| name | ecommerce-marketplace |
| description | Multi-channel e-commerce operations — Shopify, Amazon, eBay order management, inventory sync, returns, fulfillment, and P&L reports. Use when the user mentions Shopify, Amazon, eBay, orders, inventory, returns, shipping, SKUs, listings, or sales reports. |
Skill: E-Commerce & Marketplace Operations
Metadata
name: ecommerce-marketplace-ops
version: 1.0.0
updated: 2026-02-22
author: InstaClaw
triggers:
keywords: [Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, orders, inventory, returns, RMA, fulfillment, shipping, marketplace, e-commerce, ecommerce, SKU, listing, pricing, ShipStation]
phrases: ["process this return", "check my orders", "sync inventory", "what sold today", "update my prices", "create a listing", "generate RMA", "daily sales report", "ship this order", "how much did I sell", "low stock alert"]
NOT: [personal shopping, buy this item, add to cart, consumer purchase]
Overview
Transforms your InstaClaw agent into a full-time e-commerce operations manager. Connects to Shopify, Amazon, and eBay (user provides their own API credentials — BYOK), syncs inventory across channels, processes returns end-to-end, monitors competitor pricing, and generates unified P&L reports.
What this replaces: $2,000-4,000/month in VAs + SaaS tools for multi-channel sellers ($50k-$5M/year).
Prerequisites
- Platform API credentials (BYOK — user's own accounts)
- ShipStation API (for fulfillment/RMA workflows)
- Email skill (Skill 8 — for sending RMA emails to customers)
- Heartbeat/Cron (for scheduled inventory sync, order monitoring, daily reports)
Credential Storage
All credentials are stored in ~/.openclaw/config/ecommerce.yaml and encrypted at rest via libsodium. Never log credentials. Access restricted to MCP servers only.
platforms:
shopify:
enabled: true
shop: mystore.myshopify.com
access_token: <encrypted>
amazon:
enabled: true
lwa_client_id: <encrypted>
lwa_client_secret: <encrypted>
refresh_token: <encrypted>
aws_access_key: <encrypted>
aws_secret_key: <encrypted>
seller_id: <encrypted>
marketplace_id: "ATVPDKIKX0DER"
ebay:
enabled: true
app_id: <encrypted>
cert_id: <encrypted>
user_token: <encrypted>
fulfillment:
system: shipstation
api_key: <encrypted>
api_secret: <encrypted>
policies:
return_window_days: 30
auto_approve_threshold: 100
require_human_over: 200
restocking_fee_pct: 0
low_stock_threshold: 10
Platform Integration Matrix
| Platform | API Quality | Setup Difficulty | Rate Limits | Cost to User |
|---|
| Shopify | 10/10 | EASY (10 min) | 1000 pts/sec GraphQL | FREE |
| Amazon | 8/10 | HARD (30-45 min) | 60-80/hour key endpoints | FREE |
| eBay | 9/10 | MEDIUM (15-20 min) | 5K-50K/day | FREE |
| ShipStation | 8/10 | EASY (5 min) | 40 calls/min | FREE |
| Walmart | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | FREE (planned) |
Capabilities per Platform
| Operation | Shopify | Amazon | eBay | ShipStation |
|---|
| Read orders | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Update inventory | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Process returns/RMAs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create/edit listings | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Adjust pricing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Manage fulfillment | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View analytics | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customer messages | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Generate shipping labels | — | — | — | ✅ |
Workflow 1: RMA / Return Processing (End-to-End)
The killer workflow. Fully automated return handling.
Manual process: 10-15 min per return × 10 returns/day = 2+ hours daily.
Agent process: Seconds per return, human only inspects item when it arrives.
