the ShipStation connection and rules to work, you have to add Shipping Address fields to the checkout page.
To add Shipping Fields, head over to the Content Builder for the product you'd like to collect shipping fields for and click Design + Share (1) -> Sales Page (2) -> Edit in Builder (3).
Once in the Content Builder, select the Settings tab from the right menu and then choose Checkout Form. Add a checkmark to the Shipping Address field to add it to the product page, and then Publish to make those adjustments Live.
Repeat this step on all checkout pages that you are using the ShipStation connection for.
Now we're ready to create some rules for this connection to act on!
Creating Connection Rules
Now that SamCart is connected to ShipStation, you'll need to establish simple rules that tell this connection what to do when certain actions take place in your SamCart Marketplace.
From within the ShipStation connection in the App Marketplace, click on the + Add New Rule button.
This will bring up a side window where you can create rules for this connection! Here you can select the action and trigger to tell this rule what to do. 
First, you'll need to select what kind of rule you want to create, a Global Rule or a Product Specific Rule (1). Global Rules will apply to all products in your marketplace, while Product Specific Rules will only apply to the specific products you select.
The next step is to choose the Action (2) for this connection. The action is what will occur within ShipStation when this rule fires! The only action available for this connection is Create Order.
Once you've chosen the Action, you can select a Tag (3) in ShipStation that you want to have added to customers as part of this rule - this step is completely optional, so skip this if you do not want any tags added. If you do not see the tag you are looking for, click the Refresh Connection button in the top right corner of the window!
The last thing you need to choose is a Trigger (4) for the rule. This is the event that will occur within SamCart to trigger the Action within ShipStation! NOTE: Each application has different Triggers available. The following triggers are available in the ShipStation connection:
- Order Completed - fires after a customer completes the funnel, upsells included.
- Product Purchase - fires when a product is purchased as a primary product, upsell, order bump, or payment option.
- Subscription Charged - fires each time your customer completes a successful recurring charge.
- Checkout Charged - Fires right away right after the checkout charge of the primary product is successful, without waiting for upsell funnels to be completed.
The final step in creating this rule is clicking the Add Rule (5) button. And we're done! Now you can see your newly created rule in the ShipStation connection within the App Marketplace.
Creating Connection Rules at the Product Level
You can also create rules for a connection from directly within a product! If you are working within a product and wish to create a rule with the ShipStation connection, simply visit the product's Apps tab:
From here, click on the blue + Add New Rule button to start creating a rule with ShipStation for this product.
First, you'll need to Select the App or App Instance (1) you are wanting to create a rule for - in this case, you should select your ShipStation connection! The next step is to select any other products you want to add the rule to in the Select Additional Products (2) section. This step is optional and can be left blank if you do not wish to add the rule to any other products.
From here, the rest of the rule setup is exactly the same as when you create a rule from within the App Marketplace! Select the Action (3) for this connection - the action is what will occur within ShipStation when this rule fires! The only action available for this connection is Create Order.
Once you've chosen the Action, you can select a Tag (4) in ShipStation that you want to have added to customers as part of this rule - this step is completely optional, so skip this if you do not want any tags added. If you do not see the tag you are looking for, click the Refresh Connection button in the top right corner of the window!
The last thing you need to choose is a Trigger (5) for the rule. This is the event that will occur within SamCart to trigger the Action within ShipStation! NOTE: Each application has different Triggers available. Check out the Creating Connection Rules section above for a full list of Triggers available with the ShipStation connection!
The final step in creating this rule is clicking the Add Rule (6) button. And we're done! Now you can see the rule you have created on the Apps tab of your product.
Testing your Connection
After connecting ShipStation and creating rules for the connection, run a quick order while in Test Mode to confirm the connection is passing over order information correctly. If you need help troubleshooting any issues with the ShipStation connection, please reach out to support!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What SamCart order data is sent to Shipstation?
A: The following data is sent to ShipStation:
- Customer Full Name
- Customer Email Address
- Customer Shipping Address
- Order Date
- SamCart Order ID
- Product Name
- Total Paid
- Tag (if added)
Q: My connection seems to be functioning properly, but a customer wasn't added seemingly at random. What happened?
A: If a rule fails to fire, there's always a reason. Our system keeps a record of the last 1,000 events that took place in your Marketplace, and they can be viewed by heading to the ShipStation connection within the App Marketplace and scrolling down to the Logs section at the bottom of the page.
Here, you can search for the event in question and check if anything went wrong. 99% of the time the Logs can provide insight into exactly what might've went wrong with that action! The Configuration logs will show you logs related to the configuration of the App Instance (connecting the app, refreshing the app, etc.), and the Action logs will show logs related to actions associated with the rules you have set up for the ShipStation connection.
Q: When creating a rule, I do not see my tag or list. What do I do?
A: This is due to connections only showing some of your tags to help it load faster! If you start typing in the name of the tag/list then it'll appear. If you are still not seeing your tags/lists, you might need to “Refresh” the connection.
Q: How can I uninstall, update, or connect a new instance of my ShipStation connection?
A: Head to the Apps tab to access the App Marketplace and select the ShipStation connection. Click on the three dots to the right of the connection - this will bring up a few options! The Connect New App Instance button will allow you to connect a new instance of ShipStation (this is great if you have more than one ShipStation account you want to connect to SamCart!). The Change App Credentials button will allow you to update the credentials you are using to connect this instance of ShipStation within SamCart. The Uninstall App button will uninstall all instances of the app from SamCart, and any rules for that instance of ShipStation will no longer work. 