# Fulfillment

> Fulfillment is the step where you tell Shopify an order has been picked, packed and sent, which closes it and releases the stock.

- Source: https://storestandards.com/glossary/fulfillment/
- Also called: Fulfilment
- Updated: 2026-08-14
- Author: Nia Chambers, Product, Store Standards

---

Shopify spells it with two Ls in every English store, including British ones,
so that is the spelling used here.

## When the count changes

Not at fulfillment. Shopify reduces
[available inventory](https://storestandards.com/glossary/available-inventory/) the moment an order is
placed, and moves those units to committed.

Fulfilling is what finally takes them off on-hand. Between the two, the stock
is on your shelf and already sold.

## What it does

- Marks the line items as sent
- Reduces on-hand stock at the [location](https://storestandards.com/glossary/shopify-location/) that
  filled it
- Sends the customer a shipping confirmation, if you let it
- Attaches the tracking number

## Where it goes wrong

Orders get marked fulfilled at the picking bench rather than at the door. The
customer gets a shipping email for a parcel sitting in a crate, and the first
they hear otherwise is when the tracking never moves.

The other one is the reverse: parcels go out and nobody fulfils the order in
Shopify. Those units stay committed for weeks, availability stays low, and a
line that is sitting on the shelf reads as a
[stockout](https://storestandards.com/glossary/stockout/) on the storefront.

## Related terms

- [Unfulfilled order](https://storestandards.com/glossary/unfulfilled-order/): An unfulfilled order is one that has been paid for but not yet sent. Its stock is committed and cannot be sold to anyone else.
- [Partial fulfillment](https://storestandards.com/glossary/partial-fulfillment/): Partial fulfillment is sending some line items of an order now and the rest later, leaving the order open in between.
- [Available inventory](https://storestandards.com/glossary/available-inventory/): Available inventory is the stock a customer can still buy. It is what you hold on hand, minus what is already promised to other orders.