Getting started with SyncTec: the complete beginner's guide
New to SyncTec? Start here. This guide explains what the app does, the two kinds of stores, and exactly which guide to read next.
If you just installed SyncTec and you are not sure where to begin, this is the right place to start. In five minutes you will understand what the app does and exactly what to do next.
What SyncTec does, in one sentence
SyncTec connects two Shopify stores so that products, stock levels, prices, orders, shipping, and returns stay in sync between them automatically, without spreadsheets or manual copying.
The classic setup looks like this: one business owns the products and the warehouse, and other businesses sell those products in their own stores. SyncTec keeps everyone pointed at the same catalog and the same stock, and quietly moves orders to whoever actually ships them.
The two kinds of stores
Every store using SyncTec is one of two types. This is the single most important idea in the whole app, so it is worth 30 seconds. In the app and on your profile you will see your type shown simply as Source or Destination:
- Source store (the supplier). This store owns the master catalog and the real inventory. It shares products with destination stores, receives their orders, and ships them. There is exactly one source store per team.
- Destination store (the reseller). This store syncs products from the source store and sells them to its own customers. When it makes a sale, the order can be sent to the source store to fulfill. A source store can have many destination stores.
Throughout our guides we say source store (the supplier) and destination store (the reseller) so it is always clear which one we mean.
How the two stores connect: teams and your Team ID
A team is the connection between a source store and its destination stores. The source store creates the team and gets a Team ID, a short code that looks like SP-TEAM-XXXXXX. Destination stores enter that Team ID to request to join, and the source store approves them. Once approved, syncing begins.
What syncs automatically
Once a source and destination store are connected, SyncTec keeps these in step on its own:
- Products — the destination store syncs items from the source store's catalog into its own store
- Inventory — when the source store's stock changes, every destination store's stock updates to match
- Prices and cost — kept aligned, and automatically converted if your stores use different currencies
- Collections — destination stores can import the source store's collections
- Orders — a sale on a destination store can be pushed to the source store to ship (this feature is called Order Push)
- Shipping and tracking — once the source store ships, the tracking number flows back to the destination store's order
- Returns, refunds, and cancellations — handled on one store and mirrored to the other
One rule to remember: the source store is the source of truth
Because the source store owns the real products and stock, SyncTec always treats its numbers as correct. If a destination store manually changes a synced stock level or a locked field, SyncTec gently sets it back to match the source store. You can choose exactly which fields are protected, which we cover in the Sync Lock guide.
The magic word: SKU
SyncTec matches the same product across stores using its SKU, the unique code on each product variant. If two stores use the same SKU for an item, SyncTec knows they are the same product. If a product has no SKU, or two different products share one SKU, syncing cannot work correctly. Keeping SKUs clean and unique is the number-one thing that makes everything else run smoothly.
Which guide should I read next?
If you are the source store (you own the products and warehouse), read Supplier quickstart: set up your source store. You will create your team, get your Team ID, and approve your destination stores.
If you are a destination store (you want to sell someone else's products), read Reseller quickstart: join a source store and go live. You will join with a Team ID and sync your first products.
After that, everyone should skim How orders work and Understanding plans and billing.
Getting help
- Email: support@synctec.io
- Contact us: use the Contact Us link in your dashboard
Welcome aboard. Let's get your stores talking to each other.