Lots & Expiration Tracking

ShipHero tracks lots and expiration dates for any products that have them. The most common include:

• Food products
• Vitamins and supplements
• Pharmaceuticals and health products
• Personal care products
• Cosmetics and skincare products

How to Send These Products

• As the merchant, you must add the product's visible lots, expiration dates, and/or lot numbers. ShipHero will then treat the product as requiring lot and expiration tracking.
• ShipHero is not responsible for relabeling products or changing lot dates.
• ShipHero will dispose of expired inventory at its discretion.
• Each SKU unit that requires tracking incurs a $0.05 USD ($0.07 CAD) shipping fee per unit shipped.
• Tracking is not optional under FDA regulations.
• ShipHero may sometimes accept Production Run documentation in lieu of expiration, but this must be approved in writing by ShipHero.
• Do not mix lots of the same product in one box. Keep them in separate cartons so we can store your goods properly.
• If a product has a lot code but no expiration date, we require the production date.

Why We Track Lots and Expiration

• This ensures we ship your oldest product first. If a lot passes expiration, we stop shipping it so your customers always receive the correct product.
• Each lot is stored in its own location so nothing gets mixed or combined.
• By default, we stop shipping products 45 days before their expiration date. To change this time frame, update your settings.

Recalls and Damaged Product

• If your product is recalled, tell us the affected lot number as soon as possible so we can quarantine the units immediately.
• If the recall is due to quality, we can hold your product for up to 30 days while we wait for your direction.
• If the recall is due to mold, fungus, or hazardous conditions, we'll dispose of or remove the affected units immediately to prevent contamination of other products.
• If any tracked product is damaged, we'll set the units aside and store them for 30 days while we wait for your direction.
• If damaged units leak or have an open food source, we'll deduct the affected units from your inventory and dispose of them immediately.

Disclaimer

• ShipHero Fulfillment locations are FDA approved and can hold any shelf-stable goods that can be stored in ambient conditions.
• We don't currently store products that require temperature-controlled environments.
• ShipHero may refuse products with inappropriate expiration dates, at its discretion.
• ShipHero will not change the lots or expiration dates on any product.

How to Set Up Lot Tracking

Manage your lot setup in your Portal settings:

1. Open your Settings.
2. Define your prioritization method:
   1. FEFO (First Expired, First Out): prioritizes inventory with the soonest upcoming expiration date (for example, when shipping perishables).
   2. FIFO (First In, First Out): picks goods based on the order they were received, keeping product rotating.
3. Set the number of days to disable picking before expiration (to prevent expired products from being shipped to customers).
4. Set up an automated email reminder to receive a report on lots that are about to expire.

Once your account is enabled for lot and expiration tracking, check the Lot box when you add a new product.

Important

We cannot ship expired products. If a product is expired, create an order to remove it, or we'll need to dispose of it. Follow the disposal process.