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Sync Issues

Admin Manager

Use this page when your WooCommerce website and Brother POS don't agree — products missing online, stock or prices that differ, or a sync that seems stuck.

Quick fixes​

  • A sync looks stuck — Give a big import a few minutes. Then go to Settings > WooCommerce Monitor and check Recent Sync Logs. To start a new cycle, click Sync Now on the Product Sync card under Settings > WooCommerce Integration.
  • A product isn't on the website — Check it's active, has a SKU, and its category has WooCommerce Sync turned on. Then, on your WordPress site, click Sync all products from BrotherPOS now on the plugin's API Setup tab.
  • Stock doesn't match — Brother POS is the one to trust. Wait for the next update, or (older "legacy pull" setup) click Push Now on the Inventory Push card.
  • A deactivated product is still online — Update the WordPress plugin to 1.7.21 or newer, then run Sync all products from BrotherPOS now.
  • Nothing syncs at all — On Settings > WooCommerce Integration, check it doesn't say Integration Disabled. If it does, click Edit Settings and tick Enable WooCommerce Integration.

Common questions​

Where should I change products and prices? In Brother POS. Changes go out to your website from there. Edits made directly in WooCommerce can be overwritten or cause mismatches.

Why are prices different online? Brother POS stores prices before tax. If WooCommerce shows prices including tax, they'll look different even when they match.

Why do I see the same product twice? Products are matched by SKU. If the SKU differs between the two systems, they're treated as two products. Make the SKUs match and remove the extra one.

More detail: how WooCommerce sync works

How WooCommerce Sync Works​

How sync runs depends on your connection method (see WooCommerce Setup):

  • Plugin push / pull (recommended): the Brother POS plugin on your website pulls your products and settings from Brother POS, and sends orders in as customers check out.
  • Legacy pull: Brother POS runs a sync cycle in the background on your Polling Interval (default 15 minutes). Each cycle imports new orders and pushes stock to WooCommerce.

In both modes Brother POS is the master for products after the initial import. On plugin push / pull, though, edits made directly in WooCommerce are still sent back and change the Brother POS product, so make product changes in Brother POS. On legacy pull, Brother POS ignores product and stock edits made in WooCommerce, even if the plugin is installed. Online orders come in either way. Sync runs in the background, so results show up when it finishes rather than live.

More detail: sync appears stuck

Problem: Sync Appears Stuck​

A sync log has shown Started for a long time, and nothing is updating.

  1. Give it time. A large first import can take several minutes or more.

  2. Check the Health Monitor. Go to Settings > WooCommerce Monitor. Look at Recent Sync Logs for failures, and at the overall status.

  3. Run a sync by hand. Go to Settings > WooCommerce Integration and click Sync Now on the Product Sync card. A new cycle won't start while an earlier one is still running. If a cycle stops without finishing, a new one can start again within 30 minutes.

  4. Check your credentials (legacy pull). Go to Settings > WooCommerce Integration > Edit Settings and confirm the Store URL, Consumer Key and Consumer Secret. Then click Test Connection on the WooCommerce Integration page.

  5. Check your WooCommerce site (legacy pull). In WordPress, confirm that:

    • The API key still exists with Read/Write permission (WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > REST API).
    • The site is reachable and not in maintenance mode.
    • No firewall or security plugin is blocking Brother POS.

  6. Check the plugin (plugin mode). Open WooCommerce > BrotherPOS Diagnostics on your WordPress site and check the BrotherPOS sync rows: ingest URL, shared secret, and the last product pull. See Diagnostics.

Rate limits and firewalls

Shared hosting, Cloudflare and security plugins often slow down or block the legacy connection. If sync keeps failing partway, switch to plugin push / pull, where your site makes the connection itself.

More detail: products not appearing in WooCommerce

Problem: Products Not Appearing in WooCommerce​

  1. Check the category. Products whose categories all have WooCommerce Sync turned off on the Categories page are not sent.

  2. Check that the product is active. Inactive products aren't sent to WooCommerce. With plugin version 1.7.21 or newer, one your website already has is set to draft, so it drops off your storefront.

  3. Run a full catalog pull (plugin mode). On the plugin's API Setup tab, click Sync all products from BrotherPOS now, then check Last product pull on the Diagnostics page.

  4. Check the SKU. Products are matched by SKU. A product with no SKU is skipped by the plugin.

  5. Check the product itself. Products marked Don't sync to WooCommerce aren't sent. Neither are combos with choice slots, build-your-own platters or buckets, because someone at the counter has to choose part of what the customer gets. Fixed bundles sync as normal.

