Run multiple stores and route every drop

What this does

Route several stores while preserving each target's independent result. The Web extra-store checkout stops at 25 total stores. Mac does not enforce the same ceiling: its checkout has no 25-store check, the license server can store an entitlement up to 100, and the saved payload can admit 25 additional stores plus the synthetic default, for 26 effective stores. Treat the Mac cap as contradictory until the backend is corrected.

Before you begin

• Complete first-run setup with one supported Shopify or Etsy route. Add other eligible Shopify or Etsy storefronts from Storefronts.
• The first store is included. Direct Web prices later stores at $10 per month for positions 2 and 3, $6 for 4 through 6, $3 for 7 through 10, and $2 from 11 onward. Direct Mac prices those positions at $75, $45, $25, and $15 once. Earlier stores keep the rate assigned to their position. The Web extra-store checkout stops at 25 total stores. Mac does not enforce the same ceiling: its checkout has no 25-store check, the license server can store an entitlement up to 100, and the saved payload can admit 25 additional stores plus the synthetic default, for 26 effective stores. Treat the Mac cap as contradictory until the backend is corrected. The Shopify-installed billing code reads an environment-configurable recurring amount with a $39 default, so source alone proves neither public listing availability nor the deployed amount.

Steps

1. 01

   Review your stores

   When the Stores list loads, it is the authoritative snapshot. If the manager or Add store action is missing, do not infer a one-store account and do not route work. Reload once; if it remains missing, contact support.

2. 02

   Review voice and lines for each store

   A store record can hold voice fields and up to 50 product lines, but trainer scope is uneven. Upload Writing, Website, and Store Identity save to root or default scope; Image Trainer sends the selected store ID. Reload the store and verify the saved bucket instead of assuming every trainer action changed it.

3. 03

   Copy settings to a new store (optional)

   Copy settings clones voice, product lines, and the default line, not credentials. If the source uses empty root voice fields, the copy path does not clear voice values already present at the destination.

4. 04

   Bind each store's print provider

   Save the intended Gelato Store ID or Printify Shop ID on each store. Execution uses that saved ID and does not borrow another store's ID, but ArtDrop does not prove its external storefront identity. Verify the pairing in the provider before a live drop.

5. 05

   Pick the store you are working in

   Use the control labeled Active store, then verify the Drop Zone store and line before upload.

6. 06

   Route by store and line

   Route with the Drop Zone, per-image JSON, or singular store and line columns in CSV or XLSX. Unknown names fail only when real multi-store or product-line configuration exists; effectively single-store setups warn and use the default.

7. 07

   Route one drop to several stores

   ArtDrop attempts one plural routing stamp for immediate target IDs and a separate timed artwork and JSON copy for each delayed target. A stamp failure can leave immediate work on default routing; a copy failure can omit that target and add an upload error. An explicit unknown target can fail the fan-out before target runs begin. After resolution, processing failures are isolated from eligible siblings.

8. 08

   Give each store its own product lineup

   Store and line filters use case-insensitive exact saved template names for legacy Gelato, Printful, and Printify. Zero recognized matches run all templates; an empty store-line intersection uses the store filter. Gelato V2 is not filtered.

9. 09

   Choose each store's release time

   Set a checked store to Now or one of the delayed release choices. Hosted Web's server sweeper moves due targets into processing without an active login or open dashboard and persists worker admission for retry. On Mac, keep the app running.

Expected result

Drop Zone shows aggregate selected and scheduled-later counts. Live Log shows processing output after release, not a complete durable status history. Published is route-specific, not universal proof of a live listing. Printify uses an accepted publish request without storefront readback, and legacy routes can prove less. Verify the storefront unless the route guide names stronger readback. Printful remains provider-only. Verify every named result in the service that owns it.

