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General Questions
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What features are available for farmers and food producers?
The OFN platform has many features to help producers, CSAs, other makers and artisans, including:
- map-able, searchable profiles
- unlimited products and catalogues
- multiple pricing structures
- your own stores
- ability to sell through unlimited other hubs/stores on the network
- inventory managed in one place
- easy import of products via an Excel file
- full suite of management tools
- all payment method options
- extensive reporting
- capacity to manage CSA subscriptions
- standing orders
- export of customer lists
What features are available for farmer's markets?
The OFN platform has many features to help farmer’s markets, including:
- map-able, searchable profiles
- pay only for months you are open
- no additional fees for vendors
- unlimited vendors
- 2 different setup options:
- mirror your face-to-face market
- multi-vendor store
- inventory managed by vendors
- full suite of management tools
- extensive reporting
- all payment method options
- standing orders
- automated ‘pick & pack’ sheets
- export of customer lists
What features are available for food hubs and buying clubs?
The OFN platform has many features to help hubs, stores, co-ops and buying clubs, including:
- map-able, searchable profiles
- ability to find suppliers
- directory listing and map
- unlimited products and catalogues
- multiple pricing structures
- retail and/or wholesale
- membership tracking
- members-only shops
- real time inventory management
- ‘bulk buy’ feature
- full suite of management tools
- extensive reporting
- all payment method options
- standing orders
What languages is the platform available in?
Currently the OFN platform and user guide are available in English and French. The description of your farm, store, products, etc. can be entered in whatever language you prefer.
How often is the platform updated? Will there be downtime?
Updates are done weekly without downtime.
What does your 24/7 support include?
We have a 24/7 support for our servers and system to make sure our servers are all working as they should.
Front-end support is ready to help by email 7 days a week from 8am – 5pm, but we can be available by appointment outside that window.
Do you have integration with accounting software?
What other software do you integrate with?
Do you have a directory of everyone on the network?
Yes, the platform includes is a searchable directory, with a map listing vendors, producers, farmers, markets, hubs and buying clubs. Enterprises have the choice to be “visible” or not visible in these lists and on the map.
Pricing Questions
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What pricing plans are available?
We have pricing plans for all different seller types with a range of annual sales. We also have special pricing for sellers just starting out. For more details, check the Software Pricing page.
Can I switch between plans?
Why do businesses & non-profits operated by Indigenous Canadians have free access?
We recognise that to redress the legacies of colonialism in Canada, we need to build food systems that tackle economic inequality and promote food sovereignty. As a small step in that direction, our platform is free to use for enterprises owned by Indigenous Canadians, or not-for-profits where more than 50% of the leadership team is Indigenous.
What if I currently have an enterprise on OFN and I am undecided if I want to continue?
We can either place your enterprise(s) in “profile” mode or close your account.
- An enterprise in “profile mode” cannot run order cycles but can continue to have a presence on the platform. This option will retain any product lists or settings you have chosen in case you want to reactivate your account in the future.
- Closing an account means we will remove your user information completely.
By default, we will place your account in profile mode starting January 31, 2021 to avoid losing any user-created information. Please email us if you would like to close your account.
What if I want to do a holiday or pop-up market but I only paid for a seasonal (4 month) subscription?
You can convert your seasonal subscription to a 1-year subscription, which allows you to run as many pop-ups as you’d like throughout the year. Please contact us to upgrade your subscription plan.
If I choose a seasonal (4 month) subscription and find that I need to use the platform longer, can I convert it to a 1-year subscription?
Yes! Please contact us and we can extend your subscription.
Shop Back-end Questions
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What shop management tools are available?
Administrators have access to order management, automatic invoicing, vendor and customer management. For more information check our User Guide.
What tools are provided for customer management?
Each customer has their own account with order history, invoice and payment tracking. Check our User Guide for more information.
Customer lists can be exported for newsletters and promotions. See Q&A on Reports.
What tools are provided for order management?
You can remove or add items to an order, issue adjustments (e.g., waive fee), and create orders manually. Supplier accounts, customer orders and invoices all auto-calculate with these changes. For more information check our User Guide.
How are vendors connected to a multi-vendor store?
In a multi-vendor store, products from any number of individual producers can be displayed in a single store that offers one-stop shopping to consumers. The coordinator of a multi-vendor store will generally find suppliers on the network, review their products and availability, and connect to the supplier to inquire about stocking their products. Provided that producers are interested in participating, a hub/market can continue to stock products from an unlimited number of vendors at no extra charge.
More detailed information about to setup multi-vendor stores and order cycles is available in our User Guide.
How is vendor inventory managed across different stores?
There are multiple ways to manage your stock list or inventory. Basically, as a vendor/supplier, you set inventory permissions for the hub/store/market who is re-selling your products. You can choose to have the stock on hand be a ‘shared pool’ and counted down in one place across multiple stores, or it can be an allocated pool and counted down separately by each store.
What kind of reports are available?
The following pre-defined reports are available: pick lists, payments, pack lists, customer lists. For a full list check the User Guide.
What formats can I download the reports in?
You can download all the reports in a CSV (Excel) file. This format is easily manipulated and imported into other applications. For more on Reports, check the User Guide.
Shop Front-end Questions
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Can customers see their order history?
Yes, customers can see all orders they have placed with your store by logging in to the platform and checking their Account.
How does the bulk-buying option work?
Bulk buying provides a way to help members of a buying club meet minimum case sizes. Check the User Guide for more details.
How does mirroring face-to-face market work?
Each individual market vendor has their own ‘store’ just like a farmers’ market booth. They take payment from customers directly. We put all the vendors into a virtual market and set up a searchable display for products in that market.
How does a store with multiple vendors work?
Multiple market vendors are suppliers in one storefront, providing one stop shopping for customers. The customer orders once, and orders go to the individual vendors automatically. The vendors receive their payment from the market.