Frequently asked questions
Does Rentshelf work with every Shopify theme?
Section titled “Does Rentshelf work with every Shopify theme?”Rentshelf provides a Shopify theme app extension. Add the Rental Calendar Widget app block to the product template, or use compatible embed placement. Verify the actual product form on your theme; see the installation guide.
If you use a custom Vintage theme, contact support — we’ll help you place the picker manually.
What happens to the product’s native price?
Section titled “What happens to the product’s native price?”Use Hide theme product price for rentals and Hide theme unit price in rental cart lines in Rentshelf Settings or the widget override. Keep shared theme price blocks so normal products still show their prices. Test the amount at checkout separately.
Does this use Shopify subscriptions / selling plans?
Section titled “Does this use Shopify subscriptions / selling plans?”No. Rentshelf uses regular Shopify orders. Storefront bookings carry rental dates and prices into Shopify orders as line-item properties. Manual bookings can exist separately. Test taxes, discounts, shipping and fulfillment against your actual rental checkout.
Can the same product be rented and bought?
Section titled “Can the same product be rented and bought?”Yes, with the Predefined rental durations mode. The rental picker can show Rent/Buy tabs and switch between modes on the product page.
In Manually-selected mode the product is rental-only while the picker is visible.
How is inventory handled?
Section titled “How is inventory handled?”Each rental product has a totalUnits field (default 1). When a rental is booked for dates X → Y, those dates count against that product’s available units. If you rent 2 bikes, someone can book both at the same time but a third customer picking overlapping dates will see “unavailable”.
Rentshelf tracks date-based rental availability separately from Shopify inventory. Review Shopify inventory behavior for your checkout and fulfillment setup; do not assume the app synchronizes the two stock systems.
Can I block specific dates (holidays, maintenance)?
Section titled “Can I block specific dates (holidays, maintenance)?”Yes. Use the Calendar screen in the admin to create blackout dates per product or across your whole store.
Can I add seasonal pricing?
Section titled “Can I add seasonal pricing?”Yes. Seasonal pricing is available on Starter and Growth. Use it to adjust rental prices for holidays, peak seasons, weekends, school breaks or low-season discounts.
See Seasonal pricing.
Can I search, link or unlink products in bulk?
Section titled “Can I search, link or unlink products in bulk?”Yes. The Rental products page includes search for linked rental products, and the Link products popup can search Shopify products and filter by collection.
For large catalogs, link products in smaller batches so the admin remains responsive. You can also select multiple rental products and unlink them in bulk without deleting the Shopify products.
See Bulk product linking.
Can I customize the Rent Now or Add to cart button?
Section titled “Can I customize the Rent Now or Add to cart button?”Yes. You can control rental product buttons from Rentshelf → Settings or from Shopify Theme Editor → Rental Calendar Widget → Rental product buttons.
Rentshelf can rename the theme Add to cart button for linked rental products, show a Choose rental dates message until valid dates are selected, and hide or keep dynamic checkout buttons such as Buy it now. Non-rental products are unchanged.
What if a customer cancels?
Section titled “What if a customer cancels?”Cancelling the Shopify order cancels the related booking automatically (via the orders/cancelled webhook). Dates immediately become available again.
Can I sync rentals with Google Calendar / iCal?
Section titled “Can I sync rentals with Google Calendar / iCal?”iCal export is on the roadmap. For now, use the in-app Calendar screen or export bookings as CSV.
Does it work with Shopify POS?
Section titled “Does it work with Shopify POS?”Storefront bookings flow to Shopify as standard orders, so POS merchants can view rental details inside the regular order view. The rental picker itself is storefront-only.
My picker shows on products I didn’t link. Why?
Section titled “My picker shows on products I didn’t link. Why?”The app embed is enabled on every product page, but it auto-removes itself if the current product isn’t configured as a rental. If you see the picker on a product you didn’t link, either:
- The product is linked in the app (check the Products screen), or
- The storefront is caching an old rental config — reload the page.
The customer is seeing an error when adding to cart.
Section titled “The customer is seeing an error when adding to cart.”Two common causes:
- Another rental app is installed. Conflicts with IzyRent, Appointment Booking, Sesami or similar apps can break the cart flow. Uninstall the competing app from Settings → Apps and sales channels.
- You’re testing from the Shopify theme preview. Shop Pay can’t load inside the preview iframe, causing a cross-origin error. Test from a real browser tab with
/products/<handle>on your live store domain.
How do I get help?
Section titled “How do I get help?”- Crisp live chat: bottom-right of the docs or admin panel (UK business hours)
- Email: info@rentshelf.app
- Book a call: we offer a free 15-minute onboarding call — book one from the banner on your admin dashboard.
Why do I need to verify my support email?
Section titled “Why do I need to verify my support email?”Rentshelf asks merchants to verify the support email before sending customer emails. This prevents someone from entering an email address they do not control and using it as the customer-facing contact.
After verification, Rentshelf can send booking confirmations, pickup reminders, return reminders and test emails with the merchant support email as Reply-To.
Can I send test emails from Settings?
Section titled “Can I send test emails from Settings?”Yes. Open Rentshelf → Settings, verify the support email, then enter a destination address in Send test emails to.
The field is blank by default so private Rentshelf support addresses are not exposed inside merchant stores.
When are reminder emails sent?
Section titled “When are reminder emails sent?”Pickup and return reminder emails follow the store’s notification schedule. You can set how many days before pickup or return the email should be sent, and the send time used in the store timezone.
How do I export a filtered rental calendar?
Section titled “How do I export a filtered rental calendar?”Set the month and filters in Calendar & Blackouts, then choose Export CSV. The file follows the active filters and is a snapshot. See Calendar guide.
Does a payment link automatically charge the customer?
Section titled “Does a payment link automatically charge the customer?”No. The customer follows the link to pay the remaining balance. Check payment status separately from sent status. See Remaining balances.
Does pickup selection always enable Shopify native pickup?
Section titled “Does pickup selection always enable Shopify native pickup?”No. A label can record a pickup preference without selecting native pickup at checkout. The location-stock checkout pilot is currently demo-only. See Locations and delivery.
Can I stop accepting rentals without deleting their history?
Section titled “Can I stop accepting rentals without deleting their history?”Turn off Active — accept new bookings on the product. Products with bookings cannot be unlinked, protecting their booking history and reminders.