Merch

Selling and Shipping Merchandise with BrewKeeper

BrewKeeper can import merchandise orders from Shopify and include them in the Dispatch Centre without tracking the merchandise as BrewKeeper inventory.

Typical merchandise includes shirts, glasses, hats, stickers, and similar non-beer products.

Merchandise Sizes

BrewKeeper and CarrierBot recognize two merchandise shipping sizes:

Size	SKU Fragment	Description
MS	MS	Small merchandise
ML	ML	Large merchandise

Small merchandise may be packed into the same box as beer when the available space and CarrierBot configuration allow it.

Large merchandise is treated as a separate shipping item and is not bundled into a beer box.

Capability	Small Merch (MS)	Large Merch (ML)
Can ship free with beer	✓	✗
Ships standalone	✓	✓
Eligible for subsidies/discounts	✗	✗

Will Merchandise Appear in the Dispatch Centre?

A merchandise order will automatically appear after it has been imported through the existing Shopify integration, provided that:

• The order has a shipping address.
• The order has a shipping code that is configured to a Carrier in BrewKeeper.

A Shipping Date determines where the order appears in the Dispatch Centre. Orders without a Shipping Date may appear in the no-date or unplanned-orders area.

Dispatching Merchandise

Merchandise appears on delivery notes and in the shipment’s item list.

Although BrewKeeper does not track inventory for Merchandise, Dispatch can still include it in a Shopify fulfillment. Dispatching the shipment fulfills the merch on the order without changing BrewKeeper inventory.

Sagawa Configuration

Customers using BrewKeeper’s Sagawa/eHiden integration should also add Merch to:

Warehouse Settings → Sagawa Settings → Goods Product Types

This causes merchandise to be shown as goods on the Sagawa shipping slip rather than requiring a BrewKeeper inventory Product and eHiden product title.

Small Merchandise Bundling

When the packing rules allow it, MS merchandise can be included in a beer carton. ML items remain separate.

The bundling behaviour is driven by two steps that happen before shipping rates are calculated:

1. Grouping — all MS items on an order are collapsed into one line item with quantity: 1 and their total price summed.
2. Bundling (recipe match) — if beer is present, one recipe can consume the grouped MS into one beer package (e.g. a six-pack).

Because grouping reduces everything to a single item, only one bundle can happen per order — even if you ordered multiple beers.

Example 1: 12x shirts + 1x six-pack

Order:

• 1x six-pack
• 12x shirts
• Total shipping: just the six-pack rate (shirts bundled for free)

Example 2: 24x shirts + 2x six-packs

Order:

• 2x six-packs
• 24x shirts
• Total shipping: 1x six-pack rate + 1x standalone six-pack rate (only 1 six-pack absorbs the shirts)

Example 3: 2x shirts only, no beer

Order:

• 2x shirts
• Total shipping: MS rate (¥610 to Kanto, for example). Whether it’s 1x shirt or 2x shirts, the shipping cost is the same.

Setup

Before You Begin

• Your Shopify store must already be connected to BrewKeeper and importing orders.
• CarrierBot must also be enabled and configured if you want BrewKeeper or Shopify to calculate merchandise shipping rates automatically.

Step 1: Create your Shopify merch products

Important! Product type must be Merch, and SKUs must follow the required format:

{PREFIX}-{SIZE}{SUFFIX}

For example, NTEE-000S-MS where:

• NTEE = SKU prefix (same for all variants of this product)
• 000S = S for a Small shirt, M for Medium, etc.
• MS = Merch Small (must be MS or ML)

Follow the guide on the Create and Sell Merch workflow page for step-by-step instructions on setting up your merch products in Shopify.

Step 2: Leave Merchandise Inventory Unlinked in BrewKeeper

Do not create a BrewKeeper product & variant for merch. Do not link the Shopify merchandise variant to a BrewKeeper Product Variant.

BrewKeeper imports the Shopify product and Shop Variant so that it can import, display, and fulfill the order. However, the Shop Variant remains unlinked to BrewKeeper inventory.

This means:

• BrewKeeper does not reserve merchandise inventory.
• BrewKeeper does not reduce merchandise inventory when the order is dispatched.
• BrewKeeper does not restore merchandise inventory after a refund.
• BrewKeeper does not synchronize merchandise stock quantities to Shopify.

If merchandise stock is tracked in Shopify, it must be managed in Shopify or another inventory system.

Step 3: CarrierBot

Your rates must be configured in CarrierBot, which is only done by the BrewKeeper team.

Also, please decide if you want small merch bundled with beer when shipped together.

Example order: T-shirt (MS) + 6-pack

• Bundling enabled: T-shirt ships in the 6-pack box at no extra cost. No matter how many shirts are ordered, they are all bundled at no additional shipping cost.
• Bundling disabled: T-shirt ships in its own box and its own shipping rate is charged

Troubleshooting

If merchandise does not appear in Dispatch, check:

Check	Detail
Shipping address	The order has a shipping address
Carrier mapping	The Shopify shipping code is assigned to a BrewKeeper carrier
Shipping Date	The order has a Shipping Date, or is visible under no-date orders
SKU suffix	The SKU contains MS or ML
Variant Type	The matching MS or ML Variant Type exists in BrewKeeper
Product type	The Shopify product type is Merch
CarrierBot	CarrierBot is enabled and its URL is correct