Bill Hicks as a Source
Summary
Bill Hicks & Co. is a firearms, ammunition, and outdoor sporting goods distributor. Get Inventory (Primary), Get Inventory (Secondary), and Get Source Images connect over FTP using credentials Flxpoint has pre-configured: no connection setup is required. Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements all require a Customer ID from Bill Hicks, entered in each operation's integration settings; Send Fulfillment Requests also supports an optional Ship To #. The integration pulls the full catalog and quantities from BHC_Catalog.csv and BHC_Inventory.csv, and can fetch product images to S3 via Get Source Images.
Bill Hicks Get Inventory (Primary), Get Inventory (Secondary), and Get Source Images need no connection setup: Flxpoint's FTP credentials are pre-configured. For Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements, add the source, open the operation's integration settings, and enter your Customer ID (plus an optional Ship To # for Send Fulfillment Requests).
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
Pre-Configured FTP ConnectionAutomatic | Flxpoint connects automatically to Bill Hicks' FTP using credentials Flxpoint maintains: you do not enter any host, port, username, or password. Just add Bill Hicks as the source and proceed directly to configuring your operations. |
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
Customer IDRequired | Your Bill Hicks Customer ID (Customer Number), provided by Bill Hicks. Required on Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements: enter it in each operation's integration settings. Bill Hicks matches incoming order files and outbound feed rows to this number. |
Ship To #Optional | Optional Ship To # (e.g. 001) for Send Fulfillment Requests only, configured in integration settings, not the mapping template. Most dealers use it only when the shipping address differs from their FFL address. Case-sensitive; leave blank if unsure. |
Fetch Shipment / Acknowledgment for DaysOptional | Lookback window in days (default 7) for Get Shipments and Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements: controls how far back Flxpoint looks for new 856 ASN / 855 ACK feed rows. Increase it if orders regularly take longer than a week to ship or be acknowledged. |
support@flxpoint.com.GIP and GIS use hardcoded FTP credentials: no FTP setup required for inventory operations
Bill Hicks GIP and GIS connect using pre-configured credentials managed by Flxpoint. You do not need to enter FTP credentials for inventory operations: simply select Bill Hicks as the integration type and proceed directly to settings. Inventory is retrieved as a product/pricing catalog file plus a separate quantities file.
Customer ID required for Send FR, Get Shipments, and Get Acknowledgements
Three operations require a Customer ID from Bill Hicks: Send Fulfillment Requests, Get Shipments, and Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements. Obtain your Customer ID from Bill Hicks' Account Dashboard or by contacting their support. Enter it directly in the integration settings for each operation. Keep it secure: it authenticates all order-related requests to Bill Hicks' FTP.
Ship To # goes in integration settings, not in the mapping template
Bill Hicks moved the Ship To # from the mapping template to the integration settings to keep order files in their exact required format. Enter a value (e.g., 001) only if Bill Hicks provides one: most dealers use 001 when the shipping address differs from their FFL address. Leave it blank if unsure. Ship To # is case-sensitive and must match exactly. Consult your Bill Hicks account manager if uncertain.
Imports the full Bill Hicks catalog daily: products, pricing, and quantity.
| Field | Maps To: Notes |
|---|---|
| category_description / category_code | → Product → Category. Category codes H600 to H608 (firearm categories) also flag the variant with an internal is_firearem custom field. |
| MFG_product | → Product → Manufacturer. |
| product_price | → Pricing → Cost. |
| msrp | → Pricing → MSRP. |
| universal_product_code | → Identifiers → UPC. |
| product_weight | → Shipping → Weight. |
| Qty Avail (BHC_Inventory.csv, joined by SKU) | → Inventory → Quantity. Defaults to 0 if the SKU has no matching inventory row. |
| Product / variant images | → Images. Referenced as <SKU>.jpg; the actual image files are pulled separately by Get Source Images, not this operation. |
A lighter, frequent refresh of pricing and quantity only.
