Short answer
Products you sync from Shopify with TikTok's Shopify app update their own stock when they sell. Items sold from a listing you made for the show don't: TikTok says LIVE Auction temporary listings don't sync to Shopify, and a numbered listing like “Sneakers 1” isn't one of your Shopify products. Scan each one as it sells and ScanStation takes it off its Shopify “available” count.
Where Shopify keeps up, and where it can't
TikTok's own Shopify app syncs products from Shopify to TikTok Shop and lets you manage TikTok Shop orders and inventory from your Shopify admin. When one of those products sells in your LIVE, the app keeps its stock in step.
TikTok Shop's LIVE Auction works differently. Eligible sellers can set up a temporary listing while preparing a LIVE, with up to 300 variants, and auction them one after another; TikTok numbers each unit #1, #2 and so on. A temporary listing lets you auction items without adding each one to your TikTok Shop store first.
The catch: TikTok's LIVE Auction guide says temporary listings don't sync to your TikTok Shop store or to Shopify, and they're removed when the LIVE ends. So when you auction an item from your Shopify stock that way, Shopify never hears that it sold. It stays “available” and can sell again on your website or in your next stream.
The same goes for any listing you make on TikTok for the show instead of publishing it from Shopify, such as numbered listings like “Sneakers 1”, “Sneakers 2”. It isn't one of your Shopify products, so its sale can't update one.
Scan the item as it sells
ScanStation closes that gap from your side of the table. It connects only to your Shopify store, not to TikTok, so it works however your LIVE is set up:
- An auction ends on TikTok and a buyer wins the item.
- You scan the real item's barcode.
- ScanStation takes 1 off that item's “available” count in Shopify, at the location you chose, and puts it on the packing list under its sale number.
- Scanned the wrong thing? Undo puts it back.
Don't scan what the sync already counted
If the item that sold is a product TikTok's Shopify app keeps in sync, its stock has already come off. Scanning it as well takes it off twice. Scan the items that sold from a temporary or numbered show listing, and let the app handle the rest.
TikTok's rules still apply
ScanStation doesn't change how you list on TikTok. TikTok's LIVE Auction guidelines say each auction link is for exactly one physical item, with a title and description that match it, and TikTok sets its own eligibility for LIVE Auction and temporary listings. Check TikTok Shop's current rules when you plan a show.
Sale numbers and packing
ScanStation numbers sales 1, 2, 3 in the order you scan. To keep them in step with TikTok's unit numbers, click Next sale at the top of the scan screen and set the number at any time. When the show ends, print the packing list or download it as a CSV; the guide to packing lists for live shows covers the details.
The routine is the same on every platform. For what you need before your first show (barcodes in Shopify, labels and a scanner), see the guide to keeping Shopify inventory accurate when you sell from generic listings on Whatnot.
ScanStation by platform
- Whatnot inventory for Shopify sellers
- TikTok Shop inventory for Shopify sellers
- eBay Live inventory for Shopify sellers
Updated · All guides