Global Product
What it is: A merchant-created “master” product that multiple vendors can opt into. Each vendor sets their own price and quantity at the variant level. The merchant controls publishing and approvals from a single place.
When to use it: Use this when multiple vendors sell the same SKU, and you need centralized oversight while allowing flexibility for vendor-specific pricing, promotions, or offers. It ensures streamlined product management, consistent catalog control, and differentiated vendor strategies without compromising operational efficiency.
Who can use this
- Merchant: Create, manage, and approve Global Products; publish/unpublish; view vendor offers per variant or per product.
- Vendor: View available Global Products and opt-in by submitting price & quantity per variant for approval.
- Platform: Shopify marketplaces using Shipturtle’s admin & vendor dashboards (Products + Approvals live in the dashboard).
Before you begin
- Vendor permissions allow product participation/edits (price and quantity only) as required.
- (Optional) Create product categories to keep listings organized.
How it works (at a glance)
- Merchant creates a product as Global Product.
- Vendors see it in Manage Global Products and opt in by entering price & quantity per variant.
- Submissions move through statuses: new → pending approval → approved (per vendor, per product).
- Merchant reviews & approves vendor opt-ins; approved offers become available for sale.
- Payouts/commissions for orders follow Shipturtle’s standard payout rules.
Merchant setup & management
Open the Global Product pane
Go to Global Product in the left nav. You’ll see three tabs:
- Manage (default) — your list of global products with controls
- Add — create a new global product
- Approve — approve vendor opt-ins (same approval flow as standard products)
Manage tab (table)
- Columns: Image, Product Title, Category, Product Status (Draft/Active), Quantity across vendors (sum), Actions.
- Filter by: Title, Category, Status.
- Sort by: Category, Status.
- Vendor-wise view: Click View Vendors to open a modal grouped by variant showing Vendor, Quantity, and Price. From here you can remove a vendor offering per variant or at the product level.
Add tab (create a Global Product)
- Click Add Global Product.
- Enter Title, Description, Category, images, and variants.
- Save as Draft or Publish (publishing is enabled once at least one vendor/merchant offer has price & quantity).
Approve tab (vendor opt-ins)
- Review vendor submissions with statuses new/pending/approved and Approve / Request changes / Reject.
- The UI mirrors the standard Product Approval Process, keeping governance consistent.
Tip: Use categories and the Quantity across vendors column to identify where you need more coverage or to balance inventory.
Vendor setup & management
Manage Global Products (vendor)
Vendors have a single Manage tab showing all approved Global Products they can opt into.
- Columns: Image, Title, Category, Status (approved / pending / new), Quantity, Actions.
- Clicking Actions opens a modal to submit Price & Quantity per variant with validations for required fields and numeric ranges.
Vendors access this under Global Products in the vendor dashboard.
Approved Global Product (vendor)
All global products that have been approved by the merchant for the vendor will appear under the ‘Approved Global Products’ tab within the Global Products section.
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Use it day-to-day
- Track offers and capacity: The merchant Manage table aggregates quantity across vendors; drill into vendor-wise pop-ups to compare price/qty per variant.
- Keep approvals flowing: Treat Global Product opt-ins like standard product approvals; same controls and audit trail.
- Payouts: Once orders reach Payables, Shipturtle generates commission invoices automatically, just like regular products.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a normal product and a Global Product?
A Global Product is created by the merchant once and then multiple vendors can opt in by proposing price/qty at the variant level. Approvals and payouts follow the same rules as normal products.
Can the merchant also sell the Global Product?
Yes. If the merchant adds price/qty for the product, their offer is created; otherwise the product stays Draft until at least one vendor is approved.
How are orders for Global Products processed?
“Buy Now” is disabled for these listings; Shipturtle creates a draft order and then redirects to the Shopify checkout page. (Add-to-cart flows that rely on third-party cart merges aren’t supported.)
How are commissions calculated?
Global Products use Shipturtle’s standard commission & payout process—approved orders flow into Payables and generate commission invoices automatically.
What happens if a vendor opts out or is removed?
The offer is removed from the merchant store and vendor dashboard; notifications are sent. Vendors can re-opt later unless the merchant restricts participation.
Troubleshooting
Vendor submitted but status is still “pending.”
Approvals for Global Product opt-ins use the same approval flow as standard products—check the Approve tab and action the request.
Quantity totals look off.
The Manage table shows sum of all vendors’ inventory (by product). Use View Vendors to inspect per-variant numbers and spot discrepancies.
Can’t find vendor controls.
Verify vendor permissions and the vendor dashboard access.
Related articles
- Navigating the Products page (approvals & controls)
- Product Approval Process (governance & field approvals)
- Introduction to Payouts / Payout Automation (commissions → invoices → payouts)
- Vendor view of your marketplace (vendor modules overview)
Need help?
If you’re stuck, reach us at team@shipturtle.com or open a ticket on the support page.