More detail: a product is still online after you deactivated it

Problem: A Product Is Still Online After You Deactivated It​

  1. Update the plugin (plugin mode). Only version 1.7.21 or newer takes products off your website. It sets them to draft in WooCommerce and never deletes them. The first pull after updating also drafts products deactivated before the update.

  2. Run a full catalog pull. Click Sync all products from BrotherPOS now on the plugin's API Setup tab. This is also needed after you turn off WooCommerce Sync for a whole category, because the regular pull doesn't pick that change up.

  3. Legacy pull. Combos with choice slots, platters and buckets that were already listed on WooCommerce stay listed. Remove them in WooCommerce yourself.

More detail: stock counts do not match

Problem: Stock Counts Do Not Match​

Brother POS shows a different stock level than WooCommerce for the same product.

  1. Treat Brother POS as the source of truth. Stock goes from Brother POS to WooCommerce.

  2. Wait for the next update. In plugin mode, stock arrives with the next catalog pull. In legacy pull, it arrives with the next inventory push.

  3. Push stock now (legacy pull). Go to Settings > WooCommerce Integration and click Push Now on the Inventory Push card. Stock only goes out if the last push is older than your polling interval.

  4. Check for recent online orders. An order placed on your website that hasn't reached Brother POS yet causes a short-lived difference.

  5. Run change detection. Click Check for Changes Now on the WooCommerce Integration page. It compares name, SKU, price and stock for products edited directly in WooCommerce, then repeats every hour. To have those changes reverted automatically, tick Auto-correct Unauthorized Changes in Edit Settings. It is off by default.

  6. Update the plugin (plugin mode). Plugin versions older than 1.7.20 could send WooCommerce's stock back over your Brother POS stock after a catalog pull, or count an online order twice. Update to 1.7.20 or newer. The plugin's Diagnostics page shows your version.

Push stock now (legacy pull)

Force Sync on the Health Monitor runs a sync cycle straight away, including the stock push, without waiting for your polling interval. It never pulls stock or products from WooCommerce.

More detail: sync isn't running at all

Problem: Sync Isn't Running at All​

If nothing is syncing (no new sync logs, no orders arriving):

  1. Check that the integration is enabled. Go to Settings > WooCommerce Integration. If it says Integration Disabled, click Edit Settings, tick Enable WooCommerce Integration, and save.

  2. Check the connection method. In plugin mode, Brother POS doesn't record its own order import or stock push logs, so a quiet Health Monitor is normal. Check the plugin's Diagnostics page and your Orders page instead.

  3. Contact Brother POS support. If background processing itself has stopped, it has to be fixed on the server. This isn't something store staff can do.

More detail: duplicate products

Problem: Duplicate Products​

Products appear twice in Brother POS or on your website.

  1. Check the SKUs. Products are matched by SKU. If a product has a different SKU in WooCommerce than in Brother POS, it's treated as a separate product.

  2. Remove the duplicate. Keep the product with the correct data, delete or deactivate the other, and make sure the SKUs match.

More detail: prices differ between systems

Problem: Prices Differ Between Systems​

  1. Treat Brother POS as the source of truth. Prices set in Brother POS go out to WooCommerce.

  2. Check tax display. Brother POS stores prices before tax. If WooCommerce is set to show prices including tax, the prices you see will differ even when the underlying price matches.

  3. Check quality tier pricing. If you use quality tiers, make sure Sync Tiered Pricing is ticked in the WooCommerce settings so your tier settings are sent to your website.

  4. Check for direct edits. Click Check for Changes Now to find products whose price was changed directly in WooCommerce.

  5. Update the plugin (plugin mode). Plugin versions older than 1.7.20 could send WooCommerce's price back over the Brother POS price after a catalog pull. Update to 1.7.20 or newer.

More detail: preventing sync issues

Preventing Sync Issues​

  1. Make product changes in Brother POS. Avoid editing products, prices or stock directly in WooCommerce.
  2. Check the Health Monitor (Settings > WooCommerce Monitor) regularly for warnings.
  3. Keep SKUs unique and consistent across both systems.
  4. Review the sync logs after big changes, such as bulk imports or price updates.

When to Contact Support​

Contact Brother POS support if:

  • Syncs keep failing after you've tried the steps above
  • You see errors about rate limits or authentication that don't clear
  • The plugin's Diagnostics page still shows the ingest URL or shared secret as not set after you've pasted them in from Connect the WordPress plugin manually
  • Duplicate products keep coming back after cleanup