XML FEED from stockist site? How do I take it from their site and put it on mine?

[Treasurebycaz]

Hello everyone,

 

Im new to OSC. Im selling products from a dropship site that has lots of items. They provide an XML feed and a CSV feed from their site, of all their products. This feed also updates stock that has gone out of stock.

 

Rather than put every item on manually, I want to insert their feed into my site, but haven't got the foggiest idea of where to start? This way it is more time efficient and alot less work. I'll also know what items are available and what isn't. We don't want to be selling items we haven't got now, do we?

 

My last resort is to pay for someone to put it on for me, but I really don't want to spend anymore money.

 

If any one can talk me through it, Id be very very very grateful!!!

 

Many thanks for reading my post

 

 

Kerry

[mastubbs]

I'm in exactly the same boat as you kerry - did you ever figure it out?

 

Anyone else have any idea?

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[presley32]

Hi All I am also lost in how to do this so by the looks of things you will be helping a lot of us.

Anyone got any ideas please post to help us newbies

Regards andrew

 

Hello everyone,

 

Im new to OSC. Im selling products from a dropship site that has lots of items. They provide an XML feed and a CSV feed from their site, of all their products. This feed also updates stock that has gone out of stock.

 

Rather than put every item on manually, I want to insert their feed into my site, but haven't got the foggiest idea of where to start? This way it is more time efficient and alot less work. I'll also know what items are available and what isn't. We don't want to be selling items we haven't got now, do we?

 

My last resort is to pay for someone to put it on for me, but I really don't want to spend anymore money.

 

If any one can talk me through it, Id be very very very grateful!!!

 

Many thanks for reading my post

 

 

Kerry

[johnnybebad]

The main issue appears to be that each supplier would need a coded solution, all solutions based around inserting the data into your own database, the difference would be the mapping, ie, what supplier feed information is equivalent to your own database fields.

 

To insert xml into a database is apparently not difficult.(lol still trying to get my head around this)

 

However you have to have the suppliers fields matching your own database entries.(Map them out so you can update your own database).

 

The store feeder module shows that you can export via an xml file and that information gets imported into yahoo, froogle etc, but each has its own coded solution, and hence going from your supplier to your store you will need a coded solution.

 

I was hoping to get the XML synchronizer working as that updates via an xml file, example files given, but I couldnt get this to work either, so couldnt get any further.

[rfh927]

Hi Folks,

 

I've done this with two of my sites, one using an XML product feed and the other using CSV, and it's WAAAAAY more complicated than you would think. I ended up bidding the first project out on GetAFreelancer, and found a really good programmer from New Zealand who handled both projects for what I think was a bargain price. The CSV feed was the easiest of the two, and he had it working well within a month or so. The XML feed was more complicated, and it took from July to October to get it working properly.

 

There was a lot of coding involved, and some interesting new osC modules were created in the process. For instance, there's a tiered markup module that allows total control of price markups across the board, a control module that allows me to schedule how often and at what times the feeds should be run, a hazmat module to add a hazardous materials charge to certain categories (i.e. ammunition) using certain shipping methods, and a lot more. The data feeds add new products and product images, delete discontinued products, update pricing based on the settings in the tiered markup module, and update product inventory counts.

 

Anyone interested in a referral should feel free to contact me.

 

Bob

[Guest]

Hi Folks,

 

I've done this with two of my sites, one using an XML product feed and the other using CSV, and it's WAAAAAY more complicated than you would think. I ended up bidding the first project out on GetAFreelancer, and found a really good programmer from New Zealand who handled both projects for what I think was a bargain price. The CSV feed was the easiest of the two, and he had it working well within a month or so. The XML feed was more complicated, and it took from July to October to get it working properly.

 

There was a lot of coding involved, and some interesting new osC modules were created in the process. For instance, there's a tiered markup module that allows total control of price markups across the board, a control module that allows me to schedule how often and at what times the feeds should be run, a hazmat module to add a hazardous materials charge to certain categories (i.e. ammunition) using certain shipping methods, and a lot more. The data feeds add new products and product images, delete discontinued products, update pricing based on the settings in the tiered markup module, and update product inventory counts.

 

Anyone interested in a referral should feel free to contact me.

 

Bob

 

 

Well,

 

besides saying that it is possible, you haven't given us a real solution.

Is the solution: "Buy it from the same guy I bought it from?"

[GemRock]

i guess there is no one-fits-all solution. it would depend entirely on the data each supplier gives to you and i dont think these suppliers would adapt their data to your liking. you may know very well about the data in osc products/categories but you may not be able to come up with a specific solution until you see the supplier's data/feed be it xml/csv. to say it takes more than one week or ridiculously months to do this thing, i guess you have handed it to someone who see it as a learning exercise, or simply he himself is a student trying to earn a few bucks of extra spending money while learning sometihng.

 

Ken

[♥geoffreywalton]

To get your site updated from a csv file is not particularly difficult.

 

Can be done in several ways, all assuming you use Easy Populate.

 

1. Get the file and reformat it using excel macro into an EP format, apply your margin to the prices to get your selling price and then import using EP.

 

2. Get the file and pass it through an access db, mark parts not on the feed any more as inactive, add in new ones and update existing ones, apply your margin to the prices to get your selling price and then import using EP.

 

3. Guess you can think of more processing required ............

 

G

[GemRock]

yep, not particularly difficult BUT only if and when it is possible.

if the supplier is a fan of osc then you are in your best of luck. problem is they aren't and they don't give a damn to your osc or ep or whatever (remember in the general chat forum there is a guy who is told that he must change domain to use his 'physical shop name' in the domain as a condition of doing business with them - they are or they think they are the King!).

i happened to come across with a site whose supplier only gives two columns of data in csv, one is stock code the other stock level, with instructions of something like: if stock code ending or beginning with a certain letter then do this otherwise do that including deleteing a product from db, etc... :) i guess you either spend your whole life doing it manually as by the time you finish one update (several thousands) a new update is probably in the waiting, or you...(no suggestion is sought).

 

Ken