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Resolving Automation Delays Causing Inventory Sync Issues Between Shopify and QuickBooks Online via Webgility Online

This article helps Webgility Online users in diagnosing and resolving automation delays that disrupt Shopify inventory syncing with QuickBooks Online. These delays can cause unsynced items, duplicate product entries in QuickBooks Online, or incomplete inventory updates. The article covers common causes such as disabled inventory tracking in Shopify, API or automation timeouts, duplicate items from sync failures or resyncs, and authorization or token expiration. It provides a systematic approach to identify and fix these issues, ensuring accurate and timely inventory synchronization.

Overview

Occasional automation delays can disrupt Shopify inventory syncing, resulting in unsynced items, duplicates in QuickBooks Online (QBO), or incomplete updates. This article provides a systematic approach to diagnose and resolve these issues.

Common Causes

  • Inventory tracking not enabled: Items without enabled tracking in Shopify will not sync inventory levels.
  • API/automation timeouts: Syncing relies on scheduled automated processes that may occasionally time out due to data volume or system latency.
  • Duplicate items in QBO: Sync failures or resyncs can cause duplicate product entries.
  • Authorization/token expiration: Loss of sync typically follows revoked or expired credentials.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Verify Inventory Tracking in Shopify

  • Instruct the customer to review their product settings in Shopify:
    • Go to Products > select product > ensure Track quantity is enabled.
  • Only items with inventory tracking will sync quantity changes.

2. Review Sync Logs and Timing

  • In the Webgility Online logs:
    • Check most recent successful and failed sync batch timestamps.
    • Confirm if the last run experienced a timeout or delay (typically every 15 minutes).
  • Document whether the affected items appear in the failed batch.

3. Check for Duplicates in QuickBooks Online

  • Inspect the linked QBO account for unintended duplicate items:
    • If duplicates appear, note when they were created relative to sync events.
    • Compare against Shopify item SKUs for mapping errors.
  • If necessary, merge or remove redundant QBO records per internal SOP.

4. Resync and Reauthorize Shopify Store

  • If timeouts or token errors are suspected:
    • Reauthorize the Shopify connection in Webgility Online.
    • Initiate a manual sync after reauthorization to confirm restoration of sync activity.

5. Monitor Ongoing Automation

  • Set up monitoring or alerts for sync queue status and automation batch outcomes.
  • Expect sync intervals (every 15 minutes) and known automation delays.