Buy used goods at your Shopify POS
Shopify POS can sell and refund, but it can't buy from a customer. A "return" breaks your tax, so buy-ins end up on paper and in a spreadsheet. RNS Buy Counter adds the buy counter to POS, with the records the police ask for.
14-day free trial · from $39 a month · billed by Shopify
- Works in Shopify POS
- Store credit, gift card or cash record
- Test mode at install: no seller emails
A buy-in paid in store credit, its items on hold before resale. Sample seller and amounts.
How it works
- Make a fair offer fastSearch or scan the item, pick its condition, and the app offers a price from your rules, higher in store credit. Ready on install: cash 40% and store credit 55% of your sell price, so a Good item you sell for $499 offers $160 cash or $220 store credit. Change any of it.
- Pay the sellerIn Shopify store credit (added at once), a Shopify gift card, or a record of cash, cheque or another way you paid. The seller signs the printed copy; the receipt and a barcode tag print.
- Stock it and hold itThe item goes into stock at what you paid, kept off sale for your hold days, then published on its own. When it sells, you see the margin.
THE APP · 6 REAL SCREENS
Home: the last buy-in with its printed receipt, what was paid and when the hold ends.
One buy-in: $300 in Shopify store credit, the cash and credit offer for each item, into stock at cost, and on hold until 18 Oct.
The receipt the seller signs, and a barcode tag for each item that says when it may go on sale.
The register for one day: what went out in cash, store credit and gift cards, and every item bought, with its seller.
Sellers ask what you would give before they come in: what it is, its condition and photos. You reply with an offer range.
How offers are worked out: a % of your sell price for each condition, cash above and store credit below, with an example.
THE APP · 6 SCREENS · SWIPE
Who it's for
Shops that buy used stock over the counter.
- 01Video game and record shopsmany items in one buy, store credit worth more than cash.
- 02Used music gear, cameras and electronicsserial numbers, photos, holds before resale.
- 03Sneaker, streetwear and book shopsquick offers by condition, tags on every item.
- 04Licensed second-hand dealersseller ID, a daily register and a police export.
What you get
- Offer rules by collection, type or SKU; grades; fixed price lists by CSV
- Payouts in Shopify store credit, gift cards, cash or cheque
- Into stock at cost (a "Used" variant or a new draft product), holds, margin when sold
- Receipts, signed copies and hold tags with a barcode
- Seller ID vault, daily register, police export, repeat-seller flags (Pro)
- Quote request page on your own domain: sellers ask before they come in (Pro)
What it can't do
- Mail-in trade-ins and shipping labels: it's for sellers at your counter.
- Live market prices: offers come from your sell prices and rules.
- Send the police export straight to LeadsOnline: you download or email the file.
Plans and price
- 1 location; unlimited buy-ins, sellers and staff
- Offer rules, store credit, gift card, cash and cheque payouts
- Into stock at cost, holds, receipts and tags
- Up to 3 locations, everything in Starter
- Seller ID vault, daily register, police export, repeat-seller flags
- Online quote request page
- Unlimited locations, everything in Pro
- Police export emailed on a schedule
One free trial per shop. Shops on a paid plan of RNS Counter, House Charge or Trade Accounts: 50% off the first 3 months of a monthly plan. Billed by Shopify.
Questions
Does it move money?
No. Store credit and gift cards are Shopify's own; cash comes from your drawer and the app records it.
Isn't a payout just a refund?
No. Store credit and gift cards here pay for goods the shop buys from a person; there is no order and no earlier sale, so your sales and tax stay right.
Do I need new customer accounts?
For store credit, yes. Without them the app pays with a gift card or a cash record and says why. Shopify charges third-party fees when customers spend store credit on stores created after 12 May 2025 (Shopify help, checked 14 Oct 2026).
What is ready on install?
A starter rule (cash 40%, store credit 55% of the sell price) and 3 grades (Like new, Good, Fair). Edit them any time.
Is it legal advice?
No. It keeps the records many dealer laws ask for; rules differ by city, state and province, so you pick the register and export columns.
Can sellers mail items in?
No. It's in store only: no mail-in portal, shipping labels or live market prices.
Set up and use
5 steps
- Install the app and start a plan's 14-day free trial. Test mode is on, so receipts and quote replies go only to your store's address.
- Home: check the starter offer rule (Looks good), save your hold days, and Make a sample buy-in to see the receipt and hold tag; Take it back removes it.
- In Shopify POS: in Shopify admin add the Buy Counter tile (Point of Sale › Settings › POS app › Add tile › Apps › Buy Counter) and turn on Buy from customer (Apps for Point of Sale › Activate on); then open a customer and tap Buy from customer, or tap the tile.
- Buy: add each item (search, scan or new), pick its condition, then the seller, the statement (if you use one) and how to pay. The receipt and hold tags print; the item goes into stock at its cost.
- Settings: payouts, holds, receipts, seller ID and the police export (Pro), the quote page (Pro), and under More settings your offer rules, staff and email templates. Turn Test mode off when the test email looks right.
Why RNS
- Pays in Shopify's own store credit and gift cards; the app never moves money
- Offers, stock at cost and holds in your Shopify catalog, from the POS
- Never charged by buy-ins; one location from $39 a month
Learn more
- Related: RNS Inventory Notes gives every stock change a reason and a cost.
- Your data: what the app reads and keeps is on the privacy page.
- Help: email support@rnsapps.com with your store address. We answer within one working day.