As independent retailers search for new ways to streamline operations and expand their product offerings with minimal up-front costs, Shopify Collective has emerged as a powerful tool in the Shopify ecosystem. Designed to help Shopify merchants collaborate with one another, the Shopify Collective app is a game-changer for stores that want to sell products from other Shopify brands via a dropship model. Merch Showroom has embraced this new technology to offer our popular dropship program to even more Shopify-based retailers.
Here, we’ll break down how Shopify Collective works, who it’s for, and how Merch Showroom is using it to make licensed merchandise dropshipping easier than ever for our retail partners.
What is Shopify Collective?
Shopify Collective is a built-in integration for Shopify merchants that enables seamless product, inventory, and payment sharing between stores. In simple terms, it allows a retailer to import and sell products from another Shopify store (usually a supplier or brand) as if they were their own. When a customer places an order, the supplier fulfills and ships the product on behalf of the retailer. This creates a direct dropshipping relationship for retailers entirely within the Shopify ecosystem.
Key Features of Shopify Collective:
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No third-party apps required – It’s a native Shopify feature, available to merchants on the Shopify, Advanced, or Plus plans.
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Automated product sync – Pricing, inventory, and product information stay up-to-date in real-time.
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Orders are automatically routed to the supplier when purchased by a customer.
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Payments are managed via Shopify - retailers pay suppliers automatically via their Shopify payments funds in a hands-off way.
This tool eliminates the friction traditionally associated with dropshipping, where apps or spreadsheets were needed to sync inventory, submit orders, retreive tracking and reconcile payments. With Collective, everything is handled directly through your Shopify admin.
Who Can Use Shopify Collective?
Shopify Collective is available to:
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Suppliers (Wholesalers, Brands, Manufacturers): Companies who want to allow other retailers to sell their products without managing reseller accounts manually.
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Retailers (Store Owners): Shopify merchants who want to expand their catalog with high-quality products from vetted partners without holding inventory.
It’s a win-win solution for retailers and dropship suppliers... Suppliers gain more distribution, and retailers gain more products with zero inventory investment.
Merch Showroom + Shopify Collective = Effortless Dropshipping
At Merch Showroom, we specialize in wholesale licensed merchandise like band t-shirts, TV tees, movie apparel, retro brands, pop culture bags, accessories and more. Historically, our dropship program served independent retailers through CSV uploads or apps like DSCO and Modalyst.
Now, thanks to Shopify Collective, we can offer the most seamless version of our dropship program yet.
When a retailer connects to Merch Showroom via Shopify Collective, they get:
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Instant access to hundreds of top-selling licensed products across music, movies, motorsports, anime, and streetwear.
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Automatic sync of product data, photos, inventory, and pricing.
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No order entry or email needed... Orders automatically go to our team for fulfillment.
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Fast shipping from U.S.-based warehouses (most items ship within 1-2 business days).
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Transparent dropship pricing with built-in margins.
In essence, we become your back-end warehouse. You focus on growing your audience and making sale and we handle the logistics, licensing compliance, and shipping.
Why This Matters for Retailers
Many independent Shopify stores struggle with sourcing high-quality inventory and managing fulfillment. Holding inventory is risky, expensive, and time-consuming. Shopify Collective removes those barriers.
With Merch Showroom as your supplier via Collective:
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You don’t need to invest in inventory
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You don’t need to manage multiple apps or spreadsheets
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You gain access to official licensed products that are proven to sell
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You protect your brand by selling high-quality, legal merchandise
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You retain control over your pricing and customer experience
Whether you’re running a niche pop culture store, a fashion boutique, a streetwear shop, or an online record store, this model lets you scale without risk.
What Types of Products Are Available?
Merch Showroom is not a general merchandise supplier. We are a niche marketplace focused on licensed and officially licensed merchandise. Through Shopify Collective, we offer:
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Band Tees & Rock Apparel – From legends like AC/DC, Nirvana, and Pink Floyd to newer artists and legacy acts.
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Movie & TV Show Merch – Stranger Things, Jaws, Cobra Kai, Star Wars, and more.
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Anime T-Shirts – Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, and others.
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Motorsports Gear – Ford, Chevy, dirt track, and rally merchandise.
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Backpacks, Bags, and Accessories featuring characters from iconic entertainment franchises.
Each product is curated to match the tastes of boutique retailers and niche store owners.
How to Get Started
If you already have a Shopify store and you're on the Basic plan or higher, upgrading to the Shopify plan gives you access to Shopify Collective. Once upgraded, here’s how to join our dropship program:
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Register for an account at MerchShowroom.com.
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Submit your resale certificate as described in your welcome email. Once your account is approved, let us know you are interested in dropshipping.
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Approve the partnership and sync products into your store.
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Start selling! We fulfill every order automatically as they come in.
Final Thoughts
The Shopify Collective app is transforming how Shopify stores collaborate and sell. It was made for retailers who want to focus on growth, branding, and marketing, while minimizing cash output, inventory, and order management.
When paired with Merch Showroom’s curated catalog of licensed dropship merchandise, fast shipping, and retail-friendly margins, it becomes one of the most efficient and profitable ways to dropship pop culture products online.
If you’re a Shopify retailer and you’re ready to grow with us, reach out to us and ask about getting started with Shopify Collective and our dropship program today.
