Drop-Shipping FAQ
Q: Can I drop ship OEM or Private Label products?
No. Only Aftermarket catalog products are eligible for drop shipping. OEM and Private Label products do not have distributor part numbers and cannot be submitted to distributor APIs.
Q: Can I drop ship an item to a different address than the customer provided?
Yes. The shipping address in the Drop Ship dialog is pre-populated from the customer's order, but you can modify any field before submitting. The address you enter is what gets sent to the distributor.
Q: What happens if I submit a drop ship order and the distributor rejects it?
If the distributor's API returns an error, the purchase order will not be created. You will see an error message in the dialog. Common reasons for rejection include invalid credentials, invalid SKU, or payment issues with the distributor.
Q: Can I cancel a drop ship order after submitting it?
The system does not support cancelling purchase orders through the API. You will need to contact the distributor directly to cancel or modify the order.
Q: Why don't I see the Drop Ship option on an order item?
The item does not meet one or more eligibility requirements. Check that: the product is Aftermarket, the order is in "New" status, the product has a distributor part, the distributor credentials are configured, and no purchase order already exists for the item. See the Eligibility Requirements section above.
Q: How long does it take for tracking to appear?
This depends on the distributor. Once the distributor has shipped the order and their system reflects the tracking number, the background worker will pick it up on its next run. This typically happens within hours to a day after shipment.
Q: Will the customer receive a shipping notification?
Yes. Once the tracking code is retrieved from the distributor and applied to the webstore order, the system automatically sends a shipment notification email to the customer.
Q: Can I drop ship the same item twice?
No. Each order item can only have one purchase order. If you need to reorder, you would need to manage that directly with the distributor.
Q: What if a distributor doesn't ship within 6 weeks?
The system stops checking for tracking updates after 6 weeks. You will need to contact the distributor directly for unresolved orders.
Q: Do I need credentials for all four distributors?
No. You only need to configure the distributors you want to use. If you only work with Parts Unlimited and WPS, for example, you only need to enter credentials for those two.
Q: What does "Test Mode" do?
When Test Mode is enabled for a distributor, orders are sent to the distributor's sandbox/test environment instead of production. This lets you verify your setup without placing real orders. WPS does not offer a test mode.
Q: Is there a limit to how many orders I can drop ship?
There is no system-imposed limit. However, distributor APIs may have their own rate limits. The system handles rate limiting gracefully and will retry on the next worker cycle.