Troubleshooting
See below a list with common problems regarding API usage and possible solutions. Whenever you encounter an error make sure you read the error message returned by the API, it often tells you exactly what the problem is.
For asynchronous endpoints (whenever a 202 is returned), make sure to use the GET /process-status endpoint to check if your action was completed (status 'SUCCESS'). The process status endpoint can also tell you what went wrong.
General
- I can’t upload a PDF through the API, however that same PDF can be uploaded in the seller account without problems
Chances are that there is nothing wrong with the document itself, and that there is a problem with the way it’s sent. Our API does not accept base64 encoded PDF’s, or any other encoding. Please verify that the PDF is being sent without encoding.
If the error message you are getting is “ASSET_INVALID_FOR_IMPORT” when trying to create content, it’s possible that the label being used is not valid. Please make sure that the label being used exists and is valid for the product category. See the data model for an overview of valid labels. - I’m trying to read a PDF through the API, but the output is filled with weird symbols
PDF documents use a binary encoding format that’s not readable with a text editor. The weird symbols are part of the insides of the PDF, and could be image data for example. If you save the data as a PDF file and open it with a PDF editor, it should display without problems. - Is it possible to handle customer questions through the API?
At the time of writing (02-04-2024) there is no way to handle customer questions through the API. This is a feature that is being worked on and may be available in the future. There is however an e-mail integration available which allows you to handle customer questions through e-mail (so no log in needed), this needs to be enabled for your account. Please contact partner service with a request to enable this.
Orders and Shipments
- I’m trying to ship an order through the API, but I’m getting the error message “already shipped”
Usually this happens when a seller has already registered a shipment in his seller account. Please make sure that the shipments are registered in one way only. - I’m trying to retrieve orders from my BE-account, but I’m getting orders from my NL-account instead, why?
Please make sure you are making requests with the right retailer account. A retailer account can only be active in one country. It is not possible to retrieve orders from two countries at the same time.
Offers
I’m trying to update the stock for an offer through the API but it’s still 0
This usually happens when a retailer did not confirm an order in time which then expired. Bol assumes that the retailer is not able to fulfill this offer and sets the stock to zero. To continue selling you will have to update the stock again to a non-zero value.
Products
I’m trying to retrieve price star boundaries for a product through the API, but the prices are different from what is shown in the seller account
For FBB offers shipping costs are added to the price star boundaries for all categories except e-books and audio books. This results in a price that’s 2.99 higher than the price visible in the seller account.
Product Content
I’m trying to upload or modify product content through the API, but it’s not working
Bol has a shared content model where content for a product is shared between all retailers. There is an algorithm in place to decide whether or not to accept certain content. Often times the API is working correctly, but content is declined for other reasons.
If you want to check if the API is working as expected, please use the process-status endpoint to check for any (technical) error messages. If the status for the process is “SUCCESS” and you want to know why certain content was declined, please content partner service.