# Introduction

> What you can build with the Swaglists API and how an order flows from your store to your customer's door.

Source: https://swaglists.com/docs/introduction

Swaglists manufactures print-on-demand products for your brand. You design products once, sell them in your own store, and every time a customer buys, your backend sends us the order. We print it, pack it with your branding and ship it to your customer — your customers never see our name.

The API is a JSON REST API at `https://swaglists.com/api/v1`. Everything you can do in the dashboard for products and orders, you can do with it.

## What you can build

- **Automatic order forwarding** from Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or a custom checkout: a paid order in your store becomes a production order here within seconds. See [Integrations](https://swaglists.com/docs/shopify.md).
- **Personalized products** — names, photos or generated artwork per order, uploaded on the fly with the order. See [Personalized orders](https://swaglists.com/docs/personalized-orders.md).
- **Your own product builder** on top of our catalog: list products with your wholesale prices, render previews from mockup templates, create products with your own SKUs.
- **Customer-facing order tracking** in your store or app using our webhooks, shipment objects and branded tracking page.
- **Back-office tooling**: reconcile your prepaid credit wallet, export products to your store, reprocess failed orders.

## How it works

```text
 Your customer            Your store / backend                    Swaglists
 ─────────────            ────────────────────                    ─────────────────
  pays for an order  ──►  receives "order paid"
                          POST /orders  (SKUs, address)    ──►    price it (estimate = charge)
                                                                   reserve credits from your wallet
                                                                   produce print files at the exact size
                                                                   accept for production (credits spent)
                          webhook order.in_production       ◄──    print, pack with your branding
                          webhook order.shipped (tracking)  ◄──    ship
  gets tracking email ◄─  (or your own email)
  & branded tracking page                                          webhook order.delivered
```

1. **Set up once.** Pick products from the [catalog](https://swaglists.com/docs/catalog.md), upload artwork and create [products](https://swaglists.com/docs/products.md) — each variant gets a SKU (yours, or one we generate). Export them to your store as a CSV, or create them in your store yourself with the same SKUs.
2. **Fund your wallet.** Orders are paid from prepaid [credits](https://swaglists.com/docs/billing.md). Bigger top-ups earn bonus credits.
3. **Forward orders.** When a customer pays, call `POST /orders` with the shipping address and the SKUs. Prices are deterministic: [`POST /orders/estimate`](https://swaglists.com/docs/pricing.md) returns exactly what you will be charged.
4. **Track.** Subscribe to [webhooks](https://swaglists.com/docs/webhooks.md) to update your store when the order goes into production, ships and is delivered.

## Key concepts

| Concept | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| [Catalog product](https://swaglists.com/docs/catalog.md) | A blank product we make (a tee, a poster, a mug) with variants (colors, sizes) and print areas called placements. |
| [Design](https://swaglists.com/docs/designs.md) | Your artwork placed on a placement, with a position and size. |
| [Product](https://swaglists.com/docs/products.md) | A catalog product + your designs + your SKUs. What you sell. |
| [Order](https://swaglists.com/docs/orders.md) | Items (SKUs) shipped to one recipient. Moves through `processing` → `in_production` → `shipped` → `delivered`. |
| [Wallet](https://swaglists.com/docs/billing.md) | Your prepaid credits. Orders reserve credits when confirmed and spend them once accepted for production. |
| [Test mode](https://swaglists.com/docs/test-mode.md) | A full sandbox with test keys, free test credits and simulated production. |

## API at a glance

| Endpoint | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `GET /account` | Retrieve your account |
| `GET /catalog/categories` | List catalog categories |
| `GET /catalog/products` | List catalog products |
| `GET /catalog/products/{id_or_slug}` | Retrieve a catalog product |
| `GET /files` | List files |
| `POST /files` | Upload a file |
| `GET /files/{id}` | Retrieve a file |
| `DELETE /files/{id}` | Delete a file |
| `GET /products` | List products |
| `POST /products` | Create a product |
| `GET /products/{id}` | Retrieve a product |
| `PATCH /products/{id}` | Update a product |
| `DELETE /products/{id}` | Archive a product |
| `GET /products/by_sku/{sku}` | Find a product variant by SKU |
| `GET /products/{id}/variants` | List product variants |
| `POST /products/{id}/variants` | Add product variants |
| `PATCH /products/{id}/variants/{variant_id}` | Update a product variant |
| `GET /product_variants/{id}` | Retrieve a product variant |
| `POST /shipping/rates` | Get shipping rates |
| `POST /orders/estimate` | Estimate an order |
| `GET /orders` | List orders |
| `POST /orders` | Create an order |
| `GET /orders/{id}` | Retrieve an order |
| `PATCH /orders/{id}` | Update a draft order |
| `POST /orders/{id}/confirm` | Confirm a draft, or release an order waiting for credits |
| `POST /orders/{id}/cancel` | Cancel an order |
| `GET /orders/{id}/events` | List order events |
| `GET /wallet` | Retrieve the wallet |
| `GET /wallet/transactions` | List wallet transactions |
| `GET /topups` | List top-ups |
| `GET /topups/{id}` | Retrieve a top-up |
| `GET /webhook_endpoints` | List webhook endpoints |
| `POST /webhook_endpoints` | Create a webhook endpoint |
| `GET /webhook_endpoints/{id}` | Retrieve a webhook endpoint |
| `PATCH /webhook_endpoints/{id}` | Update a webhook endpoint |
| `DELETE /webhook_endpoints/{id}` | Delete a webhook endpoint |
| `POST /webhook_endpoints/{id}/rotate_secret` | Rotate the signing secret |
| `POST /webhook_endpoints/{id}/test` | Send a test event |
| `GET /events` | List events |
| `GET /events/{id}` | Retrieve an event |
| `POST /test/wallet/fund` | Add test credits |
| `POST /test/orders/{id}/advance` | Advance a test order |

## Next steps

- Make your first test order in the [Quickstart](https://swaglists.com/docs/quickstart.md) — about five minutes.
- Read [Authentication & API keys](https://swaglists.com/docs/authentication.md) and [Test mode](https://swaglists.com/docs/test-mode.md).
- Building with an AI assistant? Give it [https://swaglists.com/llms-full.txt](https://swaglists.com/llms-full.txt) — the whole documentation in one file.