Download inventory

theHellmouth

I would like a feature to download the inventory in bsx file format. I have no idea how difficult it would be, but parsing a bsx file is possible, so I guess it's a possibility?

walstib

Vote for your own idea too

Really useful for people who are not syncing to BL and managing all their inventory separate from any one internet site.

Lawrence

Just to clarify, do you mean your store inventory? So you want to download it into Brickstore, edit it, and then submit the update XML to us?

theHellmouth

I want to download it and be able to use it in brickstore, so lot ids and stuff don't say much when I open my inventory in excel. Quantity and price are all fun, but there is no information on pieces themselves. For me there is no need to be able to go back and forth (preserving lot ids and all), maybe for others there is?

Lawrence

Although I can see the want to do this, there is a big caveat, Brickstore uses the Bricklink catalogue whereas obviously we use the Brick Owl catalogue, so where we have items that do not exist on BrickLink or where we do not have them linked up, it would not work.

Maybe you could say what it is in particular that you want that is in Brickstore that we could instead put on the website.

Lawrence

After seeing @walstib post on BL I can understand the need a bit more, to just have an empty "document" that you can add stuff to do what you want with, not necessarily tied to a certain inventory or anything on the site.

The issue of what database it uses is an issue though, unless you have some neutral independent open source database of items that everybody uses and is freely available, a piece of software could not really allow you to manage your store inventory independent of other sites.

theHellmouth

Hm, I understand the problem ... but you do manage to import bsx files? Is the same problem not present when importing too?

Lawrence

Same issue, I guess it's just a bit more scary doing it with your inventory as you would probably expect it to work. I suppose I could make it pop-up a bunch of warnings telling you not to rely on it and if there were any non-matches.

walstib

The issue of what database it uses is an issue though, unless you have some neutral independent open source database of items that everybody uses and is freely available, a piece of software could not really allow you to manage your store inventory independent of other sites.

I hear you, much thought has been going into this for me. The way you handle external ids has given me a direction.

For me now, I am aware of what I have and is in what catalog. Understanding the risks I am capable of micromanaging these limits.

I would like to be able to download my inventory in BSX, edit it in Excel if I need to to remove Owl specific data (manage that in some other way like dropping them in the BSX file), manipulate that data in brickstore because it fills a specific set of tools, and update my inventory here.

Maybe you could say what it is in particular that you want that is in Brickstore that we could instead put on the website.

As has been mentioned in other posts, the price guide is an honest issue. For a good amount of time people are going to price things either based on their prices on BL averages or personal prices based on that data.

I can't see you incorporating that into the site, nor would expect you too, but the reality is there.

Stores that are syncing get this as a bonus, independent stores here of whatever form are at a disadvantage for "quickly" pricing their items.

theHellmouth

Yeah something would at least be better than nothing. It would be much appreciated!