At a Glance
- Onboard cannabis vendor partners in minutes -- one email invite is all it takes
- Vendors set up their own portal account with their contact details and W-9
- Works for both cannabis and non-cannabis vendors
- The vendor's W-9 is collected right in the invite -- no chasing, no faxed forms, no back-and-forth
How Cannabis Vendor Onboarding Works
Getting a new vendor into your payment workflow should not take days of emails and paperwork. When you need to onboard a cannabis vendor on ShelfSpace, you add the vendor and the platform sends a single email invite. The vendor clicks the link, creates their portal account, and enters their contact and business information. That is the entire process.
From your side, you provide the vendor name and email address. The platform handles the rest -- the invite, the follow-up if they have not responded, and the portal walkthrough if they need help. Most vendors complete setup in under ten minutes. Learn more about cannabis accounts payable and how onboarding fits into the broader workflow.
What Vendors See
When a vendor receives your invite, they land on a branded setup page. They create a login, enter their business and contact details, and complete their W-9 right in the flow -- so their taxpayer information is on file from day one. No bank account is required to get set up: by default vendors are paid by a Check 21 check they download and deposit like any other, drawn on your bank account. A vendor who prefers direct deposit can link a bank in their Settings later to receive ACH bank transfers instead -- still no forms to fax. The entire experience is self-service and guided. No phone calls. No faxed forms. See vendor W-9 and tax forms for how tax documents are collected, signed, and shared.
Once onboarded, vendors get access to the vendor portal where they can view payments, download checks, review invoices, and respond to credit memos. They see only what relates to your dispensary -- nothing from other retailers on the platform.
Cannabis and Non-Cannabis Vendors
The platform handles both cannabis and non-cannabis vendors through the same onboarding flow. Whether you are bringing on a flower distributor, an edibles brand, or your packaging supplier, the process is identical. Every vendor gets a portal, every vendor receives payments the same way, and every vendor shows up in your QuickBooks file with proper categorization.
Bulk Onboarding
If you are moving your entire vendor list to ShelfSpace, the platform supports bulk onboarding. Provide a CSV or spreadsheet with vendor names and email addresses, and the platform sends invites to the full list at once. It tracks who has completed setup and sends follow-up reminders to stragglers so you do not have to.
For dispensaries with 20 or more vendors, this saves hours of individual outreach. Most vendors activate within one to two weeks of the initial bulk invite.
After Onboarding
Once a vendor is active, they are immediately available for payments. Their profile syncs to QuickBooks and they appear in your AP dashboard. The next time you have an invoice from that vendor, the platform can verify it and generate a payment without any additional setup.