Unable to restrict Fulfilment requests correctly based on Shipping Profiles and Restrictions

[GarethFrostVA]

I've recently taken over some App Development and have been required to investigate restrictions based on shipping destinations.

The app itself acts as a way of obtaining and managing orders for fulfilment, to be then passed on for completion, and handle things like Despatch Notifications with tracking numbers etc.

The issue I've found comes to the Locations and Products, and I'm unsure if this means the app is setup as an incorrect type.

Currently if a Product has its 'Inventory Managed by' the new provider listed from the App, then Fulfilment requests can be made without issue, and orders come through as part of the webhooks correctly.  But this means that if a shipping profile has been set up that is designed to restrict the fulfilment to a particular area, such as only the UK for example, orders cannot be placed at all for any territory outside of the UK.

If the inventory managed by is kept as Shopify, then orders can be placed following all the standard shipping rules and restrictions, but then no orders can have a Fulfilment Request sent via the App, even if the Location provided by the App is a part of the Shipping Rules for that territory, as all the orders are then associated strictly with the Locations in the Store, and no third party location.

The objective scenario is to have 2 'Shipping From' to handle such a situation as UK and EU, then US orders.  Where the UK and EU will potentially use either a Store location, or the App Location as fulfilment, then other orders will use the separate Store location.  Do I need the App to be a 'Fulfilment Service App', and do items need to have their Inventory Managed by the App and not Shopify for this?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated

[HunkyBill]

That is typically how I deal with that. I make the App a Fulfillment Service, and then it is a location. And if you also tick off that the App is responsible for inventory, Shopify will make queries for stock levels per SKU, once an hour, and that takes care of that location. All other inventory and locations are then the responsibility of Shopify and so orders flow as you need them to. Ones fulfilled by the service, and ones just regular.