Compare-at pricing from supplier feeds: markup and strikethrough
Turn a supplier's wholesale and list prices into a Shopify selling price and an honest compare-at price with multipliers, and know when to use the feed's own old price.
Two numbers, two multipliers
Product XML Import applies two multipliers per feed:
- Price multiplier on the selling price.
- Compare-at multiplier on the compare-at price.
With a feed price of 100, a price multiplier of 1.4 and a compare-at multiplier of 1.8, the storefront shows 140 with 180 struck through.
Prefer the feed's own reference price
Many supplier feeds include a recommended retail price, list price or "old price" element. When it exists, the app uses it as the base for the compare-at price instead of the selling price. That gives you a reference price that is real and defensible, which matters under EU and UK price-marking rules.
Keeping discounts honest
The app writes a compare-at price only when it is higher than the selling price. A feed where the sale price and the regular price are equal produces no strikethrough, so you never show a fake discount by accident.
Margin strategies in practice
| Goal | Price multiplier | Compare-at |
|---|---|---|
| Sell at supplier RRP, show no discount | 1.0 on RRP | none |
| Undercut RRP by 15 percent | 0.85 on RRP | 1.0 on RRP |
| Wholesale feed, 40 percent margin | 1.4 on wholesale | RRP from feed |
| Outlet store from a retail feed | 0.7 on retail | 1.0 on retail |
Beyond multipliers
Rounding to .99, adding a handling fee or using different margins per price band are price policies configured by support for your feed. They run on every sync, like the multipliers.
Read the pricing rules documentation for worked examples.
Frequently asked questions
What is a compare-at price in Shopify?
The higher, crossed-out price shown next to the selling price. Shopify displays it only when it is greater than the price, and the difference reads as a discount.
Is it legal to show a compare-at price from a multiplier?
Consumer law in many countries requires the reference price to be a real previous or recommended price. Using the manufacturer's recommended retail price from the feed is the safest choice; using an arbitrary multiplier is not advisable in the EU.
How do I keep the discount after the supplier changes prices?
Both multipliers are applied on every sync run, so the relationship between price and compare-at price is preserved automatically.
Founder, Ondokuzon
Founder of Ondokuzon and the developer behind Product XML Import by ProXI. Has connected supplier feeds from more than 190 domains to Shopify stores since 2024.