Merchant Onboarding Guide • ANSI X12 4010 & 5010

Retail Wholesale EDI Setup Guide

Q: How does my 3PL warehouse fulfill wholesale orders?

Purchase orders appear directly in your normal Shopify Orders list tagged by retailer with wholesale line items and the retailer DC shipping address. When your 3PL (ShipBob, Deliverr, Flexport, etc.) fulfills the order and adds tracking, EDI Engine automatically detects it and transmits the compliant 856 ASN.

How brands connect purchase orders from Walmart, Target, Amazon, Costco, and Home Depot directly into Shopify without legacy VAN minimums or chargeback risks.

# 1. Quick Start & Data Flow

When a retailer places a wholesale order, they send an electronic ANSI X12 850 (Purchase Order). EDI Engine translates it into a native Shopify Order in your store. When your warehouse fulfills it, EDI Engine generates the ANSI X12 856 (Advance Ship Notice / ASN), followed by the ANSI X12 810 (Commercial Invoice) for payment settlement.

How Data Moves:

Retailer PO ──[850]──▶ EDI Engine ──▶ Your Shopify Store (Live Order)

Warehouse Fulfills ──▶ EDI Engine ──[856 ASN]──▶ Retailer DC

Payment Settles ◀──[810 Invoice]── EDI Engine ◀── Order Paid

# 2. What You Need to Get Started

1. Shopify Store

Your standard myshopify.com store domain.

2. Vendor Number

Found on page 1 of your retailer supplier agreement.

3. Primary Carrier SCAC

Standard carrier code (UPSN, FDEG, RDWY, ODFL).

# 3. The 4-Step Setup Guide

1 Step 1 • Connect Your Shopify Store

On the setup page, confirm your store is connected. EDI Engine connects securely via Shopify Partner OAuth with permissions to create orders, read fulfillments, and route quarantine drafts.

2 Step 2 • Choose Retailer Partner

Select your retail partner from the grid. Pre-configured routing rules load automatically:

Retailer	ISA Identifier	Special Rules
Walmart US	01:007934420	4-char DC numeric code in N1*ST. Strict SCAC format.
Target Stores	08:6111470100	DPCI barcode mapping and T-prefix distribution centers.
Amazon Vendor	ZZ:AMAZON	ASIN/UPC validation and Amazon fulfillment center codes.
The Home Depot	01:006922880	Department numbers and Rapid Deployment Center (RDC) routing.
Costco Wholesale	ZZ:COSTCO	Depot # identifier and pallet carton counts.

3 Step 3 • Enter Vendor ID & SCAC

Enter your supplier number and select your primary carrier (e.g. UPSN, FDEG). Click Save. Your settings stay saved even if you refresh your browser.

4 Step 4 • Test & Verify Order Ingestion

Click Send Test Order to Shopify. A compliant purchase order is immediately pushed into your live Shopify store. Click Open in Shopify Admin ↗ to view the order, line items, and DC receiving address.

# 4. Retailer Portal Sign-Off & Going Live

Major retailers require an official sign-off test before activating live purchase order routing. This is a straightforward 3-step process:

1. Download Packet

Download your 3 test files: 850 PO, 856 ASN, and 810 Invoice.

2. Submit in Portal

Upload to Walmart Retail Link, Target Vendor Portal, or email your EDI analyst.

3. Mark Live

Once approved, click Mark Retailer Live in Production.

# 5. Safety Safeguards: Quarantine & Chargebacks

Security Quarantine (Shopify Draft Orders)

If an inbound PO arrives from an unrecognized vendor or trading partner, it is placed into native Shopify Draft Orders tagged EDI-Quarantine. You get an instant Shopify alert, and clicking "Create order" automatically authorizes and onboards the partner.

Pre-Flight Chargeback Guard

Retailers charge \$250/PO or late-shipment fees for invalid SCAC codes or bad tracking numbers. EDI Engine's Pre-Flight Validator inspects every 856 ASN before transmission to prevent chargebacks before they happen.

# 6. Autonomous AI Agent Setup (1-Call API)

AI agents (Shopify Sidekick, ChatGPT Actions, Claude MCP, Devin) can set up and test wholesale channels programmatically via a single HTTP request:

POST /api/v1/agent/setup 1-Call Autonomous

curl -X POST https://www.ediengineapp.com/api/v1/agent/setup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "shop_domain": "alex-edi-test.myshopify.com",
    "retailer": "Walmart",
    "vendor_number": "VN-88231",
    "carrier_scac": "UPSN",
    "auto_test": true
  }'

# 7. Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to sign a multi-year contract or pay per-character VAN fees?

No. Unlike legacy VAN brokers (SPS Commerce, TrueCommerce) that require 12-36 month consulting contracts and bill per-kilo-character fees, EDI Engine operates directly against Shopify's Admin API with zero long-term lock-in and no per-character surcharges.

How does my 3PL warehouse fulfill wholesale orders?

Wholesale purchase orders appear directly in your normal Shopify Orders list tagged by retailer (e.g. Walmart, Target) with wholesale line items and the retailer distribution center address. Existing 3PL warehouse apps (ShipBob, Deliverr, Whiplash, Flexport) process them like normal orders. When they add tracking, EDI Engine automatically generates the 856 ASN.

How long does retailer testing and portal sign-off take?

Typically 2 to 5 business days. Once you download the 3-file certification packet (850, 856, 810) and upload it to the retailer vendor portal, their EDI team validates formatting and approves you for live production.

Can I connect multiple retail partners at the same time?

Yes. Walmart, Target, Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, and custom regional wholesalers all route into your Shopify store concurrently, each tagged cleanly with the retailer's purchase order number.

What happens if a retailer transmits an unmapped SKU or UPC?

The order is safely intercepted into Shopify Draft Orders tagged EDI-Quarantine with an actionable notification so your warehouse never ships incorrect products or incurs retailer chargeback fines.

Can I add custom boutique distributors or regional wholesalers?

Yes. In Step 2, click + Add Retailer and switch to the Custom Partner tab. Enter their name, ISA Sender ID, and DC code. The bridge will automatically generate ANSI X12 4010 or 5010 ingestion.