| Field | Maps To: Notes |
|---|---|
| sku | → Variant → SKU. Required. Primary identifier. |
| cost (product_price) | → Pricing → Cost. |
| msrp | → Pricing → MSRP. |
| quantity (Qty Avail) | → Inventory → Quantity. |
| Full catalog fields (title, category, manufacturer, images) | Not included in Secondary: these come from Get Inventory (Primary). Run Primary daily for the full catalog and Secondary more frequently to keep Cost, MSRP, and Quantity current. The optional Allow Create Variant toggle lets Secondary create new variants between Primary runs. |
Sends orders (Fulfillment Requests) to Bill Hicks.
| Source Field | Maps To (Bill Hicks): Notes |
|---|---|
| Fulfillment Request Number | → Cust Po. Required. Tracks the PO at Bill Hicks. |
| Shipping Address Line 1 | → Address 1. Required. |
| Shipping Address Line 2 | → Address 2. Optional. |
| City | → City. Required. |
| State | → State. Required. |
| Postal Code | → Zip. Required. |
| Item SKU | → Item. Required. |
| Item Description | → Description. Optional. |
| Item Quantity | → Qty. Required. |
| Item Cost | → Price. Optional. |
| Note | → Notes. Optional: truncated to 30 characters and any | pipe characters replaced with ~ before sending. |
| Source Shipping Method | → Ship Method. |
| FFL Number (from your FFL license info) | → FFL #. Auto-populated for firearm orders, not set via the mapping template. |
| Customer ID (integration settings) | → Customer Number. Required. Set once in integration settings, not in the mapping template. |
| Ship To # (integration settings) | → Ship to#. Optional, case-sensitive. Set in integration settings, not in the mapping template. |
Pulls Bill Hicks tracking numbers and ship dates back into Flxpoint.
| Field | Maps To: Notes |
|---|---|
| Ship Date | → Shipment → Shipped At. |
| Tracking Number | → Shipment → Tracking Number. Required. |
| Carrier | → Shipment → Ship Method / Carrier. |
| Product ID | → Shipment Item → SKU. Required. Matched against your Fulfillment Request line items. |
| Quantity Shipped | → Shipment Item → Quantity. Required. |
| PO Number | → Lookup key. Matches the shipment rows to your Fulfillment Request Number, not itself a mapped field. |
| Fetch Shipment for Days (setting, default 7) | Controls how many days back Flxpoint looks in the 856 ASN feed, not a mapping field. |
Confirms which order lines Bill Hicks will fill.
| Field | Maps To: Notes |
|---|---|
| PO Number | → Fulfillment Request Number. Lookup key matching the acknowledgement to your order. |
| PO Ack Date | → Acknowledged At. Required. Parsed as dd/MM/yyyy. |
| Quantity Committed | → Acknowledged Quantity. Required. |
| Product ID | → SKU. Required. Matched against your Fulfillment Request line items. |
| Fetch Acknowledgment for Days (setting, default 7) | Controls how many days back Flxpoint looks in the 855 ACK feed, not a mapping field. |
Send FR not delivering to Bill Hicks: order file not accepted
Tracking numbers not importing or returning fake values
Get Acknowledgements failing when using Buyer's Item Number?
What fields does Send Fulfillment Requests require for Bill Hicks?
How do Get Shipments and Get Acknowledgements work?
Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements: Downloads an acknowledgement text file. Configure Fetch Acknowledgment for Days (e.g., 7) and Customer ID. Required mappings: PO Number → Fulfillment Request Number, PO Ack Date → Acknowledged At, Quantity Committed, and Product ID (SKU). This confirms whether Bill Hicks accepted each line of your order.
What does GIS (Secondary) add beyond GIP for Bill Hicks?
BHC_Inventory.csv. It also supports the Allow Create Variant toggle: enable this only if you expect new variants from Bill Hicks' feed between full GIP runs. GIS is useful for more frequent stock/price refreshes without re-importing full product data from GIP. Run GIP daily for full catalog syncs and GIS more frequently for quantity accuracy.