Frequently Asked Questions

• What payment gateways can be used with shopBuilder?

  shopBuilder can integrate most major payment gateways. You can see a complete list here. A payment gateway is required to process credit card transactions, shopBuilder does not provide a payment gateway. 

• What are the benefits of shopBuilder over Shopify?

  There are many reasons to consider shopBuilder over Shopify, the biggest being that it’s much more affordable and offers you more control. See this article on the Blacknight Blog that summarizes all the reasons why shopBuilder might work better for you.

• Can shopBuilder be used for booking appointments? 

  Yes, you can accept bookings but must integrate with Google Calendar to do so. Details here.

• What delivery options can you use with shopBuilder in Ireland?

  You can set shipping rates for your customers based on their location and choose which counties, counties and cities to ship too. You can do delivery and click and collect. You can integrate shopBuilder with shipping and fulfilment software like ShipStation or Endicia to get rates with carriers like An Post, DHL, DPD, etc. 

• Can you do click and collect with shopBuilder?

  Yes, you can set up an option for customers to click-and-collect their orders in all the shopBuilder tiers. In the Professional plans and above, you can give customers the option to schedule a specific time.

• Can a restaurant or cafe use shopBuilder to sell food online?

  Yes! You can set up your entire menu in shopBuilder and then set up delivery options, including click-and-collect. You can also control the delivery radius and service areas so you don’t sell to people outside your geographic area. 

• Can I use shopBuilder to sell on Amazon and eBay?

  shopBuilder does not integrate with eBay natively. You will need to purchase a third-party premium service to sell on eBay using shopBuilder.

  As of July 2022, shopBuilder no longer integrates with Amazon in any way.

• Can I sell on Instagram or Facebook with shopBuilder?

  Yes, all pricing levels support selling on Facebook and Instagram. You just have to connect your Facebook/Instagram account with shopBuilder and the cart systems will sync up to each other. When you add products to your catalogue, they will appear in your Facebook or Instagram shop. 

• Can I sell downloads?

  Yes, you can sell physical and virtual products, including events and bookings. 

• Can it be used to sell gift cards/vouchers?

  Virtual gift cards or vouchers are a feature of shopBuilder’s Professional and Enterprise plans. You can simply add gift cards as a product in the store. Purchased gift cards are sent to the customer by email and they can be forwarded to others as a gift. Gift cards cannot be used to purchase in the shopBuilder online store: they are designed to be used in the physical store.

• Is there a demo or try before you buy?

  No, you cannot try it before you buy it. However, here are some examples of shopBuilder sites in action: 

  •  CreativeCrafts.ie
  •  Made in Carlow
  •  Irishtopia Shop

• Can I display different currencies?

  It can only display the currency of the country/market you choose when you set up the store. However, if you want the prices to be converted to local currencies for users elsewhere in the world, there is a paid add-on available through shopBuilder that supports this.

• Are there any extra/hidden charges to use shopBuilder?

  shopBuilder is fully functional out of the box to sell online. However, there may be charges and fees for any third-party integrations you need or choose to use. Most customers will not need to pay extra for third-party services. But if you want to say, use software like ShipStation to manage your shipping of orders, you would have to pay for that.  

• Can shopBuilder integrate with POS systems?

  It depends. shopBuilder integrates with Square, Clover, and Vend Point of Sale Solutions. shopBuilder also acts as its own POS with a mobile app that you can use on mobiles and tablets.  

• Can it integrate with siteBuilder?

  Yes, it can! All you have to do is drop in a line of code into a page in siteBuilder to integrate it with shopBuilder. 

• Can I set up a customer area with username and password?

  Yes, when an order is placed, an account is automatically created for the customer, and they can log in and see their order and order status. This function can also be disabled. Customers sign-in with unique email links; a password is not required.  

• Can I use shopBuilder without a website?

  shopBuilder acts as a website for your online store. You don’t need an existing website to use it – it can be your actual website. It can also integrate easily into an existing website with one line of code. 

• Can you integrate a stock control system into shopBuilder?

  Yes, but a paid third-party integration is required to do this. The app is called Orderhive, and it integrates with shopBuilder. Details here.

• Where do I get the Blacknight shopBuilder WordPress plugin?

  To integrate shopBuilder with a WordPress-based website, you’ll need to use our free WordPress plugin. Blacknight has its own customised WordPress plugin for shopBuilder and it’s very easy to install. You can find details on how to install it and where to download it in our Helpdesk article here.

• Does Blacknight provide technical support for shopBuilder?

  Yes! Our award-winning customer support team and engineers are here to help you with any problems you may encounter with shopBuilder.