Updating Shopify inventory with vendor stock reports

Topic summary

Store owner seeks to automate syncing Shopify inventory with weekly vendor stock sheets (~2,000 SKUs) for ~600 carried products, including updating prices, flagging out-of-stock, and handling discontinued items.

Options proposed:

  • Off-the-shelf apps: Stock Sync and Syncio. Stock Sync can update pricing and remove discontinued products; offers a 14-day free trial.
  • Automation workflow: MESA template to pull vendor CSV files from an FTP server and update Shopify inventory; can be customized and suggested as a lighter alternative to a full custom app.
  • Custom app: Upload Excel, map fields to a database, compare with Shopify data, and review via UI for individual or bulk updates.

Cost/timeline insights:

  • One developer estimates a custom app at 3,000 CAD over ~1.5 months including testing. Another notes it “shouldn’t be expensive” without specifics.

Status/outcome:

  • Original poster plans to evaluate suggested apps and keep custom development in mind. No final decision or implementation yet.

Notes:

  • FTP (File Transfer Protocol) enables automated retrieval of vendor CSV files for inventory updates.
Summarized with AI on January 10. AI used: gpt-5.

No problem Carolk. Thank you

Sajal Timilsina Shopify Developer