Photos and video from the packing station

A USB camera above the packing table can automatically record what you put in a parcel. The photos are attached to the order afterward, so you can answer a “there was an item missing from the parcel” complaint with evidence of what was actually on the table.

The feature is disabled by default. An administrator enables it under Settings → Warehouse → Packing.

For packers: nothing changes

Pack as usual: scan basket → scan goods → scan label. Photos are taken in the background, at the moments selected in settings. There is no confirmation dialog, no extra click, and nothing waits for a file to upload.

If the camera is disconnected, the browser has not been granted camera permission, or the network is down, you still close the order normally. There simply will not be a photo. Packing never stops because of a photo.

If the administrator enabled the manual button, a camera icon appears in the scan bar. Tap it once to take an extra photo, for example to document damaged goods or unusual packing.

Who has access

Two separate permissions under Settings → Users → Roles:

• Packing > Recording settings—who can change what is recorded and for how long.
• Packing > View recordings—who can view an order's recordings.

Warehouse permission alone is not enough. Recordings show people at work, and settings determine whether recordings are created at all, so the employer grants each permission to selected people. The company administrator always has access.

For customer service: where to find the photos

In order details, below the shipments, open the Packing photos section. It loads only when expanded because most orders have no photos.

Each thumbnail says which moment it comes from (packing started, unit scanned, package closed, order completed, or employee photo). Click a photo to open it at full size; below it you can see the time, person at the table, and station. Use the arrows to move between photos.

Photos cannot be deleted from the screen—that is intentional. They are removed automatically after the file-retention period set for the integration that supplied the order.

For administrators: settings

Settings → Warehouse → Packing, the Packing photos and video tab.

• Record what goes into the parcel—the main switch.
• What to record—photos, video, or both. Video records from basket scan through order completion as one file per order and takes many times more space than photos.
• When to take a photo—select moments: packing start, first unit, every unit, every Nth unit, last unit, package closure, or order completion. For “every Nth unit,” enter a number; without it, that moment will not work.

The count is based on units, not scans: if the quantity calculator packs eight units in one scan, the counter increases by eight. At most one photo is taken per unit.

How long photos and video are retained

Retention is configured separately for each integration, not in packing settings—just like labels, invoices, and return photos for its orders. Under Settings → System → Data storage, the integration row has separate Packing photos and Packing videos fields when the integration has files of those types or a retention period of its own; otherwise find them under Show all types (Disk space and data retention — file usage, downloads, deletion, and how long data is kept). An empty field means “use the default file period” (the Keep default files for field). If that is empty too, files are kept indefinitely. A marketplace that imposes its own retention limit (currently Amazon—30 days) does not allow a longer period. The administrator can also see how many packing photos and videos each integration has and how much space they use. Deletion is automatic only, every night—nobody manually removes evidence. Photos for orders without an integration are kept indefinitely.

Who and what it applies to

• Warehouse exceptions—a warehouse on this list does the opposite of the company switch. This is how you pilot the feature in one warehouse while the rest of the company does not record yet. The settings remain visible while recording is disabled, so it is clear that the option exists.
• Employees—a list plus either “selected only” or “everyone except selected.” A manager configures it; employees cannot turn off recording for themselves.
• Sales platforms and Carriers—the same two modes, for recording only a disputed channel if desired.
• Only orders flagged by automation—in this mode, platform and carrier lists no longer apply; only orders selected by automation are recorded (the Record the packing of this order action). The rule must run before the order reaches the packing table.

How much space it takes

At around 900 orders a day, with photos resized to about 300 KB:

For video, set a reasonable file-retention period in the integrations.