◈ What Packing Hub is for

Packing Hub is your post‑stream shipping command center. After a show ends it pulls every sale into one place so you can pack each order, attach the right shipping label, and record proof of what went in the box — while keeping multiple packing stations working from the same data.

• One list per show — pick a show on the left to open its Packing Center on the right.
• Label matching — upload your 4×6 shipping‑label PDFs and Packing Hub reads the tracking number and buyer off each label, then matches it to the order automatically.
• Packing video — an overhead camera records a short clip of each package as you scan its label, so you have proof for refund and “wrong / missing item” disputes.
• Buyer CMS feed — every label you link to a buyer flows into the Buyer CMS, building a verified cross‑show history of who bought what and where it shipped.
• Status flags — mark each order Packed, Pending, or Refund as you go.

1 The basic workflow

1. Connect your shared folder (top bar) the first time — this is where labels, link state, and packing clips are stored. (Details below.)
2. Pick the show you’re packing from the list on the left.
3. Upload that show’s label PDFs with 📄 Upload label PDF(s). Tracking numbers and buyers are read and matched to orders.
4. Start a packing session and point your overhead camera at each shipping label — a clip is saved and tied to that tracking number.
5. Link any labels that didn’t auto‑match to the right buyer, and mark each order Packed.

📄 Uploading label PDFs (4×6)

Export or print your shipping labels in 4×6 thermal format — the standard one‑label‑per‑page size from Pirate Ship, ShipStation, eBay, Whatnot, PayPal and the like. Then, in the show’s Packing Center:

• Click 📄 Upload label PDF(s) — select several PDFs at once, or one multi‑page PDF with a single 4×6 label per page.
• Packing Hub reads the tracking number from the barcode and the buyer name + address from the label text on each page, then matches it to an order in the show.
• Names it pulled appear under “Read from PDFs” — click a name chip to jump straight to that label’s row.
• If a label’s buyer doesn’t match what the show has, you get a conflict prompt so you can confirm the correct buyer instead of silently overwriting.

📦 Shared folder for multiple computers

If you pack on more than one computer, point every machine at the same shared folder. Labels, buyer links, statuses and packing clips all live in that folder, so every station sees the same up‑to‑date packing state.

1. Put a folder somewhere all your packing computers can reach — a synced folder (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Drive) or a shared network drive works well.
2. On each machine, open Packing Hub and click Connect shared folder in the top bar, then choose that same folder.
3. Grant permission when Chrome asks. The folder name shows in the top bar once it’s connected.

• Shows pushed by another machine carry a 📦 shared badge.
• Clips recorded on one station are copied into the shared folder so they play back on every machine.

🎥 Setting up an overhead camera

The packing camera records a short clip of each box as you scan its label — your evidence if a buyer claims the wrong item or nothing at all arrived. A clean overhead view is what makes that footage useful.

• Mount it overhead, pointing straight down at your packing surface. A USB webcam on a gooseneck/overhead arm, or a small tripod aimed down, works great.
• Frame the label and the open box together so the clip shows the tracking label and the item going into that box in one shot.
• Light it well — even, glare‑free light so the barcode and the item are clearly readable on playback.
• Use a 1080p camera if you can, and pick it in the session setup. Two stations? Start a two‑packer session and assign each packer their own camera.

When you start a session the status reads “Point the camera at a shipping label…” Show the label, pack the box on camera, then move on — each clip is saved against that tracking number automatically.

★ Best practices

• Connect the shared folder before you start packing — clips and links recorded before it’s connected live only on that one machine.
• One show at a time, fully packed and marked, before opening the next.
• Upload labels in 4×6, one per page, and do it before you start scanning so orders are pre‑matched.
• Record every package, even the cheap ones — the one you skip is the one that gets disputed.
• Clear the “unlinked” pile each session: link stray labels to the right buyer so your Buyer CMS stays complete and verified.
• Keep buyer names consistent with how they appear on the platform so cross‑show history merges correctly.
• Mark Refunds as you go so you never ship an order you’ve already refunded.