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Bill Hicks as a Source

July 17, 2026

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.

Get Inventory (Primary)
Imports the full Bill Hicks catalog daily — products, pricing, and quantity.
Get Inventory (Secondary)
A lighter, frequent refresh of pricing and quantity only.
Send Fulfillment Requests
Sends orders (Fulfillment Requests) to Bill Hicks.
Get Shipments
Pulls Bill Hicks tracking numbers and ship dates back into Flxpoint.
Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements
Confirms which order lines Bill Hicks will fill.

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).

Get Inventory (Primary), Get Inventory (Secondary) & Get Source Images — No Setup Needed
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.
Send FR, Get Shipments & Get Fulfillment Request Acknowledgements — Required Settings
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.
FFL Number is set automatically from the FFL license on file for firearm orders — it is not part of the mapping template. For Bill Hicks account questions (Customer ID, Ship To #), contact your Bill Hicks representative; for Flxpoint mapping or setup help, contact 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.


FieldMaps To — Notes
category_description / category_codeProduct → Category. Category codes H600 to H608 (firearm categories) also flag the variant with an internal is_firearem custom field.
MFG_productProduct → Manufacturer.
product_pricePricing → Cost.
msrpPricing → MSRP.
universal_product_codeIdentifiers → UPC.
product_weightShipping → Weight.
Qty Avail (BHC_Inventory.csv, joined by SKU)Inventory → Quantity. Defaults to 0 if the SKU has no matching inventory row.
Product / variant imagesImages. Referenced as <SKU>.jpg; the actual image files are pulled separately by Get Source Images, not this operation.
FieldMaps To — Notes
skuVariant → SKU. Required. Primary identifier.
cost (product_price)Pricing → Cost.
msrpPricing → 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.
Source FieldMaps To (Bill Hicks) — Notes
Fulfillment Request NumberCust Po. Required. Tracks the PO at Bill Hicks.
Shipping Address Line 1Address 1. Required.
Shipping Address Line 2Address 2. Optional.
CityCity. Required.
StateState. Required.
Postal CodeZip. Required.
Item SKUItem. Required.
Item DescriptionDescription. Optional.
Item QuantityQty. Required.
Item CostPrice. Optional.
NoteNotes. Optional — truncated to 30 characters and any | pipe characters replaced with ~ before sending.
Source Shipping MethodShip 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.
FieldMaps To — Notes
Ship DateShipment → Shipped At.
Tracking NumberShipment → Tracking Number. Required.
CarrierShipment → Ship Method / Carrier.
Product IDShipment Item → SKU. Required. Matched against your Fulfillment Request line items.
Quantity ShippedShipment Item → Quantity. Required.
PO NumberLookup 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.
FieldMaps To — Notes
PO NumberFulfillment Request Number. Lookup key matching the acknowledgement to your order.
PO Ack DateAcknowledged At. Required. Parsed as dd/MM/yyyy.
Quantity CommittedAcknowledged Quantity. Required.
Product IDSKU. 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
If orders are not appearing at Bill Hicks: (1) confirm the Customer ID is correctly entered in Send FR settings; (2) verify required mapping fields are all populated (Cust Po, Address 1, City, State, Zip, Item SKU, Quantity); (3) the Ship To # is case-sensitive — if set, it must exactly match what Bill Hicks provided; (4) after any configuration change, run a single manual test order and contact your Bill Hicks rep to confirm the file was received in their system in the correct format.
Tracking numbers not importing or returning fake values
Two scenarios: (1) if you are in a test/onboarding phase, fake tracking numbers from Bill Hicks are expected and normal — they will be replaced with real values in production; (2) if in production and no tracking numbers appear, check the Fetch Shipment for Days setting — a value of 7 may be too small if orders take longer than a week to ship; try increasing to 14 or 30. Also confirm Customer ID is correct and the Get Shipments template maps Tracking Number and Product ID.

What fields does Send Fulfillment Requests require for Bill Hicks?
Required Send FR fields: Fulfillment Request Number → Cust Po (tracks the PO at Bill Hicks), Shipping Address Line 1 → Address 1, City, State, Postal Code → Zip, Item SKU → Item, and Item Quantity → Qty. Optional: Address Line 2, Item Cost → Price, and Note. The FFL number (license number with dashes only — no extra text) should be in your data for FFL-required firearm orders. After configuring, test a single Send PO job and confirm with your Bill Hicks rep that the order file was accepted in their system.
How do Get Shipments and Get Acknowledgements work?
Get Shipments: Downloads a shipment text file from the Bill Hicks FTP. Configure Fetch Shipment for Days (e.g., 7) to control the lookback window. Required mappings: Carrier, Tracking Number, Ship Date, Quantity Shipped, and Product ID (SKU). Customer ID is required.

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?
GIS focuses on variant-level updates: SKU (required), Quantity, and Cost from 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.
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