If customer names in your TikTok Shop orders show as asterisks (********), it means TikTok Shop is handling fulfillment and is deliberately masking customer details. To see full customer information, switch to Shipping by Seller in Seller Center — set up a shipping template, submit it, and enable the option. From then on, new orders will include complete customer details.
This catches out a lot of UK sellers: the orders come through fine, but names and addresses are hidden behind stars, which makes it impossible to ship yourself or handle customer service properly. It isn't a bug or a sync error from your Shopify app, it's TikTok Shop's privacy behaviour when the platform owns fulfillment.
This guide explains why the asterisks appear, the difference between the two shipping options, and exactly how to configure a shipping template so you get customer details back and control your own delivery.
TikTok Shop Integration — SPL
Once you're shipping orders yourself, SPL pulls every TikTok Shop order into Shopify with full customer details, syncs fulfillment and tracking back to TikTok automatically, and keeps inventory aligned, so self-fulfilled orders don't mean double data entry.
Watch: Fixing the asterisks and setting up shipping
Here's the full fix on screen, from Seller Center through to enabling Shipping by Seller. The written steps below cover each setting in more detail.
Why customer names show as asterisks
Masked customer details are intentional, not a fault. When TikTok Shop handles fulfillment through its own logistics partner, it treats the buyer's personal information as need-to-know: since the platform (not you) is picking, packing, and delivering, it hides names and address details behind asterisks to protect buyer privacy.
The moment you take fulfillment back into your own hands, that reasoning no longer applies, you need the address to post the parcel. That's why the fix is a shipping setting rather than a privacy toggle: switch to Shipping by Seller, and TikTok Shop releases the full customer details you need to ship.
Step 1: Open TikTok Shop Seller Center
Log in to your TikTok Shop Seller Center on desktop, then navigate to the Orders section.
Step 2: Choose your shipping option
Click Shipping Settings. TikTok Shop offers two fulfillment models, and the one you pick decides whether customer details are visible.
Shipping via Platform
Orders are fulfilled by TikTok Shop's chosen third-party shipping provider. You transfer products to their warehouse and they handle delivery. Customer information stays masked, this is where the asterisks come from.
Shipping by Seller
You handle shipping yourself, so TikTok Shop releases full customer details. This is the option that removes the asterisks, it requires a shipping template, which you'll set up next.
Step 3: Create or edit a shipping template
Shipping by Seller needs a shipping template, it tells TikTok Shop where you deliver and what you charge.
If you don't have one yet, click Add New Template.
If a template already exists, click Edit on the existing one instead.
Step 4: Set up the shipping template
Work through each section of the template. These settings decide who can buy from you and what they pay for delivery, so it's worth getting right the first time:
- Template Name, give the template a clear name so you can identify it later.
- Shipping Fee Template, specify the regions you don't ship to. Buyers in those areas won't be able to place an order.
- Delivery Areas, add or edit the regions you do ship to.
- Shipping Rules, set delivery costs based on product weight.
- Unassigned areas, any regions not allocated to a delivery area are listed here, so you can spot gaps before you submit.
Step 5: Submit and enable Shipping by Seller
Once your template is configured, click Submit, then switch on the Shipping by Seller option to activate self-fulfillment.
Customer info access after the switch
With Shipping by Seller enabled, complete customer information appears whenever a new order comes in, full name and delivery address, everything you need to pack and post the parcel yourself.
Shipping orders yourself now? SPL pulls TikTok Shop orders into Shopify with full customer details, then pushes fulfillment and tracking back automatically, so self-fulfillment doesn't mean copying addresses by hand. Free to install, plans from $9.99/month.
Install SPL free →Before you switch: worth knowing
✓ Any region you leave out of your delivery areas can't order from you, check for gaps before submitting
✓ Weight-based shipping rules only work if your products have accurate weights set
✓ Only new orders get full details; earlier masked orders stay masked
✓ Upload tracking promptly, late dispatch affects your seller performance metrics
Hidden customer details FAQs
Why are my TikTok Shop customer names showing as asterisks (****)?
Because TikTok Shop is handling fulfillment for those orders. When the platform ships through its own logistics partner, it masks buyer names and address details for privacy, you don't need them, since you're not posting the parcel. It's intentional behaviour, not a bug or a sync error. Switching to Shipping by Seller in Seller Center releases the full details on new orders.
Will my old orders show full customer details after I switch?
No. The change only applies to orders placed after you enable Shipping by Seller. Anything ordered before that keeps its masked details permanently. If you need to fulfill or resolve an older masked order, contact TikTok Shop support directly.
Is this caused by my Shopify app or integration?
No. The masking happens on TikTok Shop's side before the order data ever reaches Shopify, so no app can unmask it. If your synced orders show asterisks, the fix is the Seller Center shipping setting described above, once that's changed, new orders arrive complete in Shopify too.
Why can't I enable Shipping by Seller?
The most common reason is that no valid shipping template exists yet, or the existing one has gaps, unassigned regions or missing weight-based rules. Create or edit a template, make sure every area you want to sell to is covered by a delivery area, submit it, and the option should activate.
What's the difference between Shipping via Platform and Shipping by Seller?
With Shipping via Platform, TikTok Shop's third-party provider fulfills orders from their warehouse and customer details stay masked. With Shipping by Seller, you handle packing and delivery yourself, so you get full customer information, along with responsibility for tracking, delivery times, and shipping costs.
Can I switch back to platform shipping later?
Yes, the shipping option can be changed again in Seller Center. Bear in mind that switching back means TikTok Shop resumes fulfillment and customer details will be masked again on subsequent orders, so make sure any orders you're mid-way through shipping are completed first.
Do I have to set shipping rates by weight?
Weight-based rules are how the template calculates delivery cost, so your products need accurate weights for them to work correctly. If items are missing weights, shipping can calculate wrong or listings can be rejected, the same underlying issue behind the "item cannot have a weight of 0" error many sellers hit.
Keep going
More TikTok Shop setup guides.
Getting connected and getting your categories approved are the two things that make self-fulfillment run smoothly.
Start here
How to Connect Your Shopify Products with TikTok Shop Using SPL
Link your store and push your catalogue across so orders, with full customer details, flow into Shopify for fulfillment.
Read the connection guide →
Before you list
How to Sell Invite-Only Products on TikTok Shop
Some categories need approval before you can list them. Here's how to qualify through the Qualification Center.
Check category requirements →
