# 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.

Canonical: https://productxmlimport.com/blog/compare-at-pricing-from-supplier-feeds
Last updated: 2026-09-07

## 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](/docs/pricing-rules) for worked examples.

## FAQ

### 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.