Good to know

• The first store is included. Direct Web prices later stores at $10 per month for positions 2 and 3, $6 for 4 through 6, $3 for 7 through 10, and $2 from 11 onward. Direct Mac prices those positions at $75, $45, $25, and $15 once. Earlier stores keep the rate assigned to their position. The Web extra-store checkout stops at 25 total stores. Mac does not enforce the same ceiling: its checkout has no 25-store check, the license server can store an entitlement up to 100, and the saved payload can admit 25 additional stores plus the synthetic default, for 26 effective stores. Treat the Mac cap as contradictory until the backend is corrected.
• Provider API credentials are account scoped. Each additional store saves a Gelato Store ID or Printify Shop ID for dispatch, but a typed ID alone does not prove the external storefront identity.
• Copy settings clones voice, product lines, and the default line only. Empty root source voice fields do not clear existing destination voice values.
• Hosted Web advances due per-store releases without an active login or open dashboard. On Mac, the app must remain running. A Mac purchase does not include Hosted Web.
• Additional stores do not inherit another store's Gelato or Printify destination ID. A missing ID disables that provider for the store.
• Printful is supported through the Native or Manual Order/API provider-product route. Additional Shopify and Etsy targets do not borrow a Printful storefront sync.
• A JSON stores list can set per-image fan-out. CSV and XLSX accept only the singular store column.
• Saved release offsets are applied when the upload is admitted, with a separate timed copy for every delayed target.
• A selected value or closed modal is not a whole-store receipt. If the default-line save fails after product lines or template filters saved, reload the store before retrying.
• A selected field, applied voice rule, empty card, or closed dialog is not a receipt.
• Each store keeps its own storefront connection, exact Gelato Store ID or Printify Shop ID, voice, product lines, and templates. Account-level POD API keys are shared across all stores. Printful uses one exact Native or Manual Order/API provider store, remains provider-only, and is not inherited by another storefront.
• When each admitted artwork is released, ArtDrop applies the row, sidecar, or line and starts the configured route. The result may be a storefront listing, a draft, or a provider-only product, depending on the destination. Accepted, processing, scheduled, published, and failed are distinct states.
• Creates products at Gelato, Printful, and Printify. Supported Gelato and Printify routes may publish Shopify or Etsy records; Printful stops at the verified provider product.
• In Storefront, choose Shopify and enter the exact myshopify.com domain. Connect each store with its own merchant-owned credentials, use Test connection, and grant only the permissions ArtDrop shows during setup. ArtDrop creates product and listing data only. It does not access orders, customers, payments, shipping, or fulfillment. It does not relay orders or provide checkout.
• Enter the account-level Gelato API key and exact per-store Gelato Store ID. For Shopify only, use Add Gelato Product and choose sizes and prices from the live catalog. For an Etsy physical route, use an existing Studio template from the exact Etsy-connected legacy store. A typed additional-store Gelato ID alone does not prove activation. Product UID and Template ID are legacy fields for existing Studio templates only.
• Enter the Printful token, fetch an API-compatible Native or Manual Order/API store, use Add Printful Product, select variants, placement, and price, then save. The route creates and verifies a Printful provider product only.
• Enter the account-level Printify API key, fetch the exact shop, use Add Printify Product, select the print provider, variants, and prices, then save. The server proves that the token owns the exact shop and accepts its server-read sales_channel only when it is shopify or etsy. It does not compare that channel with the ArtDrop storefront target, so verify the selected shop and resulting storefront before a batch.
• In Copy, choose optional generation or seller-written copy. The engine supports ai, blank, filename, and template modes, plus same_as_title for SEO title and alt text and same_as_description for SEO description. Literal UTF-8 CSV or JSON values override modes; JSON wins conflicts and CSV fills blanks. A personal key can be tested where the UI offers Test. Do not rely on undocumented mode controls.
• Each store supports up to 50 product lines.
• A retry-safe fan-out target can receive one bounded automatic retry. ArtDrop does not blindly replay an external create with an unknown outcome. Retry Sync remains limited to its named pending storefront poll.

Troubleshooting

• Unknown route failed? Correct the store or line in a real multi-store setup. With no additional store or line configured, an unmatched value is ignored with a warning and default routing continues.
• A store card shows Needs Attention: run Test connection to see what is missing, resolve it, and route work only once the card is healthy.
• Copied settings do not include credentials. Nonempty voice fields, product lines, and the default line can be copied, but empty root voice does not clear the destination. Reload, connect the storefront, and verify the provider ID.
• One target still failed after its bounded retry while siblings succeeded? Inspect that target's Live Log, provider binding, and storefront. If the external create is ambiguous, do not resubmit until you reconcile it.

How to undo or clean up

Removing a store removes it from future ArtDrop selections and deletes its saved connection and routing record. Already admitted or in-flight work can still need reconciliation. External listings, credentials, and billing remain in their owning services.