Merchant API Building Blocks

ShareASale’s API is an often untapped way to save time by automating common or repetitive tasks. Its technical nature, however, can be a barrier to truly tapping into the full potential of our API. In this tutorial, we are going to explore the step-by-step building blocks needed for a successful merchant API request.

Start with: https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm?

Then add:

• ?merchantID=YourMerchantID (your merchant ID number)
• &token=abcDE1 (your unique token – tools tab > API)
• &version=3.0 (current API version – Tools > API)
• &action=void (your desired API action/request)

Final URL:https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm?merchantId=YourMerchantID&token=abcDE1&version=3.0&action=void

Step #2: Create the URL Request

All API requests are basically a URL – you might be familiar with something similar when navigating the web. When you type in the URL ‘www.facebook.com’ you’re requesting information from Facebook. For the ShareASale API your URL is ‘https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm’.

Instead of the browser receiving a web page for a human, an API request is a script receiving data for a computer.

Let’s first create the URL:

Start with: https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm

All requests must contain:

• ?merchantID= your merchant ID number
• &token= unique alphanumeric token received when account is set up for API use. Check your settings for yours.
• &action= one of the supported actions (edit, void, etc. from step 1 above)
• &version= currently 3.0

Step #3: Adding Additional Parameters

Working through a VOID transaction API request, we have the following so far:

• https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm?merchantId=YourMerchantID&token=123abc&version=3.0&action=void

Different API requests require extra parameters. A VOID API request also needs the minimum:

• &date= format mm/dd/yyyy of the original order’s date
• &ordernumber= your order number to be voided
• &reason= URL encoded text description of void reason

If we had an order number 123 originally placed on June 1^st 2021 that was returned by a customer as the wrong size our request is now:

• https://api.shareasale.com/w.cfm?merchantId=YourMerchantID&token=123abc&version=3.0&action=void&date=06/01/2021&ordernumber=123&reason=ReturnedMerchandise

Step #4: The Final Touch 

As a safety measure, ShareASale’s API requires you prove you really are our merchant. This prevents anyone other than yourself to void transactions, request reports, or edit banners! 

That is why every request requires authentication. You can set only certain IP addresses to gain access, and/or send a special encoded authentication string with your request depending on the API version.

This is a bit technical, so read more on our Merchant API settings page (Tools >> Merchant API) including sample code to get you started. Once the authentication is setup, no more work is necessary.