Sell online
Choose which products appear on your connected online stores with one Sell online switch, separate from Active, so raw materials never get published.
What it is
Each product has two separate switches:
- Active is internal. Active products can be used in production (as bill of materials components), purchasing, stock and sales.
- Sell online decides the stores. A product is published on your connected online stores only when it is Active and Sell online is on.
When either one is off, the product's store listing is kept as a hidden draft, never deleted. A product that has never been sold online never gets a store listing at all. This means you can keep raw materials, packaging and internal items active for your own work without them appearing in your shop.
Who it is for
- Online sellers with a WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce or other connected store
- Manufacturers whose raw materials and intermediates must stay off the shop
- Shops that want to hide a product online for a while without losing its listing
Before you start#
- Connect a store (see online store integrations). The Sell online switch only matters once a store is connected.
- Changing products needs the Edit right on products.
Step by step#
- Open Inventory › Products and open the product, or choose New.
- Make sure Active is on.
- Switch Sell online on, and save. The product is published on your connected stores.
- To publish or hide many at once, tick them in the list and choose Sell online or Stop selling online in the bulk bar.
- Use the chip Active · not sold online on the products list to check which items are kept internal.
Starting values#
- Raw materials, intermediates and packaging start with Sell online off. Ticking Raw material on a new product switches it off unless you chose it yourself.
- Sellable products start with Sell online on when a store is connected.
- Variants have their own Sell online switch on the variant sheet.
Active and Sell online together#
- Sell online cannot be switched on for an inactive product: activate it first.
- An inactive product that keeps Sell online on is published again automatically when it is activated.
- Stop selling online leaves products active in your business; they are only taken off the stores.
When the store disagrees#
The store never changes Active or Sell online. If someone shows or hides a product in the store's own admin, the products page shows Visibility changed on the store with two choices:
- Re-sync: the store gets your app's choice again.
- Follow the store: Sell online is set to match the store. Active never changes.
A product deleted on the store stays active here. Its store link is removed and Sell online is switched off.
Store connections and what is proven#
WooCommerce is proven live. Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, OpenCart, PrestaShop, Squarespace, Wix Stores, ePages, Ecwid, Lightspeed eCom, Shopware and Volusion are proven against the provider's sandbox. See store sync health for what was sent and what failed.
Limits and what is not there yet#
- The publish rule (Active and Sell online) is applied first on WooCommerce. Shopify and BigCommerce follow the same rule where the platform allows.
- A product deleted on the store is not re-created automatically; switch Sell online on again to publish it.
Questions#
Why is my active product not in the shop?
Its Sell online switch is off. Look for it under the chip Active · not sold online, then switch Sell online on.
Will hiding a product delete its listing?
No. Its store listing becomes a hidden draft and comes back when you switch Sell online on again.
Someone changed visibility in the store admin. Which wins?
Your app's choice stands until you decide. Choose Re-sync to push your choice again, or Follow the store to take the store's.
Can the assistant publish products?
Through the assistant or an AI app, a person with the Edit right on products can publish or unpublish in bulk. The same Active and Sell online rule applies.