Proposed System for Managing Sack Limits and Bookings for My Recycling Service

[Recycaball]

Hi everyone,

I’m in the process of setting up a recycling service where customers will order free shipping sacks from my Shopify store to recycle items. Once they receive their sacks, they will book a free courier service to send the filled sacks back to me. While the business is already running, the Shopify store and booking system are not yet live. I’m seeking guidance on implementing a system to manage sack order limits and courier booking allowances, with the ability to reset these limits once sacks are received.

Proposed Setup:

1. Customer Data Synchronization

   • I am using Make.com to sync customer data between Shopify and offline systems. This setup works well for updating new and existing customer information.

2. Shipping Sacks

   • Customers will order free shipping sacks, but each customer will have a set limit.
   • For example, some customers may be allowed 2 sacks, while others may be allowed 4 sacks.
   • These limits should be manageable via a metafield in the customer account (editable by me but not visible to customers).

3. Courier Bookings

   • Customers should be able to book 1 collection per sack ordered.
   • For example, if a customer orders 4 sacks, they should be allowed 4 bookings for courier collections.
   • Booking privileges will stop once the total number of bookings matches the sack limit.

4. Reset Process

   • When I receive sacks back through the mail, I will log the data into a spreadsheet.
   • Using Make.com, I propose automating a reset in Shopify to:
     • Reduce the total sacks ordered.
     • Adjust the booking count.
     • Re-enable sack orders and bookings within the allowed limit.

Challenges:

1. Sack Limits

   • Customers might order sacks on different days, e.g., 1 sack on Monday and 3 sacks on Wednesday. The system must track totals accurately (e.g., 4 sacks total) and prevent further orders once the limit is reached.

2. Booking Limits

   • Customers can only make bookings equal to the number of sacks ordered.
   • The system must stop bookings once the total number of bookings is used.

3. Shopify Flow Limitations

   • I’ve tested Shopify Flow, but it doesn’t seem capable of managing these requirements. Shopify support has advised reaching out to the community for help.

4. Booking App Integration

   • I haven’t chosen a courier booking app yet, but I’m open to suggestions. Ideally, the app should integrate with Shopify using tags or metafields to manage booking limits.

What I Need Help With:

1. Sack Limits

   • A system to track and enforce sack limits per customer, using metafields or tags.
   • These limits should be editable by me but not visible to customers.

2. Booking Management

   • A system to track and enforce booking limits based on the number of sacks ordered.

3. Automated Reset

   • When a sack is received:
     • Decrease the sack total in Shopify.
     • Adjust the booking count.
     • Allow customers to place new orders and bookings within their limits.

4. Customer Notifications

   • The system should notify customers or display a message when they reach their sack or booking limit.

Key Focus:

Right now, my top priority is getting the system for managing sack and booking limits set up correctly. Once this is in place, I’ll move on to integrating a booking system and automating resets via Make.com.

Any advice, app recommendations, or suggestions for custom solutions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help.