Auto purchase
Auto purchase buys stock for your dropship orders that are Waiting for stock. It runs at set times each day and buys only what those orders are missing, for the products you turn it on for.
What it buys
"At set times each day (Beijing time) we check your backordered orders and buy only what's missing: what the orders need, minus your free stock and what's already on the way." What's already on the way includes purchase orders that are still waiting for payment.
It only buys products you've turned it on for. In My products, each option has a switch in the Auto purchase column. You can turn it on for products with an agreed price from a quote, and for products from Search that are still on sale; otherwise the row says "Needs a quoted price, or a Search product that's still on sale." Products with an agreed price are bought at that price. Products from Search are bought at the supplier's current price, with the supplier's shipping to our warehouse and our service fee.
For a product from Search, Settings next to the switch opens Auto purchase settings:
- Price rise limit (%): if the supplier's price has gone up by more than this since you turned it on or last accepted a new price, we hold the item for your decision. Leave it empty to use our default.
- Max unit price (USD): if the price is above this, we hold the item for your decision. Leave it empty for no limit.
If a product stops being available, or its supplier stops selling it, we turn auto purchase off for it and the row says so.
When it runs
The Auto purchase card in Settings shows the times it runs, in Beijing time (China Standard Time). Each run puts everything it buys into one purchase order.
Auto purchase doesn't run while your account is on hold.
Your daily limit
Daily limit (USD) on the Auto purchase card sets the most auto purchase spends in a day, up to the limit we set for your account. Leave it empty to use our whole limit, and click Save limit.
Everything auto purchase buys in a day counts, including what you buy on Needs your decision. Orders are taken oldest first; those that don't fit wait for a later run. An order that costs more than your whole daily limit never fits, so it goes to Needs your decision, where you can buy it straight away. A daily limit of zero turns automatic buying off.
Paying
"Everything goes into one purchase order paid from your wallet. If your wallet is short, the order waits for payment; if it isn't paid by the due date we cancel it and pause auto purchase until you top up or resume."
- If Available to spend covers the purchase order, we pay it from your wallet straight away.
- Otherwise it waits as Awaiting payment. When a top-up is credited, we pay waiting auto purchase orders from it, oldest first (see Top up your wallet). You can also pay one yourself on the purchase order (see Purchase orders).
The due date isn't shown on the purchase order. When we can email you, our email about the run gives it.
Overdue payments and pausing
If an auto purchase order still isn't paid by its due date, we try once more to pay it from your wallet. If that doesn't work, we cancel it and pause auto purchase. Every page then shows "Auto purchase paused — top up your wallet or resume in Settings", and the Auto purchase card says "Auto purchase is paused because purchase order payment was overdue." with how much you need available to resume: what the purchase orders cancelled for non-payment cost, plus what the auto purchase orders waiting for payment still need.
To resume:
- top up: once a credited top-up leaves you enough available, auto purchase resumes by itself;
- or, once you have enough available, click Resume auto purchase.
Items that need your decision
Auto purchase never buys more than your orders need on its own. Items below the supplier's smallest quantity, items whose price went up beyond your limits, items we can't buy and orders over your daily limit wait for you on Needs your decision, and every page shows a banner with how many there are. See Product decisions.
Turn it off
Switch auto purchase off for a product in My products, or set your daily limit to zero. If we've turned it off for your account, the card says "Auto purchase is turned off for your account. Contact your account manager."