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.

# ~/.openclaw/config/ecommerce.yaml
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
  inventory_buffer_units: 5
  max_price_change_pct: 20

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

1. Parse return request (email, platform notification, direct message)
2. Find order across all platforms — search Shopify, Amazon, eBay by order number
3. Validate eligibility — check return window, order value, customer history
4. Create RMA in warehouse system (ShipStation)
5. Generate return shipping label (USPS Priority Mail default)
6. Email customer with RMA number + prepaid label
7. Update platform order status to return_initiated
8. Track return shipment — daily cron monitors tracking
9. Notify seller when item arrives — human inspects
10. 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
  - Item condition inspection
  - Final refund decision (full/partial/reject)

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

1. Sale event on any platform triggers sync
2. Adjust central inventory count
3. Push updated count to all OTHER platforms (minus buffer)
4. If sync fails → pause listing on failed platform immediately
5. 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

1. Every 6 hours: fetch competitor pricing for all tracked ASINs/listings
2. Compare against current prices
3. If competitor lower: calculate undercut price (-$0.50 default)
4. Check if price change exceeds max_price_change_pct (20% default)
5. If within limits: auto-adjust across all platforms
6. If exceeds limits: notify human for approval
7. 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 run

evening_6pm:
  - End-of-day summary (orders, revenue, returns, issues)
  - Tomorrow's prep (orders to ship, stock to reorder, returns arriving)

weekly_sunday_8pm:
  - Weekly P&L report with charts
  - Top/bottom selling products
  - Slow-moving inventory recommendations
  - Competitor pricing analysis
  - Strategic recommendations for next week

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)

1. Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Apps and sales channels → Develop apps
2. Create a new app, enable Admin API access
3. Select scopes: read_orders, write_orders, read_products, write_products, read_inventory, write_inventory, read_fulfillments, write_fulfillments
4. Install the app, copy the Admin API Access Token
5. Tell your agent: "Connect my Shopify store" and provide the token + store domain

Amazon (30-45 minutes)

1. Register as SP-API Developer at Seller Central
2. Create IAM user with appropriate permissions
3. Generate LWA credentials (Client ID + Secret)
4. Complete OAuth flow for Refresh Token
5. Provide all 6 credentials to your agent
6. Guide: docs.instaclaw.io/ecommerce/amazon

eBay (15-20 minutes)

1. Create developer account at developer.ebay.com
2. Create a new application (Production)
3. Get App ID (Client ID) and Cert ID
4. Generate User Token via OAuth
5. Tell your agent: "Connect my eBay account" and provide credentials

ShipStation (5 minutes)

1. Go to ShipStation → Settings → API Settings
2. Generate API Key + API Secret
3. 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

• All platform API connections verified
• Inventory sync running at configured interval (default: 15 min)
• Buffer units applied to all platform inventory counts
• RMA workflow tested end-to-end
• Return eligibility checks matching configured policy
• Human approval triggered for orders over threshold
• Competitor pricing capped at max change % per 24 hours
• Daily report delivered at scheduled time
• Weekly P&L generated with cross-platform data
• Credential encryption verified (never logged)
• Sync failures alerting and pausing affected listings

Common Mistakes

1. Not testing API connections during setup — always verify credentials work before saving
2. Syncing inventory without buffer — never set exact count, always subtract buffer
3. Auto-adjusting prices without caps — competitor listing errors ($0.01) can trigger race to bottom
4. Processing returns for other sellers' orders — verify order exists in user's account first
5. Generating labels for wrong addresses — always validate address against order
6. 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