Best practices for working with merchants

After a merchant accepts a proposal, you can work with them both inside and outside of the Experts Marketplace. Below are some best practices for working with merchants.

Don't start work until the merchant accepts your proposal

After you and the merchant have agreed to work together, it's up to you to create a proposal that set expectations on scope, price, payment process, and timelines. You shouldn't start the work until the merchant has accepted your proposal. Shopify can't guarantee any payments for you if you decide to start working before the agreement is made.

Manage your communications with merchants

You should keep all of your messages with merchants in theMessagesarea of the Partner Dashboard. This makes sure that both Experts and merchants are protected, as all their conversations are documented with Shopify.

Shopify'sTerms of Servicerequire that all messages be answered within 24 hours. Experts who are attentive and communicate quickly are generally more successful in the marketplace.

Use collaborator accounts to access merchant stores

You can usecollaborator accountsto access a merchant’s store directly through your own Partner Dashboard or using the Shopify app. To respect the merchant's privacy, be sure to request access only after the merchant has understood and agreed to the request.

Next steps

• After you and the merchant come to an agreement about payment, you cancreate an invoiceand send it to the merchant.

• After the work is done, you canmark the job as complete.

  If you're working on an accepted proposal, then you won't be able to mark the job as complete, but you can stillrequest a reviewfrom the merchant.