> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://partners.usecharlie.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Common objections.
> How to handle the most common pushbacks when pitching Charlie.
## "Shopify already handles our fulfillment."
Most merchants don't know how Shopify actually routes their orders. It's a static priority list — first location on the list gets the order, every time, regardless of stock, capacity, or proximity.
**What to ask:**
* *"How does Shopify decide which location fulfils an order right now?"*
* *"If I look at your last 30 days — which locations are doing most of the work, and which ones are barely touched?"*
* *"Are stores ever cancelling or transferring orders after they've been assigned?"*
That last question is the tell. If stores are cancelling or transferring, there's significant manual rework happening — and the merchant is absorbing that cost silently.
***
## "We're evaluating a full OMS."
A classic OMS takes 6 to 18 months to go live, costs \$100k+ in setup, and adds a second interface every store team has to use every day.
Charlie goes live in a few days, costs $350 to $3,000/month, and lives entirely inside Shopify. Same capabilities — without replacing anything they already use.
It's also a smart way to validate before committing. Go live with Charlie, get real data on routing performance and store behaviour, then decide if a full OMS is still necessary — with evidence rather than assumptions.
**What to ask:** *"What are they trying to validate before committing — and what's the cost of waiting 12 months to find out?"*
***
## "It's not a priority right now."
The cost of not solving this is silent but compounding: stock misallocated across locations, stores overwhelmed during peak, revenue attributed to the wrong channel, store managers with no visibility into their real contribution.
Charlie goes live in a few days. The evaluation effort is minimal. The cost of waiting is not.
***
## "We don't want another tool to manage."
Charlie doesn't add a tool. It lives inside Shopify and Shopify POS — the same interface store teams already use. No second screen, no new login, no training.
***
## "How is this different from what Shopify does natively?"
| Capability | Shopify native | Charlie |
| --------------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Order routing | \~5 static rules | 50+ dynamic rules: stock, capacity, tags, proximity, cart value |
| Safety stock | Not available | Per-location buffer stock |
| Capacity management | Not available | Daily order limits per location |
| Revenue attribution | Not available | Per-location tracking |
| Omnichannel analytics | Not available | Cross-channel retail performance |
***
## "We have systems outside Shopify."
Charlie is Shopify-native. If a meaningful part of the merchant's commerce runs outside Shopify — marketplaces, B2B, a separate POS — Charlie isn't the right fit.
Say so clearly. It's better to qualify out early than to force a fit that won't hold.
***
## Charlie vs. a classic OMS.
| | Charlie | Classic OMS |
| -------------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| Time to go live | A few days | 6–18 months |
| Setup cost | \$0 | \$100k+ |
| Monthly cost | $350–$3,000 | Custom (high) |
| Cost per order | \$0 | \~$0.50–$1.00 |
| Interface | Inside Shopify | Separate platform |
| Engineering required | None | Significant |
One-page PDF version — send it to a prospect or bring it to a meeting.
Get into the product details before a technical conversation with a client.