Return Request → Parse → Fetch Order → Check Eligibility
→ Create RMA → Generate Label → Email Customer → Track Shipment
→ [Item Arrives] → Human Inspects → Agent Processes Refund → Done
Steps
- Parse return request (email, platform notification, direct message)
- Find order across all platforms — search Shopify, Amazon, eBay by order number
- Validate eligibility — check return window, order value, customer history
- Create RMA in warehouse system (ShipStation)
- Generate return shipping label (USPS Priority Mail default)
- Email customer with RMA number + prepaid label
- Update platform order status to return_initiated
- Track return shipment — daily cron monitors tracking
- Notify seller when item arrives — human inspects
- Process refund after human approval (full/partial/reject)
Autonomy Matrix — Returns
fully_autonomous:
- Parse return request
- Fetch order from any platform
- Check eligibility against policy
- Create RMA number
- Generate shipping label
- Email customer with RMA + label
- Track return shipment
- Notify seller when item arrives
human_approval_required:
- Returns outside policy window
- Orders over configured threshold ($200 default)
- Frequent returner flag
-
Platform-Specific Return APIs
Shopify (GraphQL):
mutation { returnCreate(input: {
orderId: "gid://shopify/Order/123"
returnLineItems: [{ lineItemId: "...", quantity: 1 }]
}) { return { id, name } } }
mutation { refundCreate(input: {
orderId: "gid://shopify/Order/123"
refundLineItems: [{ lineItemId: "...", quantity: 1 }]
transactions: [{ amount: "29.99", kind: REFUND
refund id
Amazon (SP-API):
returns_api.get_return(return_id)
orders_api.create_refund(order_id=order_id, refund_amount=29.99, refund_reason="CustomerReturn")
eBay (REST):
ebay.sell.return.getReturn(returnId)
ebay.sell.finances.issueRefund({ orderId, refundAmount: { value: "29.99", currency: "USD" } })
Workflow 2: Cross-Platform Inventory Sync
Problem: Item sells on Amazon → still shows available on Shopify + eBay → overselling.
Sync Logic
- Sale event on any platform triggers sync
- Adjust central inventory count
- Push updated count to all OTHER platforms (minus buffer)
- If sync fails → pause listing on failed platform immediately
- Full reconciliation cron at 2am catches any drift
Buffer Policy
Never set platform inventory to exact real count. Always subtract inventory_buffer_units (default: 5) to prevent overselling during sync delays.
Sync Schedule
- Real-time: Webhook listeners for order events (preferred)
- Fallback: 15-minute cron polling all platforms
- Reconciliation: Full daily sync at 2:00 AM
Workflow 3: Competitive Pricing Monitor
- Every 6 hours: fetch competitor pricing for all tracked ASINs/listings
- Compare against current prices
- If competitor lower: calculate undercut price (-$0.50 default)
- Check if price change exceeds
max_price_change_pct (20% default)
- If within limits: auto-adjust across all platforms
- If exceeds limits: notify human for approval
- Always enforce minimum price floor (cost + margin)
Pricing Guardrails
- Max auto-adjustment: 20% per 24 hours
- Changes >15%: require human approval
- Minimum price floor: never go below cost
- Race-to-bottom protection: ignore competitor prices below floor
- Price change log with full rollback capability
Workflow 4: Unified Order Management & Daily Reports
Morning Report (8 AM)
📦 Daily Orders Report — [Date]
SUMMARY
Total Orders: X
Total Revenue: $X.XX
By Platform:
• Shopify: X orders ($X.XX)
• Amazon: X orders ($X.XX)
• eBay: X orders ($X.XX)
NEEDS ATTENTION
X unfulfilled orders
X pending payment
X returns pending
LOW STOCK ALERTS
• SKU-123: 3 remaining (threshold: 10)
• SKU-456: 7 remaining (threshold: 10)
Weekly P&L (Sunday 8 PM)
- Revenue by platform and product
- COGS, platform fees, shipping costs
- Net profit/loss per channel
- Top/bottom selling products
- Slow-moving inventory recommendations
- Competitor pricing analysis
- Strategic recommendations for next week
Workflow 5: Agent Daily Operations Schedule
morning_8am:
- Pull overnight orders from all platforms
- Sync inventory across channels
- Check for new return requests
- Generate morning summary → send via Telegram
- Flag low stock items
continuous_monitoring:
every_15_min: Check new orders, sync inventory
every_30_min: Check customer messages across platforms
every_hour: Process return requests
every_2_hours: Monitor competitor pricing
every_6_hours: Full competitive price adjustment
Risk Assessment & Guardrails
RISK 1: Inventory Overselling
