Set up Shopify and CommentSold inventory sync through My Ship Manager (MSM) to keep inventory connected while maintaining separate fulfillment workflows.
This guide explains how to create your MSM account, connect Shopify and CommentSold, select your sync plan and default Shopify location, and prepare for the initial sync. It also covers sync limitations and sales tax reporting considerations.
Use the table of contents below to navigate to specific sections of this article:
- Pause Fulfillment Tasks in Both CommentSold and Shopify
- Create Your My Ship Manager Account and Install Shopify App
- Select Your Plan and Approve Subscription
- Connect My Ship Manager to CS
- What’s Next
- Limitations
- Important Note On Sales Tax Reporting
- FAQs
Step 1: Pause Fulfillment Tasks in Both CommentSold and Shopify
Your first step in setting up your My Ship Manager integration is to pause all fulfillment operations and tasks for new orders in both Shopify and CommentSold. If you have any orders you have started to fulfill in Shopify, complete the fulfillment of those orders.
This ensures that, once you’ve set up your My Ship Manager integration, any new, unprocessed Shopify orders sync to CommentSold where you can fulfill them.
Step 2: Create Your My Ship Manager Account and Install Shopify App
Your next step will be to create your My Ship Manager account and connect it to your Shopify website. To create your My Shop Manager account, head to the My Ship Manager website (https://myshipmanager.com/).
- Select Sign In/Register in the top-right corner of the page.
- Locate and select the Register New Account link below the login fields.
- You will be redirected to the My Ship Manager app page in the Shopify app store. Select Install.
- On the App Permissions Page, select Install in the bottom-right corner of the page.
- You'll be redirected back to a registration form on the My Ship Manager website. Complete the requested fields.
- Your MSM password must be longer than 8 characters and contain an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number, and special character.
- Select Save at the bottom of the page.
Step 3: Select Your Plan and Approve Subscription
- Log into My Shop Manager using the login credentials you just created.
- On the Update My Subscription page, select Select to the left of Shopify Plan with Inventory Sync Only.
- Select OK in the pop-up to confirm your subscription.
- You'll be redirected to the Approve subscription page in Shopify, where you will approve the recurring monthly charge. Select Approve.
- Please note that you must be logged into Shopify with an account that has permission to approve recurring charges, otherwise you will not be able to complete this step.
Step 4: Connect My Ship Manager to CS
Your next step will be to connect My Ship Manager to your CommentSold store.
- Select Press to Connect to CommentSold.
- You’ll be taken to an authorization page for MSM (My Ship Manager) within CommentSold. Select Authorize.
- You will be redirected back to your My Ship Manager account.
- Select your default Shopify location from the Select Default Location drop-down.
- Select Save Default Location.
After you set your default location, your sync will begin. We recommend allowing 24 hours for the initial sync to fully complete. Large amounts of inventory may not sync over until the overnight sync occurs.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve successfully connected both Shopify and CommentSold to My Ship Manager, your inventory items will begin to sync.
You can exit out of My Ship Manager or navigate away from the page while this sync is in process.
Limitations
- Locations. My Ship Manager integration only supports syncing to a single Shopify location for fulfillment. Frequent changes to your Shopify location settings are not recommended. If a location change is necessary (e.g., moving warehouses), you must cancel your My Ship Manager (MSM) account and resubscribe to reconnect your Shopify account to CommentSold.
- Product Variants. For Products to sync properly, CommentSold requires variants to be set up as Color and/or Size. CommentSold does not support products with more than two variants.
🚨 An Important Note On Sales Tax Reporting
Previously, CS orders synced back to Shopify where you may have handled sales tax reporting using Shopify (or a third party). Now that you are using My Ship Manager and orders do not sync back to Shopify, it's important to make sure you are set up to report sales taxes accurately going forward.
You can certainly use reporting from CommentSold and Shopify and combine the data manually, but we want to make sure you are aware of the option to use Avalara.
Avalara is a robust tax solution that allows you to streamline this process and maintain tax compliance. As a CommentSold customer, we are pleased to offer you a complete integration to Avalara.
You can easily connect Avalara by following these steps:
- Hover over the side menu of your CommentSold dashboard, and select Setup.
- Select Taxes from the options listed at the top of the page.
- In the Avalara section, enter your login credentials for your Avalara account and select Save.
- Don't have an Avalara account? We walk through the process of creating your Avalara account in more detail here.
CommentSold provides you with free access to Avalara’s sales tax calculation services, ensuring accuracy and compliance as you continue to grow your business on both CommentSold and Shopify. It is recommended that you also sync your Shopify account to Avalara for sales tax reporting.
After setting up your AvaTax account, you may opt to purchase the Managed Returns service from Avalara, for a more hands-off reporting and filing experience as well.
FAQs
What does Shopify Inventory Sync with My Ship Manager do?
MSM Inventory Sync connects your Shopify store with CommentSold so you can maintain your existing fulfillment workflows. You can fulfill CommentSold orders in CommentSold and Shopify orders in Shopify, or use ShipStation for fulfillment.
What should I do before setting up Shopify Inventory Sync?
Pause fulfillment tasks for new orders in both Shopify and CommentSold. If you've already started fulfilling Shopify orders, complete those orders before continuing with setup.
This helps ensure that new, unprocessed Shopify orders can sync to CommentSold after the integration is connected.
Which My Ship Manager plan should I select for Inventory Sync?
When prompted to select your subscription, choose Shopify Plan with Inventory Sync Only.
Select OK to confirm, then approve the recurring monthly charge on the Shopify subscription approval page. You must be logged in to Shopify with an account that has permission to approve recurring charges.
How long does the initial inventory sync take?
Allow up to 24 hours for the initial sync to complete. Large amounts of inventory may not sync until the overnight sync occurs.
You can leave the My Ship Manager page or navigate away while the sync is running.
Can I add new products to Shopify while the initial sync is running?
No. Do not add new products in Shopify while the initial sync is in progress.
Can My Ship Manager sync multiple Shopify fulfillment locations?
No. MSM supports syncing to a single Shopify fulfillment location. Frequent changes to your Shopify location settings are not recommended.
If you need to change locations, such as when moving warehouses, you must cancel your MSM account and resubscribe to reconnect Shopify to CommentSold.
Which product variants does CommentSold support?
CommentSold supports product variants set up as Color and/or Size. Products with more than two variant options are not supported.
Do CommentSold orders sync back to Shopify with this setup?
With this MSM setup, CommentSold orders do not sync back to Shopify. You can fulfill CommentSold orders in CommentSold and Shopify orders in Shopify, or use ShipStation for fulfillment.
How should I handle sales tax reporting when using MSM Inventory Sync?
Because CommentSold orders do not sync back to Shopify with this setup, review how you will report sales tax across your sales channels.
You can combine reporting from CommentSold and Shopify manually. You can also use the Avalara integration to help manage sales tax calculations and reporting.