This connection lets ShipStation send its own stock counts into Acenda. Once it's set up, ShipStation pushes inventory for the products you choose into a dedicated Acenda warehouse, and each sync overwrites whatever is currently in that warehouse.
Inventory only flows one way: from ShipStation into Acenda. Acenda doesn't send inventory or stock counts to ShipStation, and this inventory sync only works through the newer ShipStation API key connection and the Acenda app in ShipStation described below. The regular ShipStation fulfillment provider connection is a separate setup and doesn't send Acenda's inventory to ShipStation; for that one, see How to connect ShipStation as a fulfillment provider. The two connections can run side by side, but they're independent — this guide covers the ShipEngine (now ShipStation API) inventory sync only.
Note: ShipEngine officially rebranded as ShipStation API on February 28, 2025 (ShipStation API announcement). You may see either name in ShipStation and in Acenda; they refer to the same service.
Before you start: You'll need admin access to both your Acenda account and your ShipStation account. In ShipStation, this connection is still labeled Beta — it works, but ShipStation may change it without much notice.
Step 1: Connect ShipEngine in Acenda
Click CHANNELS > Integrations in the sidebar.
Open the Fulfillment Providers section and click New.
Find ShipEngine and click Add.
Open the new ShipEngine fulfillment provider.
Open its Settings tab.
Click the Authorization vertical tab.
Click the copy icon next to Ship Engine api key to copy it. You'll paste this into ShipStation in the next step.
Not the same as the API Key/Secret used by the regular ShipStation connection: This is a separate, single API key that Acenda generates for this connection only. It isn't the API Key/Secret pair you'd use for the regular ShipStation fulfillment provider.
Step 2: Connect Acenda inside ShipStation
In ShipStation, click the gear icon in the upper-right, then go to Selling Channels > Store Setup and click Connect Store.
Search for "acenda" and select the Acenda card.
Paste the API key you copied in Step 1 into the API Key field and click Connect.
You'll see a confirmation that the store connected and ShipStation has started importing orders.
Step 3: Turn on inventory sync
ShipStation tracks a stock count per SKU on its own Products page. Inventory sync is what takes those counts and sends them to a target, like your new Acenda connection.
Click the gear icon, then go to Inventory Management > Inventory Sync.
Click Edit. Under Sources, check ShipStation Inventory. Under Targets, check Acenda Store. Click Save.
Review the confirmation, check Start syncing my current inventory counts, and click Save Configuration.
Important: ShipStation's own confirmation screen says it plainly: saving this configuration means ShipStation will update and overwrite existing inventory counts in your targeted channels, including Acenda. Only turn this on once the stock counts in ShipStation are the ones you want Acenda to use.
The first sync can take up to an hour. After that, ShipStation keeps sending updates on its own schedule — in practice this is every 15 to 30 minutes for an active store, but the timing is controlled entirely by ShipStation, not by anything in Acenda.
Where the new warehouse shows up
The first time ShipStation successfully sends stock, Acenda automatically creates a warehouse called ShipEngine Connect Warehouse and starts updating its counts. You'll find it under CHANNELS > Warehouses alongside your other warehouses — see How to add and manage warehouses. It's created with a placeholder address since it doesn't represent a real physical location — that's expected, and you don't need to fix it.
If you don't see it yet, give the first sync time to finish (up to an hour) and check again.
Step 4: Map the new warehouse to your sales channels
A new warehouse doesn't supply any sales channel until you map it.
Click CHANNELS > Integrations in the sidebar.
Open Sales Channels.
Click Edit next to the channel.
Open the Settings tab.
Scroll to Warehouse Details and click + Add Warehouse Detail in the General section.
Choose the marketplace's Channel Warehouse and pair it with your new ShipEngine Connect Warehouse.
Click Save.
An inventory floor, if the channel has one set, still applies on top of whatever this warehouse reports. Once mapped, updates go out to the marketplace on its own schedule, usually within the hour.
How the counts work
Each ShipStation push sets the Quantity for the SKUs it sends, in the ShipEngine Connect Warehouse only — the same field you'd edit by hand on an item's Inventory tab. Allocated, Not Available and On Hand work the same way they do everywhere else in Acenda; see How to manually adjust inventory for what each one means.
Because every sync overwrites Quantity in that warehouse, a manual edit you make there won't stick — the next sync replaces it with whatever ShipStation has. If you need a correction to stick, make it in ShipStation.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
No new warehouse appearing: It's only created once the first stock update actually arrives from ShipStation, which can take up to an hour after you save the sync configuration. Check back, then look under CHANNELS > Warehouses.
Counts not changing in Acenda: Confirm Acenda Store is still checked under Targets on ShipStation's Inventory Sync page, and that the SKU exists on both sides.
Counts snapping back after a manual edit: Expected — ShipStation overwrites the ShipEngine Connect Warehouse's Quantity on every sync. Correct the count in ShipStation instead.
Acenda not listed as a target in ShipStation: The store only appears as a target once it's successfully connected with a valid key. Reopen Selling Channels > Store Setup and confirm the Acenda store shows as connected, not only added.
Marketplace still shows the old quantity: Make sure the ShipEngine Connect Warehouse is mapped to that channel (see Step 4), and allow up to an hour for the marketplace's own update schedule.
Related articles
Still stuck? Contact Acenda Support and tell Acenda support your subscription and which SKUs aren't syncing.
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