[DEV] Inventory Integration eBay/Amazon [2-way]

[Martin]

This is not a declaration of intent or a request for interest from potential customers so if you're getting all excited, please sloooow the heck down and grab a cold shower.

Instead this is a question for other developers out there who may have looked into functionality that does the following:
- Adds custom/hidden fields to the product table or an "integration" join table to the ISC database
- Uses these-fields/this-table to link eBay and/or Amazon listings to ISC listings (eg: product ref -> eBay listing ID -> Amazon listing ID)
- Updates the inventory levels on remote (eBay/amazon) listings when items sold on ISC
- Runs regular CRON checks to check for sales on eBay/Amazon and updates both location (ISC) and remote stores (ie: whichever didn't make the sale) with amended inventory


As you can probably guess, I'm not interested in integrating the descriptions, prices or anything along those lines because that's a whole other ball ache but I am interested in ensuring that there is an accurate level of inventory reporting so that I don't oversell...

So, open to developers... Anyone looked at this at all, got any suggested places to start, etc...?

[sanjayi]

I am looking for integrating 4D Secure in the since few month, do you have any pointers you can share me?

[Mod Note: SEO URL removed]

[Martin]

I am looking for integrating 4D Secure in the since few month, do you have any pointers you can share me?

Erm? I have to ask if you are spamming or if this is some aspect of Amazon/eBay API that I don't know about?

[noticz]

I have a way to do this for amazon and a way for eBay as well but there are some bugs here and there that I need to fix. I was just thinking that we needed to get our inventory straight since it is a huge mess. If anyone is interested and can help out please let me know.

So far I have the code to:
- Take orders off amazon and import them into the store.
- Once order is shipped then it updates the shipping on the website, amazon or eBay with cron job.
- Checks if feedback needs to be left on eBay and leaves feedback if it is left for you.
- Checks if any orders are new on eBay and updates them created table.
- When shipped adds customer email to a temp mailing list which Interspire Email Marketer takes over so we can send them tracking information and a neat customer follow up email.
- Also checks if the item has been delivered and emails the customer that the item has been marked as delivered.

[Martin]

I'd love to help but my stretched time has hit snapping point as of a couple of days ago so I couldn't hope to get involved until end of September now.

Please keep me posted or if you need to brainstorm any "odd" behaviour on the ISC end as I may have some intel that'll help.

[noticz]

I would be willing to share/trade, we are trying to implement inventory tracking in our store. Has anyone made anything that helps out track inventory? I read some posts about Interspire not grouping products with the same SKU number and sounds time consuming to jump in. The reason I replied to this forum is because we are going to be using the addons that I created to sync Amazon and eBay orders into our store. Since I am familiar with Cron jobs we will probably have a script run in the background every 10 minutes and check for new orders on eBay and Amazon. If it finds one it will import the order into the store along with the product so stock levels will be the same.

Before I start this I was wondering if anyone had any pointers and if there is something I should know. I am debating on importing orders and customers a couple ways:
Importing directly into the database or using the Interspire Customer/orders class to import the orders (not sure if anyone has tried this and it has worked?)

Some questions I am needing answered that goes with the above:
1. Has anyone used the Interspire classes to import orders and create customers?
2. What are the main inventory issues the Interspire has that I should be aware of?
3. I am using Interspire 5.0.2 Vendor Edition. Has anyone had the Paypal Standard problem with order showing 'awaiting payment'? If so how do I fix this? I have spent hours trying to fix it and can't for the life of me.


Hey Martin, end of September wouldn't be bad and would love to brainstorm. Send me a PM with your google chat, msn messenger or aim names/emails if you have one.

[Martin]

I would be willing to share/trade, we are trying to implement inventory tracking in our store. Has anyone made anything that helps out track inventory? I read some posts about Interspire not grouping products with the same SKU number and sounds time consuming to jump in.

Grouping is something I've got covered with my inventory bundling module so that is possible...

Before I start this I was wondering if anyone had any pointers and if there is something I should know. I am debating on importing orders and customers a couple ways:
Importing directly into the database or using the Interspire Customer/orders class to import the orders (not sure if anyone has tried this and it has worked?)

Nobody has done it to my knowledge but I'm sure the eBay module provides some clues on how it could be handled but don't treat that like a fully functional product module as all the feedback indicates it was a p*ss poor implimentation that needed rewriting.

Some questions I am needing answered that goes with the above:
1. Has anyone used the Interspire classes to import orders and create customers?

Nope.

