Once you set up a new vendor and map your products, it's time to send a test order to make sure everything is working as intended before you go Live.
Test orders cannot be placed right in Spark Shipping. They have to be pulled from your store. Place the test order in your shopping cart. Some shopping carts allow you to place test orders from the admin side, making sure the order is of a product that is mapped to the proper vendor and, ideally of a low-cost item. Alternatively, you can look for an older order (it could be a live order) and reprocess it in Spark Shipping.
It is essential to let the vendor know you're sending a test order to get their feedback and ensure the order isn't fulfilled.
Most built-in vendor integrations have a Test environment for placing test orders and a Production environment for sending real orders. Ensure your vendor credentials are set to TEST by going to the vendor page > credentials.
Tips on placing test orders in Shopify Admin:
1. Go to Orders > Create Order
2. Add items, shipping address
3. Mark order as Paid (you don't have to enter any payment info)
Tips on placing test orders in BigCommerce:
1. Go to Orders > Create Order
2. Add items, shipping address
3. Use 4111 1111 1111 1111 for the payment card number
EBAY & Amazon: You'll need to piggyback off a former order or await a future order for products you've pushed to perform a test order when a vendor requests it.