Dropship
Dropship lets a supplier you already buy from ship an online order directly to the customer. You sell the product on your online store without holding it; Shopify routes the order to the supplier’s location; a staff member releases it; the supplier ships it and the customer gets Shopify’s normal shipping email with tracking.
It works with suppliers whose program ShopTech can order from electronically and who ship to consumers. Today that is QBP (Retail Fulfillment Services) and J&B Importers. Each supplier charges its own per-box fee, billed to your account the same way as any other order.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”- You list products. Tick Dropship on a product, in Shopify or in ShopTech. ShopTech tells Shopify how many the supplier has, at a location named after the supplier, so the product is in stock online even when your shelf is empty.
- A customer pays. Shopify’s order routing picks a location for each line. If your store has it, your store ships it. If only the supplier has it, the order goes to the supplier’s location. You can also rank the supplier first so it ships whenever it has stock.
- ShopTech checks it. The order appears in Sales → Web Orders → Dropship and on the order in Shopify admin, with anything that needs a look: unpaid, high risk, an address the supplier can’t deliver to, not enough stock in one warehouse, an expedited shipping rate, missing contact details.
- Someone releases it. A staff member presses Send to supplier. ShopTech creates a purchase order with the customer’s address and sends it to the supplier. Nothing leaves the building without this step unless you turn on automatic release.
- The supplier ships. When the supplier’s shipment shows up, ShopTech fulfills the order in Shopify with the tracking number, and Shopify emails the customer.
Every hand-off is on the request’s timeline and on the Shopify order.
Where things live
Section titled “Where things live”| In Shopify admin | In ShopTech |
|---|---|
| Turning suppliers on and off, the setup checklist, the release mode (Apps → ShopTech → Dropship) | The queue and the day’s work (Sales → Web Orders → Dropship) |
| Order routing (Settings → Shipping and delivery) | Supplier connections and the supplier’s dropship program (Purchasing → Suppliers) |
| The Dropship card and switch on a product page; List for dropship on a selection in the products list | The Dropship switch on a product’s detail page |
| The Dropship card and Send to supplier on an order page | Releasing, holding, cancelling, adding tracking |
Who can do what
Section titled “Who can do what”Anyone who can see purchasing can see the queue. Sending an order to a supplier, cancelling it, or moving it back to the store needs the Purchasing or Admin role, because it sends a customer’s address to a supplier and commits the shop to the cost. See Staff and roles.