Sell products from other Shopify stores — no inventory, no commission. Setup guide for retailers & suppliers.
March 28, 2026·9 min read·
Listen to a short brief of this article
Hands-free while you multitask
Full article podcast:
Key Insights in 60 Seconds
Skim the highlights first, then dive into sections that match your business model.
Shopify Collective is free — no subscription fee, no commission. Available on every Shopify plan with Shopify Payments active.
Two roles: retailer & supplier — retailers import and sell products; suppliers share inventory and fulfill orders. One store can be both.
Retailers earn 20–40% margins — suppliers set wholesale prices via price lists; retailers set their own retail markup with zero inventory cost.
Available in 30+ countries — US, Canada, UK, EU, Japan, Singapore, and more. Both parties must share the same country and currency.
No digital products or gift cards — Collective supports physical goods only. Incompatible with Managed Markets and POS pickup.
Better than traditional dropshipping — faster shipping, branded packaging, real Shopify partners, and automatic inventory sync.
What You'll Learn
1What Shopify Collective is and who it's for
2Step-by-step setup for retailers and suppliers
3How Collective compares to dropshipping
4Key features: price lists, discovery, auto-sync
5Eligibility requirements and supported countries
6Realistic margin expectations and revenue model
7Known limitations and incompatible apps
8When Collective makes sense for your business
In This Article
The Short Answer
Shopify Collective is Shopify's native merchant-to-merchant sales channel. A supplier creates wholesale price lists for their products. A retailer discovers those products, imports them to their store, and sets their own retail price. When a customer buys, the retailer collects the full price, the order goes to the supplier automatically, and the supplier ships directly to the customer.
“Shopify Collective lets you connect with other Shopify stores and sell each other's products in Shopify.”
Retailers — import and sell products from other Shopify stores, with no inventory to buy or warehouse.
Suppliers — share products via price lists, get orders automatically, and ship directly to end customers.
The entire system is free to use — no subscription, no commission, no revenue share. Your only costs are your existing Shopify plan and standard Shopify Payments processing fees. Unlike B2B features that require Shopify Plus ($2,300+/mo), Collective works on every active Shopify plan — from Basic ($39/mo) to Plus.
A single Shopify store can be both a retailer and a supplier simultaneously. Install the Collective app (for retailing) and the Collective: Supplier sales channel (for supplying) side by side.
Who Is Shopify Collective For?
You're a Retailer if…
You're a Supplier if…
You want more products without buying inventory
You manufacture or stock your own products
You have traffic/audience but limited catalog
You want distribution through other stores
You want to test new niches with zero risk
You want more sales without marketing spend
You run a boutique, gift shop, or curated store
You're a DTC brand open to wholesale partnerships
How Shopify Collective Works
For Retailers
As a retailer, you use the Shopify Collective app to discover products from other merchants and add them to your store.
1
Install the app
Install 'Shopify Collective' from the Shopify App Store. Complete ID verification if prompted.
2
Find suppliers
Browse the Discovery page to find suppliers in your niche. Send connection requests or import from public price lists instantly.
3
Import products
Select products from a supplier's price list. They appear in your store as draft products — edit titles, descriptions, and images as needed.
4
Set your markup
Products import at the supplier's wholesale price. Set your retail price to earn the margin (typically 20–40%).
5
Customer places order
When a customer buys, you collect the full retail price via Shopify Payments. Shopify automatically forwards the order to the supplier.
6
Supplier fulfills
The supplier ships directly to your customer. Tracking info syncs back to your store automatically.
For Suppliers
As a supplier, you use the Shopify Collective: Supplier sales channel to share your products with retailers who sell on your behalf.
“You can sell your products through other retailers on Shopify by using the Shopify Collective: Supplier sales channel. Shopify Collective can help you reduce operational costs and risk, and drive more sales without investing more into your own marketing.”
Install 'Shopify Collective: Supplier' sales channel from the App Store. Complete ID verification.
2
Create price lists
Build wholesale price lists for your products — set margins, choose which products to share, and decide visibility (public or invite-only).
3
Connect with retailers
Use Discovery to find retailers or invite them directly. Approve connection requests from interested stores.
4
Retailer sells your products
Connected retailers import your products and sell them at their own retail prices. You keep your wholesale price per unit.
5
Fulfill orders
When a retailer's customer buys, you receive the order automatically. Ship directly to the end customer.
6
Get paid
Shopify transfers your wholesale price share automatically. No manual invoicing — payments flow through Shopify Payments.
How Shopify Collective Helps Build a Store Without InventoryLearn With Shopify walks through using Shopify Collective to source products from US-based suppliers and build a store with zero upfront inventory investment.