- Mitigation: Real-time sync with 5-unit buffer across platforms
- Guardrail: If sync fails, pause listing on that platform until resolved
- Recovery: Full reconciliation cron at 2am catches any drift
RISK 2: Wrong Pricing
- Mitigation: Max auto-adjustment capped at 20% per 24 hours
- Guardrail: Changes >15% require human approval
- Recovery: Price change log with rollback capability
RISK 3: Fraudulent Returns
- Mitigation: Flag frequent returners, cross-reference return history
- Guardrail: Returns >$200 always require human approval
- Recovery: Configurable auto-approve thresholds
RISK 4: Shipping to Wrong Address
- Mitigation: Validate address against order before label generation
- Guardrail: International orders always confirmed by human
RISK 5: Customer Communication Errors
- Mitigation: Template-based emails for standard flows (RMA, refund, rejection)
- Guardrail: Any email mentioning refund/legal/complaint flagged for review
Integration with Other Skills
| Skill | Integration |
|---|
| Email (Skill 8) | Agent emails customers for returns, RMA numbers, refund confirmations |
| Competitive Intel (Skill 10) | Monitor competitor prices, feed into auto-pricing engine |
| Financial Analysis (Skill 7) | Pull sales data for P&L, COGS, margins, platform fee breakdowns |
| Voice & Audio (Skill 3) | Generate audio summary of daily sales for Telegram voice message |
Setup Guide for Users
Shopify (10 minutes)
- Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Apps and sales channels → Develop apps
- Create a new app, enable Admin API access
- Select scopes:
read_orders, write_orders, read_products, write_products, read_inventory, write_inventory, read_fulfillments, write_fulfillments
- Install the app, copy the Admin API Access Token
- Tell your agent: "Connect my Shopify store" and provide the token + store domain
Amazon (30-45 minutes)
- Register as SP-API Developer at Seller Central
- Create IAM user with appropriate permissions
- Generate LWA credentials (Client ID + Secret)
- Complete OAuth flow for Refresh Token
- Provide all 6 credentials to your agent
- Guide: docs.instaclaw.io/ecommerce/amazon
eBay (15-20 minutes)
- Create developer account at developer.ebay.com
- Create a new application (Production)
- Get App ID (Client ID) and Cert ID
- Generate User Token via OAuth
- Tell your agent: "Connect my eBay account" and provide credentials
ShipStation (5 minutes)
- Go to ShipStation → Settings → API Settings
- Generate API Key + API Secret
- Tell your agent: "Connect ShipStation" and provide both values
services.yaml Configuration
ecommerce:
enabled: true
platforms:
- shopify
- amazon
- ebay
automations:
returns:
auto_approve_threshold: 100
require_human_approval_over: 200
auto_reject_outside_window: true
inventory:
sync_interval_minutes: 15
low_stock_alert_threshold: 10
buffer_units: 5
pricing:
competitor_monitoring: true
max_price_change_pct: 20
require_human_over_pct: 15
reports:
daily_summary: true
weekly_pnl: true
monthly_analytics: true
notifications:
low_stock: telegram
return_arrived: telegram
order_issues: email
daily_summary: telegram
Quality Checklist
Common Mistakes
- Not testing API connections during setup — always verify credentials work before saving
- Syncing inventory without buffer — never set exact count, always subtract buffer
- Auto-adjusting prices without caps — competitor listing errors ($0.01) can trigger race to bottom
- Processing returns for other sellers' orders — verify order exists in user's account first
- Generating labels for wrong addresses — always validate address against order
- Over-communicating with customers — exactly 3 emails per return max: RMA approved, refund processed, rejection
Build Timeline
Phase 1: Core Integration (5 weeks) — MVP
├── Week 1: Install existing MCP servers (Shopify, Amazon, eBay)
├── Week 2: Build onboarding flow + credential storage
├── Week 3-4: RMA workflow automation (killer feature)
└── Week 5: Testing + polish
Phase 2: Fulfillment (2 weeks)
├── Week 6: Build ShipStation MCP server
└── Week 7: Integrate with RMA workflow
Phase 3: Advanced Features (4 weeks)
├── Week 8-9: Multi-channel inventory sync
├── Week 10: Competitive pricing engine
└── Week 11: Analytics/reporting dashboards
Phase 4: Walmart (3-4 weeks, optional)
├── Week 12-14: Build Walmart MCP server + integration
└── Week 15: Testing
TOTAL: 11-15 weeks (3-4 months)
MVP (RMA + orders): 5 weeks
Launch order: Shopify + ShipStation first (low friction) → Amazon (high impact) → eBay (round out top 3) → Walmart (if demand).
