Bricksync Questions

tons_of_bricks

So I'm a seller on Bricklink looking to expand to Brickowl in the future. I came across Bricksync and it looks like just what I need. I have a couple questions about it if anyone can help me out.

1. Currently all my inventory (225,000 pieces) is on bricklink, nothing on Brickowl. When I download Bricksync and set it up, will it automatically transfer everything to Brickowl or will I have to do something first (such as going in and out of blmaster)?

2. When adding pieces to the inventory, do I have to do it on the computer that I downloaded Bricksync on? I have a cheesy laptop (chromebook, or something like that) that I use to list. I won't be able to download Bricksync onto it. Would it be possible to turn blmaster on for Bricksync (which would be downloaded on a computer), list on the laptop, then turn blmaster off, and Bricksync would correct all inventory, or is that not how it works?

3. Would multiple listings of the same piece in the same, color and condition but different descriptions work alright through Bricksync? For example, lets I have two used white 2x2 plates, but one has a couple nicks, so I want separate listings for each. Would Bricksynce keep those separate? I saw some complaint about Bricksync messing up in that kind of scenario, but it was from a couple years ago so I'm not sure if it's been fixed.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Anything else that you think I should know about Bricksync would be greatly appreciated.

leopard37

Please read the bricksync faq as most of these questions have answers there. You need a dedicated computer to run sync on all the time for best results. If setup properly almost all your inventory will transfer.

Tyson.

Hoddie

1 - most items would transfer over automatically. However, the catalogues are slightly different so a list of exceptions will be created by Bricksync in an error log. You can either ignore these items (and thus don't make them available for sale on Brickowl), or otherwise work through the list and tell Bricksync which items on Brickowl they correspond to.

2 - yes you can do what you suggest and it would work. But it's resource intensive because Bricksync downloads your entire Bricklink inventory with every use of blmaster, and you may use up your Bricklink API allowance quite quickly. blmaster is best reserved for when you're doing a lot of work on your inventory (after a stock check for example, or when combining a lot of part-outs).

3 - not sure as this isn't something I do myself. You could try it and see - move all of your inventory on Bricklink to the storeroom except for a few test lots, then run Bricksync to see how it handles this.

@leopard37 is right, you should really familiarise yourself with the Bricksync FAQ and list of commands, as it should answer most questions and give hints about best practice for the various types of inventory management.

tons_of_bricks

Thanks so much guys! I did look through the FAQ, and found the answer to question 1, but didn't see an answer to question 2 or 3.

I'm not the one who lists, another family member does. And while they've gotten the hang of listing, they're not too computer savvy, so I'm afraid the commands will be too much over their head. Some of them look confusing for me. Which is why blmaster will be very useful when listing large quantities of items. I'll develop a system for our listing that would only require us to use blmaster a couple times a day.

Thanks again!

White Horse Bricks

3. Yes, Bricksync will cope with this, it will also look for keywords to allocate Brickowl's quality rating to parts (As new, Good, Acceptable). So if you describe a part as 'with playwear', or 'like new', it will get allocated accordingly.

tons_of_bricks

> @"White Horse Bricks" said:
> 3. Yes, Bricksync will cope with this, it will also look for keywords to allocate Brickowl's quality rating to parts (As new, Good, Acceptable). So if you describe a part as 'with playwear', or 'like new', it will get allocated accordingly.
>

Thank you!

tons_of_bricks

One more question: I've heard there is an API limit for bricklink, like 5,000 or something. How much does the blmaster use each time? Only one?

Hoddie

No, it's a bandwidth issue - Bricksync will report how much of your BL API allowance you have used when it launches.

tons_of_bricks

> @Hoddie said:
> No, it's a bandwidth issue - Bricksync will report how much of your BL API allowance you have used when it launches.

Thank you! You've been very helpful. I have another question. :) I read that bricksync doesn't retain items in the BL stockroom, but there is a way to enable that, by changing a value in a file from 0 to 1 or something like that. But I can't seem to find it anymore. So is there a way to make bricksync keep items with 0 quantity in my BL stockroom, so I don't have to relist it everytime it sells out?

Sorry to keep bugging you with all the questions, but I want to make sure I understand bricksync really well before trying it. :)

robernat

@firestar246 The setting in Bricksync is in the 'bricksync.conf' file (just edit and save and relaunch BS). Personally I retain on both sites and delete manually when I no longer need them, I find it extremely usefull on BO as BO keeps a history of 'lot changes', obviously when a lot is deleted, the history is gone as well. The feature helps me to detect inventory mistakes as it helps to retrace what happend.
My setting looks like this in the Bricksync config file (all the way at the bottom):
// Advanced configuration

// Experimental, set to non-zero to retain all lots on BrickLink, BrickOwl and tracked inventory
retainemptylots = 1;

// Experimental, set to non-zero to reuse existing and empty BrickOwl lots with matching external_id/LotIDs
brickowl.reuseempty = 1;

robernat

@firestar246 As to your earlier question #2 only run BS on 1 machine, running it on 2 machines might mess up your stock heavely. Let your family members add to BL (from other PC's is not a problem), you as well if you like. Just run the blmaster command once or twice a day (depending on how much you guys list per day) and you'll be fine.

tons_of_bricks

Thanks guys! I've got it up and running and it's working great!