Selling used items - ask for an offer

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A user is exploring Shopify for a B2B shop selling new and used industrial equipment (heavy machines weighing 300-500 kg) and seeks guidance on several specialized requirements:

Key Requirements:

  • Dual purchasing options: Standard shopping cart for new/small items with inventory limits, plus a “Get an Offer” button for large used machines requiring custom handling and one-time sales
  • Email order integration: 60% of orders arrive via email from public research institutions and need system integration
  • Invoice payment terms: Net 30 payment after delivery with support for specialized formats (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, PDF/A) required by public institutions
  • Service management system: Portal where customers request service quotes, backend data entry for service orders, and technician-only access to view/sort assigned jobs by date and location

Current Status:
The user is uncertain whether Shopify can accommodate these B2B and service-oriented needs. One app provider (Sufio) responded offering invoicing solutions supporting German e-invoicing standards (ZUGFeRD, PDF/A). The user also inquired about finding European/German-speaking Shopify specialists and appears to have initiated contact with a recommended expert.

Summarized with AI on November 2. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hello everybody,

I’d like to create a new shop with shopify and would like to ask some questions. Maybe someone can answer or tell me how to get help from a specialist or a good book for B2B sales about shopify (thank you in advance).

1.) I’m selling new and used items. New items are available in any number, used only in the specified number. As some my used items are quite big machines (about 300-500 kg heavy) that need special handling, I need to get in contact with the customer in case of a sale. So I would like to have a shopping cart button for NEW items or SMALL USED items with only a specified number of possibles sales and a GET AN OFFER button for BIG USED items (machines) that can only be sold once.

2.) As 60% of my orders come via E-Mail from by administrations of public research institutions, I would like to know how I can integrate these orders in the system.

3.) As my customers are mostly public research institutions, I would like to get payment via invoice 30 days after delivery. Is it possible to get this integrated in the shop? Some of them would like to get an invoice with a special format (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, PDF/A, …).

4.) I have several technicians doing repairs and preventive service on the sold machines minimum once a year. Can I integrate the service orders of my customers in the system like this: a customer can ask for a service offer for his instrument via the webite, I type in the data of the service in the backend (customer address, instrumen, type of service, …) and my technicians log into the website and see only the service they have to do and not the other orders. Best would be if they could sort the service infos by date, zip code, …

Any answer would be helpful, as I don’t know if it is reasonable to try all this with shopify …

Thank you all in advance!

Kind regards

Mr. R Berry

2

Dear Amber001,

thank you very much for your promt reply.

Do you know how to find a good Shopify specialist near to my place? Is there a list of recommended experts for European countries?

Kind regards

Mr. R Berry

3

Dear Amber001,

thank you for your help.

To get more information about your service, please let me ask you:

  • Are you located in Europe?

  • Do you speak German? That would make communication easier …

Thank you in advance!

Kind regards

Mr. R Berry

4

Dear Amber001,

I sent an email.

Kind regards

Mr. R Berry

5

Hello @MrRBerry ,

If you’re looking to handle invoicing for your Shopify store while ensuring compliance with German e-invoicing regulations, we recommend using Sufio. We’ve developed this app to simplify the invoicing process and support document formats such as ZUGFeRD and PDF/A, which may be commonly required by public institutions in Germany.

For more information on how Sufio integrates with Shopify and supports German e-invoicing standards, check out our ZUGFeRD e-invoices for Shopify stores in Germany article.

We hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.