Getting Started

  1. Login with link sent in email saying that you have been approved as a vendor.
  2. You will be directed to the store setup wizard. Follow the steps.
    1. Note: If you don’t finish any part of the setup wizard, you can go back to it later.
  3. Make sure to add “Find Location” so customers can see that they are really shopping local. You can just use a city/town if you don’t have a physical shop. No need to enter your personal address or a physical street address.
  4. SEO setup: Add the basics. No need to get too carried away. You will see two social media links on this page as well. Feel free to add them if you have them. Many more social media options (such as instagram) are located in the next step.
  5. Social media. Add whatever social networks you do have. You need to add the full URL to the site, not just the handle or username.
  6. After finishing the setup wizard, you will be directed to the “Store Manager” page.
Store Manager page

Settings

  1. If you skipped any part of the setup wizard, or want to edit any information, do so here. Don’t worry if it doesn’t say 100% complete. It will only say this if every single field is completed.
  2. Location: Make sure the City/Town your business is located in is entered here. You don’t need to add a street address.
  3. Payment: Make sure your PayPal email address is entered here. 

SHIPPING

  1. NOTE: It is suggested that you fill out these settings before adding products. 
  2. Select an average processing time.
  3. Select a shipment charging method. We suggest using ‘by weight’. You can also decide if you want to offer free shipping over a certain order value, or leave it blank to always charge a fee.
    1. To charge a fee by weight, it is easy to create ‘rules’ that will roughly match your carrier or preferred shipment method.
    2. You can create many rules. For example “less than 4 ounces”, “more than 4 ounces” and “more than 10 ounces” will all work together.
    3. If you want a flat rate shipping cost, under the weight rule, select “more than” and enter 0 ounces. Then enter the shipping rate you wish to charge.
  4. When an order is placed, you will be able to decide to purchase and print a shipping label through the We Fund Local platform (using Shippo), or you can use any other platform you prefer. To purchase and print a shipping label within We Fund Local, follow the instructions to connect a Shippo account when clicking the appropriate ‘tag’ icon on the open order.

Adding products

  1. Make sure each product has a clear description. If it makes sense, add units of measure or describe the size of the product.
  2. Add a photo (or more than one).
    1. The larger image box you see when adding a product is going to be the product’s ‘profile’ photo. The smaller box below that, is where you can add ‘gallery’ photos to show more than one image.
    2. Make sure photos are good quality (clear and bright). Some suggestions include showing the product on a neutral backdrop, showing the product in action, and showing product packaging if applicable. 
    3. Product images will be square. There are many cropping and editing software options out there that can help you, one easy and free option is Canva.
  3. Price products appropriately. 
    1. A general rule of thumb is to calculate how much it costs to make a product, then multiply it by 4 to get the retail price. This will help ensure that you make a reasonable profit, even when 20% is taken off for any fundraiser order. 
  4. Descriptions: ‘Short description’ will be located next to the image. ‘Description’ will be located at the bottom of the page in smaller font.
  5. Note: If you view your product after creating it, to get back to the store manager page, you will need to hover over your account name in the top right of the window and click ‘store manager’. 

View your store

  1. After adding products, make sure to view your store and see how it looks from a customer’s perspective. 
  2. Make any desired changes by navigating back to your ‘store manager’ page.

More information

  1. On the top right of the store manager page, under the shopping cart, there are several buttons. A number will appear in the circle over the button indicating the number of new messages in these areas. You will want to check these often.
  2. (Left to right) First is the notification board button. Notifications about orders or really anything will be here.
  3. Next is the inquiry board. Customers can submit questions to you and they will show up here. You can submit your responses back to them using this button.
  4. Third is announcements. When We Fund Local shares announcements to all vendors, they will show up here. 
  5. Last is called “knowledge base”. This is where We Fund Local will keep reference documents, and answers to your frequently asked questions.
  6. Feel free to email us with any concerns or questions.