Self-listing in the shared catalog
Premium products featured beyond your own shop — submission flow, approval, delivery zones, and direct price edits.
The shared catalog — your premium shelf
Before you were verified, your products lived only in your shop's catalog — buyers found them through your videos, your shop page, or category search. Now that you're verified, you can submit products into the shared catalog — a wider system that surfaces products through the algorithm, dedicated browse surfaces, and (optionally) the affiliate program.
This guide is about self-listing — the path where you keep all the proceeds and creators don't promote it. For the affiliate path (where creators promote your products for a commission), see the Affiliate Sellers section.
When self-listing makes sense
Use self-listing for:
- Premium / high-margin items you want featured prominently.
- Items where you don't want to share commission with creators.
- Inventory you can fulfill at scale — catalog visibility brings more orders than your shop alone, so you need stock.
- Items with strong product photos — catalog surfaces show products in a polished grid, photos have to be great.
Use the affiliate path instead for:
- Items you want creators to push for you.
- High-volume items where creator commission is cheaper than ads.
- Items you don't have time to promote yourself.
You can mix: some products self-listed, others affiliate-listed.
How submission works (no admin review for self-list)
Unlike affiliate products (which need admin approval), self-listed catalog products go live as soon as you submit them. No review queue, no waiting.
The trade-off: you can't have creators promote a self-listed item through the affiliate program. If you change your mind later, you can re-submit the same product as affiliate-eligible — but that requires the admin review process.
The submission flow
Step 1 — From the Seller Hub
Tap Catalog → + Add to catalog. (Same place as the affiliate submission flow; you'll choose which type during the form.)
Step 2 — Pick "Self-list"
The first question on the form is the toggle:
- Self-list — you keep all the proceeds; no creator commission.
- Affiliate-list — creators can promote and earn commission.
Pick Self-list.
Step 3 — Fill in the catalog fields
Catalog products use a richer schema than basic shop products. You'll fill in:
- Name — same as a basic product.
- Description — same.
- Photos — at least 3, max 10. Quality matters more here than on a basic product — catalog browse surfaces show them in a grid, bad photos read worse next to good ones.
- Product class — pick from the dropdown (Fashion, Electronics, Home Goods, Food, etc.).
- Category — narrower than product class. For Fashion, you'd pick something like "Dresses → Casual."
- Brand — pick from the dropdown, or pick "Generic" if your item isn't branded.
- Price in UGX.
- Stock quantity.
- Variants — optional. If your product has sizes / colours, you can add them here as variants of one product (unlike basic products, where each variant is a separate listing).
Step 4 — Set delivery zones for this catalog product
Catalog products use per-product delivery zones, separate from your shop's default zones.
Tap Delivery zones → for each zone you serve with this product:
- Zone name ("Kampala," "Wakiso," "National bus park").
- Areas (district / town).
- Fee in UGX.
- Free-delivery threshold (optional).
Why separate from shop defaults? Catalog products often have different shipping economics — a single light item ships nationally for cheap; a bulky one is local only. Per-product zones let you match fees to reality.
If you want this catalog product to use your shop's default zones, toggle "Use shop defaults" and skip this section.
Step 5 — Tap "Submit"
The product goes live immediately. It appears:
- In the shared catalog browse surfaces.
- In its category's catalog feed.
- In search results matching the keywords.
- On your shop page under a "Catalog products" section.
No waiting, no review.
Direct price edits — a self-list advantage
Self-listed products let you change the price directly at any time. Open the product → Edit → change the price → Save. Live immediately.
Affiliate-listed products require a price-change request — admin approves within 48 hours, creators get notified of the pending change, and only then does the new price kick in.
For shops that need to flex prices fast (flash sales, market shifts, clearing inventory), self-listing is the easier flow.
Self-listed products and the algorithm
Catalog products surface in places basic shop products don't:
- The Catalog browse surface — a separate UX where buyers explicitly browse the shared catalog by class, brand, price.
- Curated lists — periodic editorial picks ("Top kitenge dresses this week").
- Featured rails within the home feed.
The algorithm gives self-listed catalog products a small boost over basic shop products. Not huge, but real.
How buyers see your shop in the catalog
When a buyer is browsing the catalog and finds your product:
- They see the product card.
- They tap to open the product page.
- The page shows your shop name with the verified check.
- They can tap your shop name to visit your full shop.
So catalog presence drives traffic to your full shop too, not just the catalog product. A buyer who came for one catalog item often ends up browsing your other products.
What if a product underperforms?
Catalog products don't have a minimum performance bar — they can sit in the catalog forever without selling. But:
- Low-performing products get less algorithm boost over time.
- A product with consistent 1-star reviews can be flagged for removal by admin.
- Products that violate policy (fakes, prohibited items) are removed on first complaint.
If a product isn't moving:
- Check the photos — are they below the catalog standard?
- Check the price — is it competitive with similar catalog products?
- Check the description — does it answer obvious buyer questions?
- Consider re-submitting with better content rather than just leaving it dormant.
Converting between self-list and affiliate
You can flip a self-listed product to affiliate-listed (or vice versa) by re-submitting it under the new type.
- Self-list → affiliate-list: requires admin review, takes 1-3 days. Once approved, creators can pick it up.
- Affiliate-list → self-list: the existing creators promoting it get a 30-day lock window during which they keep earning commission, then the product fully converts.
The 30-day lock exists so creators aren't ambushed by a sudden commission cut. Use the conversion thoughtfully — flipping back and forth annoys both creators and the algorithm.
Common questions
Can I have a product in the basic shop catalog AND the shared catalog?
Yes — they're effectively the same product, but with extra catalog metadata. The shared catalog version is just your shop product with the extra fields filled in. Buyers don't see two listings; they see one product with both shop-level and catalog-level visibility.
Do catalog products use the same Delivery PIN flow?
Yes. Every order goes through escrow + PIN + 48-hour dispute window, regardless of whether the product was found through your shop or through the catalog.
Can I set a flash sale on a self-listed product?
Yes — same flow as a basic product. Edit → Flash sale → set the sale price + end time. Updates instantly (no admin approval needed for flash sales on self-listed items).
My self-listed product was removed without warning.
Check Edit → notifications. The most common reasons:
- Policy violation — fake brand, prohibited item, misleading photos.
- Repeated buyer complaints about the same issue.
- Catalog quality threshold not met — photos too low quality.
If you think it was removed in error, reply to the removal notification (or email support@kampalasnap.com with the product name). We re-review on appeal.
Are there limits on how many products I can self-list?
The Pricing Hub sets the per-tier caps. Base tier verification typically allows 20-50 catalog products; premium tier raises this. Check Edit → Verification → Tier details for your specific limit.
Can buyers leave reviews on catalog products differently?
No — reviews are at the shop level, not the product level. A buyer who bought your catalog kitenge dress can rate your shop, post about the product in your trust feed, but there's no separate "product reviews" surface.
This is by design: shops have reputations; products are listings under those shops.
What's next
- Self-promote videos — tag your catalog products in your own videos for a Buy-now button.
- The Affiliate Sellers section — submit products for creators to promote.