2. What are the main inventory issues the Interspire has that I should be aware of?

It currently allows for duplicate inventory depletions due to a bug that I've done my best to track down. I have a workaround that folks are badgering me to release that uses the file cache to act as a failsafe... If a file exists in the cache with the order number it knows it's already fired in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't fire the inventory code again. Obviously it creates this temp cache file when it first iterates so the duplicates can be spotted. I tried this approach with the database but it didn't work... I suspect some threaded code functions were at work but I couldn't identify the problem area so just went with a hack...

3. I am using Interspire 5.0.2 Vendor Edition. Has anyone had the Paypal Standard problem with order showing 'awaiting payment'? If so how do I fix this? I have spent hours trying to fix it and can't for the life of me.

Oh you and everyone else... It's a known issue that may be resolved in a newer version but one key thing to check is that you have the primary account email set in your Paypal module config.

I haven't worked out what causes it but I do know that I'm not seeing the same issues quite as much with 6.1.1.

Hey Martin, end of September wouldn't be bad and would love to brainstorm. Send me a PM with your google chat, msn messenger or aim names/emails if you have one.

Sounds good... We're going to be seriously busy until then so bug me again nearer the time and I'll PM you with the relevant info'... For now you can get me on gplus.to/websnail

[noticz]

I would be willing to share/trade, we are trying to implement inventory tracking in our store. Has anyone made anything that helps out track inventory? I read some posts about Interspire not grouping products with the same SKU number and sounds time consuming to jump in.

Grouping is something I've got covered with my inventory bundling module so that is possible...

If you have a start for me please send it on over, I am ready to toss in this function of the addon I am working on.

Before I start this I was wondering if anyone had any pointers and if there is something I should know. I am debating on importing orders and customers a couple ways:
Importing directly into the database or using the Interspire Customer/orders class to import the orders (not sure if anyone has tried this and it has worked?)

Nobody has done it to my knowledge but I'm sure the eBay module provides some clues on how it could be handled but don't treat that like a fully functional product module as all the feedback indicates it was a p*ss poor implementation that needed rewriting.

This wasn't to hard to implement using the existing products, orders and customer classes. I currently have ebay/paypal order automatically synced to the store along with orders from amazon. I extended the paypal checkout module and added a sweet function that took the longest to finish and get perfect. Also while doing this I think I have a good idea of why the paypal checkout module messes some orders up. All products are cross referenced with their SKU and added to the order when it is synced. However I haven't looked at how this would work to well for the multiple variations yet which seems like more work then it is worth since we currently don't need to track Inventory for the variations we do have in the store.

Some questions I am needing answered that goes with the above:
1. Has anyone used the Interspire classes to import orders and create customers?

Nope.

Completed, pretty easy!

2. What are the main inventory issues the Interspire has that I should be aware of?

It currently allows for duplicate inventory depletions due to a bug that I've done my best to track down. I have a workaround that folks are badgering me to release that uses the file cache to act as a failsafe... If a file exists in the cache with the order number it knows it's already fired in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't fire the inventory code again. Obviously it creates this temp cache file when it first iterates so the duplicates can be spotted. I tried this approach with the database but it didn't work... I suspect some threaded code functions were at work but I couldn't identify the problem area so just went with a hack...

I think I fixed this issue by changing the settings under checkout to 'Update inventory when an order status is changed to shipped or completed'

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3. I am using Interspire 5.0.2 Vendor Edition. Has anyone had the Paypal Standard problem with order showing 'awaiting payment'? If so how do I fix this? I have spent hours trying to fix it and can't for the life of me.

Oh you and everyone else... It's a known issue that may be resolved in a newer version but one key thing to check is that you have the primary account email set in your Paypal module config.

I haven't worked out what causes it but I do know that I'm not seeing the same issues quite as much with 6.1.1.

Having worked with paypal IPN for a long time I know how it works. I think what is happening is when a customer checks out via paypal and returns to the cart before paypal sends a response back to the cart that it is completed, the cart will mark and leave it as awaiting payment. The paypal IPN gets delayed sometime or it is down here and there. I actually have a log that is available of the Paypal IPN and how unreliable it is here: http://www.palmanager.com/blog/blog.php?categoryID=5

Hey Martin, end of September wouldn't be bad and would love to brainstorm. Send me a PM with your google chat, msn messenger or aim names/emails if you have one.

Sounds good... We're going to be seriously busy until then so bug me again nearer the time and I'll PM you with the relevant info'... For now you can get me on gplus.to/websnail

Can't wait

[noticz]

Well the inventory mod was pretty easy actually. I just had to edit the remote.php and lib/orders.php and add a couple lines of code to check if there are any products with the same sku and then update them as well.

[Martin]

Still alive... just posting to let you know...

Currently VERY busy but will be in touch...