Getting Started with Trinity · Chapter 3 of 15
Connect every distributor
Your catalog on Trinity is built from live distributor feeds: cost, stock and product data pulled every few minutes from each distributor you connect. You never type a price. You set markups, and the store works out each price from the lowest in stock cost it can see. So the single biggest lever on what you can sell is how many distributors you connect.
| Distributors connected | Items in stock on the store | Of which firearms |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 36,000 to 42,000 | 8,300 to 10,200 |
| 5 | 25,000 to 58,000 | 10,400 to 13,400 |
| 7 to 8 | 55,000 to 82,000 | 9,500 to 13,400 |
| 22 (our own store) | 115,000 | 16,800 |
More distributors also means a better cost on each item. When five distributors stock the same pistol, the store prices from the cheapest one that is in stock, and reprices automatically when that one sells out. With one distributor you pay their price, whatever it is.
- 1Each distributor you can connect, with its connection type (API or FTP)
- 2Active, configured and live: the feed is pulling and orders can be placed
- 3Last sync: cost and stock refresh every few minutes
- 4Configure: the page that says exactly which logins to request, and from whom
The distributors Trinity connects to
Lipsey's, RSR Group, Sports South, Davidson's, Bill Hicks & Co., Zanders Sporting Goods, Chattanooga Shooting Supplies, Crow Shooting Supply, Camfour, Kinsey's, MGE Wholesale, Orion Wholesale, Kroll International, AmChar Wholesale, Iron Valley Supply, Hicks Inc., MSR Distribution, Gunarama Wholesale, 2nd Amendment Wholesale, Bangers, Gun Accessory Supply, Tactical Gear Distributors and Athlon Optics direct. Each one's Configure page in your admin says exactly what it needs and who to ask for it.
What each one needs from you
- A catalog login so the feed can pull cost and stock. Some distributors (Davidson's, Bill Hicks) share a catalog feed through us, so you only tell them you are on 2AData and they map your orders. Others (Lipsey's, RSR, Sports South, Chattanooga, Zanders) give you your own feed or API login.
- An ordering login so the store can place drop ship orders on your account. This is always your own account: your dealer number, your API key, your web login. Orders are placed in your name and billed to you.
- Drop ship enabled on your account. Ask your rep. Some distributors (Chattanooga is one) also need the platform's server address whitelisted on your account; the Configure page shows what to send them.
- Your FFL on file with each distributor for firearm orders, and your SOT if you sell suppressors.
Most distributor trouble is the right login in the wrong box. RSR has a web password and an FTP password, and the page says which goes where. Lipsey's gives a drop ship login and a ship to store login; enter both. Every ordering login must be your own account. Click Test connection after each one. See Which RSR password do you need? and Lipsey's ship to store login.
What to expect once they are connected
- The first pull takes a few minutes to an hour. Prices and stock follow on the next pricing run. See How long until a new distributor's products appear.
- Each distributor has rules about what it will drop ship. Chattanooga will not drop ship under $50 or hazardous items. Camfour will not drop ship to Alaska or Hawaii. The platform knows these rules and routes around them. See How distributor rules decide what you can sell.
- When an order comes in, the platform picks the distributor with the item in stock at the lowest cost, places the order and attaches the customer's FFL. You see the distributor's order number on the order page.
When a price or a stock count looks wrong, check three things before you email us: is the distributor that carries it switched on, does Stock Monitor show its feed pulled in the last hour, and is the brand or category hidden. Prices move on the hourly run. See My prices look wrong, Stock Monitor: is my website showing the right stock? and What is hidden by default.