When you connect a third party marketplace like TikTok Shop to Shopify, it can add unexpected payment gateways to ConnectBooks and make reconciling harder. This article explains why it happens and what to do about it.
How ConnectBooks handles Shopify gateways
ConnectBooks reconciles your Shopify payouts by payment gateway. For example, if customers pay with a credit card, PayPal or Shop Pay, each one gets its own gateway settlement in ConnectBooks. This makes it easy to match each payout to the right bank deposit.
This works well for a standard Shopify store. The problem starts when third party marketplaces sync their orders into Shopify.
What happens when TikTok is connected to Shopify
When a customer buys something on TikTok, they might pay with Apple Pay, PayPal or Venmo. If TikTok is connected to Shopify through an app, it pushes those orders into Shopify, along with the payment method the customer used. Shopify then creates a gateway for that payment method, and ConnectBooks pulls it in.
So you can end up with an Apple Pay gateway, a Venmo gateway or a PayPal gateway in ConnectBooks, even though none of those customers paid you directly. They paid TikTok.
TikTok works like Amazon. It doesn't matter how the customer paid. TikTok collects all the money and sends you a single settlement deposit, so the payment method doesn't matter for your books. ConnectBooks reconciles TikTok payouts through TikTok settlement reports, not through Shopify gateways.
The PayPal problem before app grouping
PayPal can show up in 2 very different ways:
Shopify order paid with PayPal: the customer paid you directly through your Shopify store, and the money lands in your PayPal account.
TikTok order paid with PayPal: the customer paid TikTok with PayPal, the money goes to TikTok, and you get it in your TikTok settlement.
Before app grouping starts, both kinds can sit in the same PayPal gateway group, which breaks your reconciliation.
Once you turn a Shopify app on or off and click Save, ConnectBooks starts grouping orders by app from the next week. Until then, PayPal orders from TikTok and from Shopify can land in the same PayPal group. With app grouping, orders from an app that isn't a core Shopify app get their own gateway, named after the app and the gateway. Apps ConnectBooks doesn't recognize start off.
Why ConnectBooks and QuickBooks may not match
If you turned off certain gateways in ConnectBooks to stop importing TikTok orders, those orders were never exported to QuickBooks, but they still exist in ConnectBooks. That gap causes a mismatch between the 2.
The fix: if you don't want those orders in QuickBooks, remove them from ConnectBooks fully, not just from the export. Excluding an order stops it from syncing but leaves it in ConnectBooks, where it keeps causing discrepancies.
Turn a gateway or app on or off
Go to Stores & Files and click the store.
Open the Gateways & Apps tab.
In the Gateways view, turn the gateway on or off. In the Apps view, turn the app on or off.
Click Save.
The first time you change an app, ConnectBooks asks you to confirm the switch to app based grouping. It starts next week and can't be undone. Click Continue.
A gateway that belongs to an app is turned on or off from the Apps view.
Once app grouping starts, turning off the TikTok app in the Apps view stops its orders from syncing. Orders before that date keep their old grouping.
How to resolve this
Handle TikTok orders through your TikTok settlements in ConnectBooks, not through Shopify gateways. If a gateway comes from TikTok, turn it off so sales aren't counted twice.
Clean up gateway groups you don't want. Each gateway's menu has "Delete from QB" (deletes from QuickBooks) and "Delete All". "Delete from QB" removes that gateway's exported data from QuickBooks. "Delete All" removes its groups and transactions from ConnectBooks. If the data was exported, delete it from QuickBooks first. Then turn the gateway off.
Check your PayPal group for mixed orders. If TikTok is connected to Shopify, orders in your PayPal gateway group from before app grouping started may include both Shopify and TikTok orders. Contact support if you need help separating them.
Going forward: gateways off by default
ConnectBooks no longer turns on every gateway it pulls from Shopify. New gateways are off by default, so third party marketplace payment methods don't create gateway groups on their own. To turn one on, follow the steps in "Turn a gateway or app on or off" above.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn a gateway on or off myself?
Yes. Go to Stores & Files, click the store, open the Gateways & Apps tab, change it in the Gateways view, then click Save.
How do I stop TikTok orders from coming in through Shopify?
Once app grouping starts, turning off the TikTok app in the Apps view stops its orders from syncing. Orders before that date keep their old grouping. Your TikTok sales are handled through your TikTok settlements.
What's the difference between "Delete from QB" and "Delete All"?
"Delete from QB" removes the gateway's exported data from QuickBooks only. "Delete All" removes its groups and transactions from ConnectBooks. If the data was exported, delete it from QuickBooks first.
Why doesn't ConnectBooks match QuickBooks after I turned a gateway off?
Those orders were never exported, but they're still in ConnectBooks. Remove them from ConnectBooks if you don't want them.