Requirements and considerations for using the Shopify Collective app
Before you start using the Shopify Collective app, review the following requirements and considerations. You should also refer to Understanding the Collective Community Guidelines.
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Requirements for using the Shopify Collective app
To connect with suppliers and sell their products through the Shopify Collective app, your store must meet the following requirements:
- Active Shopify plan: Your store must be on an active plan.
- Store location and store currency: Your business must be based in a supported country and must use a supported currency. Your store's currency doesn't need to be the domestic currency of your store's country. For example, you can have a store based in the United Kingdom, but with the store's currency set to USD. To connect with a supplier, your store needs to be in the same country as the supplier's store, and using the same currency as the supplier's store.
- Activation of Shopify Payments: You need to complete the Shopify Payments account setup process for your store, and your Shopify Payments account must have active payouts. Learn more about Shopify Payments payout timing and eligibility for Shopify Payments.
- Shopify Payments payout currency: The currency of your payout account for Shopify Payments must match your store's currency.
- Collecting taxes and verified tax registration: Businesses that are based in the United Kingdom (UK) or in a European Union (EU) country need to use either Shopify Tax, Basic Tax, or a third-party tax app to be eligible for Shopify Collective. You can't use Shopify Collective with the Manual Tax setup. Businesses in the UK and the EU also need to confirm their tax registration status by verifying or adding a VAT number and billing address. This applies only to businesses that are required to register for VAT collection in their home country.
- Compliance with Shopify policies and store requirements: You need to review and accept Collective's Terms of Service, and also comply with Shopify's Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. Your store also needs to meet Collective's requirements for trust, safety, and fraud. You might need to complete ID verification to meet these criteria.
- Network Intelligence: Your store must have Shopify Network Intelligence activated.
You need to meet all the requirements to be able to use all the features of Shopify Collective. If your store doesn't meet all the requirements, then a banner displays in your app saying Verify requirements to connect with suppliers and start selling. Click Check requirements to view a list of the requirements to sell from Collective, and which ones you need to fulfill to become eligible. Banners also display in other parts of the app saying that certain features are unavailable, and that you can take certain actions only after meeting the eligibility requirements.
Supported countries and currencies for using the Shopify Collective app
To use the Shopify Collective app, your store must be located in one of the following supported countries and regions.
| Australia | Austria | Belgium |
| Bulgaria | Canada | Croatia |
| Cyprus | Czechia | Denmark |
| Estonia | Finland | Germany |
| Gibraltar | Greece | Hong Kong |
| Hungary | Ireland | Italy |
| Japan | Latvia | Liechtenstein |
| Lithuania | Luxembourg | Malta |
| Mexico | Netherlands | New Zealand |
| Norway | Poland | Portugal |
| Romania | Singapore | Slovenia |
| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland |
| United Kingdom | United States |
To use the Shopify Collective app, you must have one of the following supported currencies set as your store's default currency.
| Australian Dollar (AUD) | British Pound Sterling (GBP) | Canadian Dollar (CAD) |
| Czech Koruna (CZK) | Danish Krone (DKK) | Euro (EUR) |
| Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) | Hungarian Forint (HUF) | Japanese Yen (JPY) |
| Mexican Peso (MXN) | New Zealand Dollar (NZD) | Norwegian Krone (NOK) |
| Polish Złoty (PLN) | Romanian Leu (RON) | Singapore Dollar (SGD) |
| Swedish Krona (SEK) | Swiss Franc (CHF) | United States Dollar (USD) |
Submit your identity verification
To be eligible to use Shopify Collective, you might need to submit an ID verification document and complete a selfie check. If you've already submitted your ID document and completed a selfie check elsewhere in your Shopify admin, such as when setting up Shopify Payments or upgrading to a Plus plan, then you don't need to complete ID verification in the Collective app.
Steps:
Desktop
From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Collective.
Click Settings.
Click the ID verification link.
Click Start, and then click Agree and continue.
Submit your ID verification using one of the following methods:
- To submit your ID verification on a mobile device, scan the QR code with your mobile device, or click Other options and then use the Email link or Text link options.
- To submit your ID verification with a webcam on a laptop or desktop computer, click Other options, and then click Continue on this device.
Follow the steps to submit your identity verification document and complete a selfie check.
When the Verification submitted message displays in your Collective app, click Done.
Click Done.
Mobile
- From the Shopify app, tap the
icon. - In the Apps section, tap Show all apps, and then tap Collective.
- Tap the Collective drop-down menu, and then tap Settings.
- Tap the ID verification link.
- Tap Start, and then tap Agree and continue.
- Follow the steps to submit your identity verification document and complete a selfie check.
- When the Verification submitted message displays, tap Done.
- Tap Done.
Eligibility states in the Shopify Collective app
If you install the Shopify Collective app for the first time, and a message displays saying that you're ineligible to use Shopify Collective, then you can't connect with other merchants or begin to sell any products until your store meets the eligibility requirements.
If you're an existing retailer with Shopify Collective, and your store becomes ineligible through a recurring eligibility check, then you can't sell any of your imported products with Shopify Collective until your store meets the eligibility requirements again. You can review any existing orders or payments with the relevant supplier.
If your store is ineligible, you can complete only the following tasks in the Shopify Collective app:
- Overview page - Discover and search for suppliers and products
- Discovery page - Browse and view suppliers and products
- Policies page - Add suppliers to a custom policy (if your store has existing supplier connections)
- Suppliers page - View any existing connections
- Product details page - If you're ineligible for Shopify Collective only due to the Activation of Shopify Payments store requirement, then you can instantly import products from individual product details pages. The products remain in Draft status and with inventory set to 0 until you complete Shopify Payments setup for your store.
- Existing supplier connection page - View a supplier's contact details
Ineligible suppliers
You might find that a supplier you're working with becomes ineligible to use Shopify Collective. The supplier is informed about the steps that they need to take to become eligible again. Review the following list of what happens during this time:
- You receive an email notifying you that one of your suppliers is currently ineligible to use Shopify Collective.
- You can't sell any products that you previously imported from the supplier.
- You should review any pending orders or payments with the relevant supplier.
- If and when the supplier becomes eligible to use Shopify Collective again, then you receive another email, and you can continue selling the supplier's products.
Considerations for using the Shopify Collective app
Before you start using the Shopify Collective app, review the following considerations:
- You can't use the Pause and Build plan with the Shopify Collective app.
- The Shopify Collective app doesn't support digital products or gift card products.
- For shipping labels with international orders, any relevant duties, taxes, and tariffs aren't passed from retailers to suppliers with Shopify Collective.
Incompatible apps and features with the Shopify Collective app
The Shopify Collective app can't be used with the following features and apps:
- Managed Markets.
- Shopify POS in-person. You can add Shopify Collective products to your POS channel for purchase and your customers can place an order in-person on your POS system. However, Shopify Collective products are shipped only to a customer's address by your supplier.
- Pickup in store.
- Metafields.
Compatible apps and features with the Shopify Collective app
The Shopify Collective app is compatible with most apps and features including the following examples:
- Product bundles for the products that you import from a supplier.
- Subscriptions and combined listings. This applies only for retailers.
- Shopify Flow.