Shopify Collective vs Traditional Dropshipping
Factor
Shopify Collective
Traditional Dropshipping
Supplier type
Verified Shopify merchants
AliExpress, overseas factories
Shipping speed
Domestic (2–7 days)
International (15–30+ days)
Cost to use
Free (no commission)
Free tools, but often hidden costs
Inventory sync
Automatic, real-time
Often manual or delayed
Payment handling
Automated via Shopify Payments
Manual (pay supplier separately)
Quality control
Verified partner ecosystem
Variable, hard to verify
Branding
Supplier ships with their packaging
Generic or unbranded packaging
Country requirement
Same country & currency
Any country
Platform lock-in
Shopify-to-Shopify only
Works with any platform
Key Features
Discovery Marketplace
Browse and connect with Shopify merchants in your niche. Filter by category, country, and product type.
Both parties are verified Shopify merchants. ID verification, community guidelines, and eligibility checks protect the ecosystem.
Price Lists Explained
Suppliers create price lists — curated selections of products with wholesale pricing. Price lists can be:
Public — any retailer on the Discovery page can instantly import products.
Private (invite-only) — only retailers who receive a direct invitation can access the price list.
Retailers see the wholesale price (what they pay the supplier) and set their own retail price. The difference is their margin — fully controlled by the retailer.
Order & Payment Flow
When a customer buys a Collective product from a retailer's store:
The retailer collects the full retail price via Shopify Payments.
Shopify automatically creates an order on the supplier's store.
The supplier fulfills and ships directly to the customer.
Tracking information syncs back to the retailer's store.
Shopify transfers the supplier's wholesale share automatically.
Shopify Collective is free to use with all Shopify plans, subject to store eligibility. There is no minimum store sales requirement.Verified SourceShopify CollectiveShopify · 2026View source
Supported Countries
As of March 2026, Shopify Collective is available in the following countries and regions:
Supported Countries (30+)
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Netherlands
Italy
Spain
Japan
Singapore
Hong Kong
Mexico
New Zealand
Sweden
Denmark
Norway
Full list of 37 supported countries also includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Note: Australia is not a supported country, though AUD is a supported currency for stores based in other regions.
Margins & Revenue Model
The Collective revenue model is simple: the retailer's profit = retail price − supplier's wholesale price. There is no Shopify commission or platform fee on Collective transactions beyond standard Shopify Payments processing fees.
Suppliers don't pay extra fees either. They gain additional sales volume through retailers' audiences without spending on marketing, ads, or customer acquisition. The only cost is fulfillment — which they'd handle for their own orders anyway.
Retailers and suppliers must be in the same country and use the same store currency to connect. If you need suppliers from different countries, consider traditional wholesale import or Shopify's B2B features on Plus.
The Bottom Line
Shopify Collective sits in a unique spot: it's not traditional dropshipping, and it's not B2B wholesale. It's a free, lightweight, domestic partnership tool that any Shopify merchant can use.
The lowest-risk way to diversify revenue. Zero inventory investment for retailers, zero marketing costs for suppliers. No commission — you keep your margins.
Yes. There is no subscription fee, commission, or revenue share for using Shopify Collective. Both the retailer app and supplier sales channel are free to install and use on any active Shopify plan. Your only costs are your existing Shopify plan and standard Shopify Payments processing fees.
Shopify Collective works with all active Shopify plans — Basic ($39/mo), Grow ($105/mo), Advanced ($399/mo), and Plus ($2,300+/mo). The only plans that do NOT work are the Starter plan and the Pause and Build plan.
Yes. A single Shopify store can act as both a retailer (importing products from other stores) and a supplier (sharing products for others to sell). You install both the Collective app (retailer) and the Collective: Supplier sales channel.
Unlike traditional dropshipping with AliExpress or overseas suppliers, Collective connects you with verified Shopify merchants in your own country. This means faster shipping (domestic, not 15–30 days), real brand partnerships, automatic inventory sync, and Shopify handles the payment splits automatically.
Shopify Collective is available in 30+ countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, most EU countries, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, and more. Both the retailer and supplier must be in the same country and use the same store currency.
Yes. Shopify Payments must be activated and fully set up on your store. This is a mandatory requirement for both retailers and suppliers. Your payout currency must also match your store's currency.
No. Shopify Collective supports physical products only. Digital products, gift cards, subscriptions, and combined listings are not supported through the Collective channel.
The supplier handles all fulfillment. When a customer purchases a Collective product from a retailer's store, the order is automatically forwarded to the supplier, who ships directly to the customer. Tracking information syncs back to the retailer's store.
The retailer collects the full retail price from the customer via Shopify Payments. Shopify then automatically transfers the supplier's wholesale price share. There is no manual invoicing — the entire payment flow is handled by Shopify.
Partially. Collective products can be added to your POS channel for purchase, and customers can place orders in-person. However, products are shipped to the customer's address by the supplier — pickup in store is not supported for Collective products.
Retailer margins depend entirely on the supplier's wholesale price vs your retail markup. Typical margins range from 20% to 40%. Some high-margin niches like accessories or beauty products can yield even higher returns.
Yes. Shopify Collective is fully compatible with Shopify Flow for both retailers and suppliers. You can automate workflows like tagging Collective orders, sending notifications, or updating inventory thresholds.
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Writes in-depth, data-driven e-commerce guides based on hands-on experience with real merchant stores.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
