Vendor Help Center

To make sure we're on the right foot with setting up your store, please take note of these first few important items.

1.) Whitelist Our Emails

We recommend you whitelist matt@knifeshift.com so that you can be confident you're receiving all updates regarding your account, orders, and other important notifications/communications. 

2.) List a Product to be Searchable

You need to create and publish a product before your store will be published on the Market. New stores without a listed product will not show on the Shop by Restaurant or Shop by City pages of the Market.

3.) Payout Processing

As explained in the Payouts & Commissions tab, Knife Shift requires that vendors provide their W-9 form or equivalent taxpayer information prior to receiving any payouts. Vendors will be contacted via email after registering as a seller to complete this step.

Get in touch via Calendly:

https://calendly.com/knifeshift/30min

Here’s a quick overview of the main menu options you’ll see in your Knife Shift Merch Market Vendor Portal:

1. Dashboard

   • The central hub for your store. You’ll see quick stats on recent orders, sales totals, and announcements, giving you an at-a-glance view of how your business is doing.

2. Orders

   • Review all orders that include your products. You’ll see order details, customer info, and statuses (like “paid” or “fulfilled”). This is where you’ll go to monitor the order process.

3. Payouts

   • View your earnings and disbursement history here. You can see which orders are included in each payout, track payout schedules, and confirm amounts before they’re transferred to you.

4. Products

   • List new items, edit existing ones, manage inventory levels, and set pricing details. This section is key for keeping your storefront fresh and updated.

5. Fulfillments

   • This area helps you mark orders as shipped, enter tracking details, and confirm delivery. If you partially ship orders or split shipments, you’ll manage those details here.

6. Profile

   • Update your store information, contact details, branding elements (like your logo), and email preferences. You can also manage password settings and any other personal account info.

To make sure your customers have the best shopping experience and can always find what they’re looking for, we wanted to share some tips on effectively managing your inventory.

1.) Stay on Top of Your Stock

We know running a restaurant keeps you busy, but keeping your merch inventory updated is key to happy customers. Whether you’re selling your gear in-store, on your website, or through other retailers, it’s important to keep your Knife Shift listings accurate. This helps prevent situations where fans fall in love with a product only to find it’s out of stock.

2.) Set a Regular Check-In Schedule

Try to carve out a little time each week—maybe every Friday or a few days in between—to review and update your stock levels. The right frequency depends on how fast your items sell, how many places you’re selling through, and the type of merch you offer. Regular updates help avoid overselling and ensure your fans always see what’s available.

3.) Managing Stock Visibility

On Knife Shift, when you set a product’s availability to zero, it automatically shows up as out of stock. This simple feature helps set clear expectations for your customers and keeps your store running smoothly without any hiccups.

4.) Smooth Order Processing

When someone places an order, we securely collect their information and let you know right away. You’ll get an email and a text message about the new order and will need to confirm the product’s availability within one business day. Once you confirm, we handle the payment, and you’ll receive all the details you need to fulfill and ship the order within two to three business days. It’s all about making the process as seamless as possible for you and your fans.

5.) Easy Ways to Manage Your Inventory

We’ve made inventory management straightforward with three handy options in your Vendor Portal under the "Products" tab:

• • Automated Tracking for Exclusive Knife Shift Sales

    If Knife Shift is your only sales channel, you can simplify things by entering the available quantity when you create a product and selecting "Track Quantity." Our system will take care of the rest, automatically updating stock levels as fans make purchases.

  • Editing Individual Products

    Sometimes you might need to tweak stock levels for specific items. Just select the product from your list and adjust its availability or variants. It’s a quick way to keep everything accurate without much fuss.

  • Bulk Editing for Big Updates

    If you have a lot of products to update at once, our bulk editing feature can be helpful. Export your product list as a CSV file, make your changes in a spreadsheet, and then import the updated file back into Knife Shift. You’ll find this option at the top of the Products tab in your Vendor Portal.
    
    

Knife Shift Merch Market Allows for Three Sets of Discounts

We currently only permit three varieties of discounts:

1. Newsletter Coupon: A one-time 10% order discount issued when customers sign-up to receive newsletter emails and updates regarding our platform and vendors.
2. Customer Rewards: Additional 10% order discount codes obtained by redeeming customer reward points earned via activities such as making purchases, engaging on social media, submitting UGC, etc.
3. Industry Perks: Ongoing 10% order discounts for customers who demonstrate that they work in the culinary industry. (see: Industry Rewards)

These discounts apply to the retail price of items before Knife Shift's 10% sales commission is taken, and do not apply to shipping rates. In effect, this means that Knife Shift and Vendors share the "cost" of rewarding Fans of Food and Restaurant Pros to encourage them to be repeat customers.

At this time, Knife Shift does not run sales or provide promotional discounts other than those noted above.

It's our priority to make sure vendors feel fairly treated and know what to expect from merchandise sales. By only permitting limited discounts in the consistent amount of 10%, our policy allows vendors to assess margins and establish pricing that they know will be appropriate and worthwhile for listing products on our platform.

Our policy also reassures our customers, and your fans, that they will receive the best prices for the food merch they are interested in. There won't be a time when they should wait to buy because they will always get the best deal when they participate in our rewards program.

If you have any questions regarding the three types of promotions and how they operate, or you want help with setting prices, please contact us at vendors@knifeshift.com and we will be happy to assist you.

1.) What Types of Products Are Allowed on Knife Shift’s Merch Market?

We welcome a variety of merchandise that celebrates the culinary arts and aligns with Knife Shift’s mission.

