Partial shipping

What is a partial shipment?

A partial shipment occurs when only part of a customer’s order is shipped initially, with the remaining items delivered later in separate packages. This approach is often used during order fulfillment when some products are out of stock, have longer lead times, or ship from different warehouses. The same concept is also called partial shipping, partial delivery, partial fulfillment, or split shipment depending on the platform, and an order showing a status of “partially shipped” or “partially delivered” simply means some items have left the warehouse while the rest are still on the way.

Partial shipping helps prevent delays by allowing available items to reach the customer faster, rather than holding the entire order until everything is ready. It’s commonly used in ecommerce and retail logistics to improve delivery times, manage inventory efficiently, and maintain customer satisfaction, even when stock availability varies. Customers usually receive separate tracking numbers and separate delivery dates for each shipment, but they’re typically charged once for the full order.

Why use partial delivery?

Partial delivery is beneficial when:

• Certain items are backordered or unavailable
• Products are shipped from different fulfillment locations or carriers
• The customer needs available items urgently
• Inventory is split across multiple warehouses or 3PL partners

Retailers use this approach to reduce wait times and improve customer satisfaction, and it’s coordinated through the order management system, which decides how to split orders, generate the right number of shipments, and update the customer at each stage.

Example of Partial shipping

A customer orders a laptop, keyboard, and a desk lamp. The lamp is backordered, so the store ships the laptop and keyboard first. This is considered a partial shipment, and the lamp will be shipped later when back in stock. For a curated subscription box, partial shipping is generally avoided since subscribers expect the full box to arrive together as promised; brands tend to either delay the full box or substitute an item rather than ship part of the box on its own.

Driftcharge Tip

If offering partial shipping, always inform customers upfront and provide tracking updates for each delivery. Transparency builds trust.

Ganesh Pawar

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Ganesh Pawar is the founder of Driftcharge, a subscription management app designed to help Shopify merchants streamline and scale their subscription businesses. With a deep focus on solving real-world pain points—like legacy account page support, flexible subscription options, and advanced analytics—Ganesh is passionate about building tools that drive growth and retention.