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What Is the Default Vendor?

Learn what the Default Vendor is in Spark Shipping, why products are assigned to it, and how to map them to real suppliers for full automation.

Every store connected to Spark Shipping automatically gets a special vendor called the Default Vendor. It is created for you the moment your site is set up — you don't add it, and you can't delete it.

Note: This vendor does not count towards your included vendor count

Think of the Default Vendor as a placeholder. When a product exists in your store but isn't yet linked (mapped) to one of your real suppliers, Spark Shipping attaches it to the Default Vendor so the product still has a home. In other words, "mapped to the Default Vendor" is really just another way of saying "this product doesn't have a real supplier yet."

Why It Matters

  • No Source Data: A product mapped only to the Default Vendor has no real vendor to pull inventory, cost, or pricing from, and no supplier to send orders to for fulfillment.
  • Skipped Automations: Because of this, these products are skipped by inventory and price automation — there is simply no source data to sync.
  • Easy Transition: As soon as you map the product to an actual vendor (by matching SKUs, barcodes, etc.), it automatically moves off the Default Vendor and automation kicks in normally.

How to Spot It

You can enable an email notification to alert you whenever an order comes in for a product mapped to the Default Vendor:

  1. Go to Site Settings.
  2. Select Alerts.
  3. Enable Orders - Product is mapped to Default Vendor.

This alert serves as your heads-up that an order came in for an item that still needs a real supplier assigned.

Key Takeaway: If you see a product assigned to the Default Vendor, it simply needs to be mapped to a real vendor to enable full automation.