Q: What is an integration alias?
A: An integration alias is what links Flexport and a marketplace or listing tool. It’s a connection between a specific product ID (product listing) and a DSKU (Flexport-specific SKU assigned to your products) that communicates inventory updates and allows orders to automatically import into the Flexport Portal. When an integration is first connected to Flexport or when a new listing is created in a marketplace, Flexport will attempt to automatically connect the integration alias to a DSKU by matching the SKU values from the marketplace to the SKU values associated with the DSKU.
If your product is missing from your Flexport inventory, please see these troubleshooting steps, “Why Can’t I Find My Product in Flexport?”
Q: Where can I view my integration aliases?
A: You can see that a DSKU (product) is connected with your integration (marketplace/listing tool) by checking the status of the integration alias. Navigate to ‘Inventory’ in the left sidebar menu of your Flexport Portal account and click on a product name. This will take you to the Product Detail page.
Notes:
- Integrations that are disconnected or have an error in the integration will not be displayed in this section.
- Integrations that display as grayed out are connected to your Flexport Portal account, but there is not an active alias connected to the marketplace for the product selected. This means Flexport is not actively sending updates to the marketplace for the product.
- The number next to the marketplace name is the number of SKUs connected to an integration. This typically means there are variants of a product or multiple listings for the same product.
- The SKU in the IDENTIFIERS & BARCODES section reflects the original SKU that was synced at the time of your first product import. This is editable and does not need to match the SKU in the connected marketplaces as it does not affect communication with the marketplace and has no impact on order routing/inventory management.
To see which product is connected to an integration, click on the marketplace name. A popup will provide more detail, including the product ID(s) and the SKU(s) from the integration (marketplace) it’s connected to.
Q: Are DSKUs required to have an alias for every integration?
A: It’s not required for a DSKU (product) to be connected to every integration. For example, you may wish to use Flexport to fulfill a product via Shopify but not for eBay. If a DSKU is not connected to a specific marketplace, Flexport will not fulfill orders for that product on that marketplace.
Q: How many aliases can a DSKU have for a single integration?
A: Usually a DSKU will only have one alias for a given integration. This is because one physical product in Flexport is usually connected to just one listing in a marketplace.
However, you may wish to have multiple product listings connected to the same physical item in Flexport. This applies if you have multiple listings for the same item in the same marketplace or you have variants of a product on your listing. In either case, you would want to create multiple aliases. For more information on how to add an alias, please see Manually Link or Unlink DSKUs to Listings on Your Integrations.
Notes: You can generally add up to 99 aliases to each integration with some exceptions.
- Walmart will only allow one alias to be connected.
- If you intend to apply Fast Tags to an eBay or Wish product, you can only connect one alias in order for Fast Tags to function properly.
- For all listing tools, up to 99 aliases can be connected, but may interfere with Fast Tags.
Q: How do I add or remove an integration alias?
A: Creating or removing aliases is not necessary for most situations, since these are automatically created whenever you connect a new integration to Flexport.
However, if the catalog import is not successful (the new catalog did not 100% match your existing Flexport catalog), then adding aliases manually may be necessary. For more information please see Checking & Fixing SKU Mismatches.
If you have a unique catalog situation (i.e., multiple listings are fulfilled by the same physical product or Flexport should fulfill some listings but not others), then manually adding or removing aliases may be necessary. For more information please see Manually Link or Unlink DSKUs to Listings on Your Integrations.
Note: When Flexport imports your catalog, a DSKU will be assigned to every unique SKU. If you are using multiple SKUs for the same product, perhaps for different marketplaces, you will need to unlink the product from the DSKU that you do not intend to use and link it to the DSKU with inventory in Flexport.
To add an integration alias:
Step 1: Go to the Product Detail page
In your Flexport Portal account, click ‘Inventory’ in the left sidebar menu and select a product name.
Step 2: Select the integration alias
Click on the name of the marketplace representing the integration alias.
Step 3: Search and add the SKU or product name
In the “Search and add products” field in the popup, search the SKU or product name as it appears in the marketplace’s inventory. Click the product from the dropdown menu and confirm your selection is identical to the SKU associated with the marketplace listing. Finally, click ‘Done’ to connect the integration alias to the DSKU in Flexport.
To remove an integration alias:
Step 1: Go to the Product Detail page
In your Flexport Portal account, click ‘Inventory’ in the left sidebar menu and select a product name.
Step 2: Select the integration alias
Click on the name of the marketplace representing the integration alias.
Step 3: Search and add the SKU or product name
In popup, click the ‘X’ to remove the SKU and confirm your action by clicking ‘Done.’
Q: What happens when an integration alias is disconnected?
A: Disconnecting a SKU sets the product's inventory to 0 available units from Flexport in the marketplace that the SKU is disconnected from. If the integration allows for multiple fulfillment centers for the same SKU, then this will only set Flexport's inventory to 0 in that integration; otherwise, the item will go out of stock. Likewise, Flexport will no longer be able to ingest orders for this particular SKU.
When you disconnect an integration alias, it will create a new DSKU, which can be referred to as a placeholder DSKU which will appear as a duplicate product name in your Flexport Portal. You can identify a placeholder DSKU by the name, as the marketplace name will be added to the beginning of the product name in all capital letters.
NOTE: If you disconnect the integration alias of a placeholder DSKU, another will be created. It is not recommended to disconnect from a placeholder DSKU, as it will clutter your Inventory page in your Flexport Portal account. If you wish to reconnect the integration alias for the product, link the alias to a "normal" DSKU, and this will automatically remove the alias from the placeholder DSKU.
Q: Why do I see multiple SKUs when I search for a SKU to connect to the integration alias?
A: You might see multiple SKUs populate when you search for a SKU in the “Search and add products” field. This is normal, especially if you accidentally made duplicate listings or the marketplace allows for variants (e.g., Shopify). Check the product/variant ID to make sure it matches the listing that you are trying to connect. You will only see these unique IDs for Shopify (which can have variants), eBay, and WooCommerce.
Q: Why don’t I see my product in Flexport?
A: If you don't see the product in your Flexport inventory at all, this means it did not import properly. Click ‘Sync Catalog’ on the Inventory page to try and import it. This could take a few minutes or several hours depending on the size of the catalog. If the catalog sync did not resolve the issue, you may need to manually add the product to your inventory. For more information, please see How Do I Import Products or Manually Create a Product?