Approved categories include:

• Apparel: T-shirts, hoodies, aprons, hats, and other clothing items.
• Home and Kitchen Decor: Posters, prints, and unique kitchen-themed items.
• Artwork: Original or licensed art inspired by culinary themes.
• Collectibles and Memorabilia: Items that commemorate culinary brands, restaurants, or chefs.
• Accessories and Gifts: Tote bags, pins, notebooks, and other creative, food-inspired goods.
  
  

2.) Are There Restrictions on What I Can Sell?

Yes, to ensure a smooth and secure experience for both vendors and customers, certain items are not permitted at this time.

These include:

• Food Products: While we obviously love edible goods, we currently do not allow food items such as sauces, jams, or baked goods to be sold on our platform.
• Restricted Items: Alcohol, tobacco, weapons, and other items that are subject to specific legal or safety requirements.
• Unauthorized or Infringing Goods: Counterfeit items, unlicensed replicas, or anything that violates intellectual property laws.
• Unsafe Items: Products that pose health or safety risks, or that do not meet general product safety standards.
  
  

3.) Why Can’t I Sell Food Products Right Now?

At this time, Knife Shift is focusing on merchandise categories that have simpler regulatory structures for both vendors and marketplaces, and so will be more universally accessible.

Food products require additional considerations including packaging, labeling, and shipping requirements, which are beyond the scope of what we currently support.

As we grow, we plan to explore the possibility of incorporating select food items through a pilot program with trusted vendors.

4.) Who Is Responsible for Product Compliance?

As a vendor, you are responsible for ensuring that your products comply with applicable laws and standards.

This includes: providing accurate descriptions, adhering to intellectual property laws, and ensuring product safety.

5.) What Happens if I List a Prohibited Item?

If an item is found to violate our policies, it will be removed from the marketplace.

Vendors who repeatedly violate these guidelines may face account suspension or removal from Knife Shift.

6.) Can I Request an Exception for My Product?

If you have a unique item that you believe aligns with our mission, please reach out to our team for review.

While exceptions are rare, we are open to discussing innovative ideas that fit within our vision.

If you’re unsure whether your product is eligible or have other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at vendors@knifeshift.com.

1.) Accessing the Fulfillment Dashboard 

The Fulfillment Dashboard is your central hub for managing and updating orders. To access it:

• Log into your Vendor Portal.
• Click the Fulfillments tab in the navigation menu.

Here, you’ll see a list of orders with their current statuses (e.g., Unfulfilled, Fulfilled, etc.) and details like order number, items, and customer information. Use filters to narrow results by date or fulfillment status.

2.) Fulfilling an Order 

When a customer purchases an item of merch from your storefront on the Knife Shift Merch Market, you'll receive email notifications and reminders to fulfill the order.

To fulfill an individual order:

• Locate the order you wish to fulfill in the dashboard.
• Select the checkbox next to the order or item you’re fulfilling.
• Click Fulfill Selected Items at the top of the page.
• In the pop-up, input the following details:
• Tracking Number: Enter the shipment tracking number provided by your carrier.
• Carrier: Select the shipping company (e.g., UPS, USPS, FedEx) from the dropdown.
• Send Notifications: Tick the box to notify the customer.
• Once complete, click Fulfill Items.

The order’s status will change to Fulfilled, and your customer will receive tracking details via email.

3.) Updating Fulfillment Events 

To update an order’s progress after fulfillment:

• Click the three dots (...) next to the fulfilled order in the dashboard.
• Select Update Events.
• From the dropdown, choose the event that corresponds to the current status of the order, such as:
• Ready for Pickup (if applicable)
• Picked Up (if applicable)
• Preparing
• Shipped
• Delivered
• Cancelled
• Click Update to save changes.

4.) Viewing Fulfillment Details 

To review an order’s shipping details:

• Click the three dots (...) next to the order and select View Details.
• Here, you’ll see the customer’s shipping address and fulfillment details, including:
• Tracking Number
• Carrier
• Shipment Status
• Tracking Link (if available)

This section is particularly helpful for resolving customer inquiries about delivery.

5.) Who is Responsible for Handling Shipment? 

As a vendor, you are responsible for the logistics of picking, packing, and shipping products that you sell through Knife Shift Merch Market. Alternatively, you may provide an option for customers to pick up their orders in person if you prefer.

The Vendor Portal enables you to:

• Specify Shipping Rates: Define shipping prices based on order weight. For example:
• An order weighing 150 grams (e.g., one t-shirt) may be charged $5 for a weight range of 0-200 grams.
• An order weighing 750 grams (e.g., two t-shirts and one hoodie) may be charged $10 for a weight range of 500-1000 grams.
• Print Discounted Shipping Labels: Purchase and print discounted labels directly through the Fulfillment panel in the Vendor Portal. These labels are sourced via Knife Shift’s integration with Shippo, offering you cost savings and convenience.

To ensure a seamless experience for your customers, be sure to include:

• Clear shipping policies in your product descriptions or store profile.
• Details about order processing times, delivery expectations, or any special instructions customers should know.

6.) Bulk Fulfillment 

If you have multiple orders to fulfill at once, use the bulk fulfillment feature:

• Click Import at the top of the Fulfillment Dashboard.
• Upload a CSV file containing order numbers, tracking numbers, and carrier details. Ensure your file follows the correct format as outlined in our CSV Bulk Fulfillment Guide.
• Once uploaded, the system will process the file and update the fulfillment status of each order in the CSV.

Use this feature to save time when handling large volumes of orders.

If you encounter any issues while fulfilling orders, contact us at vendors@knifeshift.com. Provide details about the order and any error messages you’ve received and our support team will assist you promptly.