Why prices don't update

If you've noticed that product prices in your store differ from the target website, don’t worry—this is usually expected behavior. Real-time price updates are not possible when using web scraping methods. Some stores frequently change their prices, while External Importer syncs products on a set schedule.

If you suspect that prices are not updating as they should, follow these steps to identify and resolve the issue.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check the Last Update Timestamp

• Navigate to the product edit page.

• Locate the Product synchronization widget in the right sidebar.

• Verify the last update date.

• If needed, manually trigger a synchronization by clicking Sync now.

2. Review Synchronization Settings

• Go to External Importer > Settings > Synchronization.

• Confirm that Price synchronization is enabled.

• Check your Update period settings to ensure they match your expectations.

3. Verify if the Source Domain is Throttled

If the source website is throttling requests, price updates may be delayed.

• Go to External Importer > Settings > Extractor.

• Check for messages about:

  • Exceeding the daily request limit.

  • Too many consecutive errors.

• You can adjust or disable limits to improve synchronization.

• Visit External Importer > Logs to check for errors related to throttling.

4. Check for HTTP Errors and IP Blocking

• In the Product Synchronization widget, look for HTTP-related error messages.

• If your server IP is blocked (you will see errors like 503 or 403) by the source website:

  • Consider activating a scraping service to bypass restrictions.
  • Try extracting the product using External Importer > Import Tool to get more details about potential scraping issues.

5. Test Synchronization with Different Methods

If you are using Cron synchronization:

• Switch to Frontend synchronization and refresh the page.

• If the price updates successfully, Cron may not be working correctly.

To fix potential Cron issues:

• Disable and re-enable External Importer to restart all scheduled tasks.

• Install a cron manager plugin (e.g., WP Crontrol) to diagnose and manage cron jobs.
• Ensure your website has regular traffic, as WordPress cron tasks rely on visitor activity.

• If your website has low traffic, set up a real Cron job on your server to ensure scheduled tasks run consistently. Contact your hosting provider for assistance.

6. Understand Cron Synchronization Limits

• The synchronization script runs every 10 minutes.

• It can update up to 2,500 products per day.

• If you have a large inventory, consider adjusting your synchronization strategy.