Supplier Management

Adding suppliers and mapping SKUs

Create a supplier record, attach contacts and ship-from addresses, and map your internal SKUs to the supplier's codes and UPCs.

Creating a supplier

Go to Admin → Suppliers → New. Enter the legal business name, a short display name (used in dropdowns and labels), default currency, and payment terms (Net 15, Net 30, etc.). The default lead time you enter here feeds the auto-PO engine—set it to the realistic door-to-door days you observe, not the supplier's marketing claim. You can override it per SKU later if some items ship faster than others.

Contacts and addresses

A supplier can have multiple contacts (sales, AP, ops) and multiple addresses (billing, ship-from, returns). Mark one contact as primary for portal access and PO emails—they're the human who gets the auto-generated PO PDFs. The ship-from address is what prints on outgoing dropship labels; the returns address is where damaged units come back. If the supplier ships from multiple warehouses, add each as a separate address and tag them with a label like "East" or "West"—you can route POs to the closest one.

The SKU mapping table

Every supplier needs a SKU map: your internal SKU ↔ the supplier's supplierSku ↔ the UPC/GTIN. This is how ShipWave translates between your catalog and the supplier's system on every PO, ASN, and feed update. Open the supplier and click SKU Mapping. For each row you can also store the unit cost, MOQ (minimum order quantity), case pack, and lead time override. Costs feed margin reports; MOQ enforces minimums on auto-POs.

Bulk CSV import

For more than a handful of SKUs, use Import CSV. The expected columns are internalSku, supplierSku, upc, unitCost, moq, casePack, leadTimeDays. Download the template from the import dialog to get the exact header row. The importer validates that every internalSku already exists in your catalog and reports any mismatches before committing—nothing is saved until you confirm. Re-uploading the same CSV updates existing rows rather than duplicating them, so it's safe to use as a sync workflow.

Primary supplier and priority

When the same SKU is offered by multiple suppliers, flag one as primary. The primary supplier is the default target for auto-POs and the fallback for dropship routing. You can also set a numeric priority (lower = preferred) so ShipWave can pick a secondary supplier automatically if the primary is out of stock or past its lead-time SLA. The priority is also respected by the feed-driven inventory blender—see supplier feeds.

FAQs

What if a supplier doesn't use UPCs?
Leave the UPC column blank. Mapping by internalSku + supplierSku is sufficient. UPC is only required when you're doing barcode-based receiving or matching against GS1 feeds.
Can the same internal SKU map to multiple supplier SKUs at the same supplier?
Yes—useful when a supplier offers the same product in different pack sizes. ShipWave will surface both and ask which one to use at PO time.
How do I deactivate a supplier without losing history?
Set their status to "archived." POs, receipts, and historical fulfillment records stay intact, but the supplier is hidden from new-PO dropdowns and auto-PO scoring.
Where do I see cost history?
Each SKU-mapping row tracks cost-change history. Click the cost field to see prior values and effective dates. This is what margin reports use for "true cost at time of sale."

More in Supplier Management

  • Supplier management overview

    When to use suppliers vs. warehouses, and how ShipWave models dropship, wholesale, and hybrid fulfillment.

  • Purchase orders: manual and auto-PO

    Create POs by hand or let the daily auto-PO engine draft them for you based on reorder points, lead times, and sales velocity.

  • Receiving purchase orders

    How to receive POs in part or in full, how received quantities flow into inventory, and how the receipt audit trail works.

  • The supplier portal and dropshipping

    Send suppliers a portal link, see what they see, and route dropship orders with three flexible ship options.

  • Supplier delivery formats

    Five ways to deliver orders to a supplier: portal login, CSV email digest, SFTP file drop, signed webhook, or pull API.

  • Supplier feeds and live inventory

    Pull live inventory from suppliers via SFTP, HTTPS, or API. Map fields with drag-and-drop. Drift detection blocks bad data from hitting marketplaces.

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