Store Credit
Store credit is Sideboard’s built-in currency for your store. It lets you pay customers for cards they bring in through your buylists, and lets customers use that credit toward future purchases. Every dollar issued or redeemed is recorded in a permanent transaction log — so you always have a clear audit trail.
How store credit works
The typical flow looks like this:
- A customer brings in 200 cards. You run them through your buylist.
- You grade and confirm the order. Sideboard calculates the total payout.
- You pay out in store credit. The customer’s balance goes up immediately.
- Next time they visit, they redeem that credit toward a purchase.
- Their balance decreases by the amount redeemed.
Each of these steps creates a transaction record on the customer’s profile — so you can always see exactly how a balance was built up and spent.
Issuing store credit
Store credit is issued in two ways:
Automatically — from a completed buylist order: When you mark a buylist order as paid out in store credit, Sideboard adds the payout amount to the customer’s balance and records a transaction with the reason “Buylist payout.” The order is linked to the transaction, so you can trace exactly which order generated which credit.
Manually — by a staff member: You can also add or adjust credit directly from a customer’s profile:
- Open the customer’s profile from the Customers list.
- Click Adjust credit.
- Enter a positive amount to add credit, or a negative amount to deduct it.
- Add a note explaining why (e.g., “Welcome bonus” or “Correction for over-payout on order #42”).
- Click Save.
Manual adjustments are recorded with the reason “Manual adjustment” and your name as the staff member who made the change.
Redeeming store credit
When a customer wants to use their store credit, you deduct it from their balance in Sideboard:
- Open the customer’s profile.
- Click Adjust credit.
- Enter a negative amount equal to what they’re redeeming (e.g.,
-25.00). - Set the reason to “Redemption.”
- Click Save.
This records the deduction and updates their balance. If you’re using Shopify as your point-of-sale, store credit can also be applied at checkout in Shopify directly — the balance will sync back to Sideboard automatically.
Transaction history
Every store credit change is recorded as a transaction. The full history is visible on each customer’s profile, sorted newest-first by default.
Each transaction shows:
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Date and time | When the change happened |
| Amount | Positive for credit added, negative for credit deducted |
| Balance after | What the customer’s balance was immediately after this transaction |
| Reason | Why the credit changed (see reasons below) |
| Reference | If linked to a buylist order, a clickable link to that order |
| Staff member | Who made the change, or “System” for automatic transactions |
| Notes | Any context added at the time |
Transaction reasons
| Reason | When it appears |
|---|---|
| Buylist payout | Credit issued when a buylist order is completed |
| Manual adjustment | Credit added or deducted manually by staff |
| Redemption | Customer used credit for a purchase |
| Refund | Credit issued as a refund |
| Shopify sync | Balance updated to match a change that came in from Shopify |
Store credit and Shopify
If your store is connected to Shopify, store credit balances stay in sync:
- When you issue or deduct credit in Sideboard, the change pushes to Shopify.
- Customers can use their Sideboard store credit at Shopify checkout.
- Sideboard is the source of truth — if the balances ever drift, Sideboard’s number wins.
You don’t need to manage this manually. Sync happens automatically in the background.
Common questions
Can a customer’s balance go negative? No. Sideboard prevents store credit from dropping below zero. If you try to deduct more than the current balance, the adjustment will be blocked.
Can I see which buylist order created a specific credit? Yes. Transactions generated by buylist orders include a direct link to that order in the Reference column.
Can I reverse a manual adjustment? There’s no single “undo” button, but you can create an equal and opposite manual adjustment. For example, if you accidentally added $20, add a manual adjustment of -$20 with a note explaining the correction.
What’s next
- Customer Management — Adding customers and finding them in search
- The Order Flow — How buylist orders trigger store credit payouts
- Shopify Integration — Store credit sync between Sideboard and Shopify
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