Platform Priority Ranking:
| Priority | Platform | Rating | Rationale |
|---|
| 1 | Shopify | 5/5 | Easiest setup, best API, largest market, official MCP exists |
| 2 | Amazon | 5/5 | Largest marketplace, highest revenue/seller, complex setup but worth it |
| 3 | ShipStation | 5/5 | CRITICAL for RMA workflow, most sellers use this, easy API |
| 4 | eBay | 4/5 | Good API, 325-tool MCP exists, easier than Amazon |
| 5 | Walmart | 2/5 | Smallest market, may need custom MCP, lower priority |
Other WMS/Fulfillment Options (Phase 3+):
- ShipBob (3PL): REST API — create fulfillment orders, receive inventory, track shipments, returns management
- SkuVault: Has API — warehouse management
- Ordoro: Has API — inventory + shipping
- Easyship: Has API — international shipping
- Pirate Ship: Has API — label generation (USPS/UPS discounts)
- Direct Carriers: USPS, UPS, FedEx APIs for sellers without WMS
Recommended approach: ShipStation first (covers 60%+ of multi-channel sellers) → direct carrier APIs → ShipBob/Ordoro on demand.
Market Opportunity
addressable_market:
shopify_stores: 2,500,000+
amazon_sellers: 1,900,000+
ebay_sellers: 1,300,000+
total: 5,700,000+ (many sell multi-channel)
target_segment:
description: "Multi-channel sellers, $50k-$5M/year, 5-50 orders/day"
estimated_count: 500,000-1,000,000
current_spend:
virtual_assistant: $1,500-3,000/month
ecommerce_saas_tools: $200-500/month
shipstation: $29-159/month
total: $2,000-4,000/month
instaclaw_pricing:
replaces: "VA + multiple SaaS tools"
price_point: $299-999/month
value_prop: "24/7 operation, faster than human, all platforms unified"
revenue_projection:
conservative: "1,000 customers x $299/mo = $299K MRR -> $3.6M ARR"
realistic: "5,000 customers x $499/mo = $2.5M MRR -> $30M ARR"
Marketing Pitch
"Your AI employee for e-commerce operations. InstaClaw agents manage your Shopify, Amazon, and eBay stores 24/7 — processing returns, syncing inventory, monitoring competitors, and generating daily P&L reports. The tedious work that takes you 2+ hours every day? Your agent does it in minutes while you sleep. No more copying RMA numbers between systems. No more overselling because inventory didn't sync. No more missing competitor price drops. Just wake up to a daily summary and approve what needs your attention. Setup takes 15 minutes. First month free."
Scripts
~/scripts/ecommerce-ops.py — Main operations: orders, inventory, returns, reports~/scripts/ecommerce-setup.sh — Platform credential setup and validation~/.openclaw/skills/ecommerce-marketplace/references/ecommerce-guide.md — API reference
