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Chapter 15: Custom Scans and the Chrome extension

What you'll learn: how to add a retailer that isn't built into ArbiSource, using the Custom Scan Assistant Chrome extension, and how to get a reliable scan from it.

ArbiSource already covers 660+ UK and US retailers, with more added regularly. Custom Scans let you go further: you can add almost any retailer's website yourself, including smaller and niche shops. Your custom scans and their results are private to you. Custom Scans are a Premium feature.

Set up the extension​

  1. Install the ArbiSource Custom Scan Assistant from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. In ArbiSource, go to Account → API Keys and copy the Extension Token from the ArbiSource card (the Custom Scan Assistant download link is on the same card).
  3. Click the extension icon, paste the token and press Enter.

Teach ArbiSource how to read a site​

Always start from a category page: a page with a grid of products, such as "Toys" or "Sale". A single product page or a checkout page won't work, and is the usual cause when a new custom scan finds nothing.

  1. Open the category page and click Configure site in the extension.
  2. Try Auto-Detect first. The extension looks for the repeating product layout and pre-selects the fields for you. Review what it picked.
  3. If anything's missing or wrong, select it yourself with the target icon. The required fields are:
    • Product title
    • Product price (make sure you get the whole price, including the pence)
    • A second product title, ideally from a different row, to help the extension learn the pattern
    • Pagination: the "next page" or "load more" button. If the site keeps loading products as you scroll, choose infinite scrolling instead.
  4. Add the optional fields if the page shows them: brand, EAN/UPC, in stock and out of stock. A barcode makes matching much more accurate.
  5. Click Continue and check the table of detected products. If a column is wrong, use the arrows to try other options, or click Try again.
Screenshot coming soon

the Custom Scan Assistant open on a UK retailer's category page, showing the required and optional fields with the target icons, and the table of detected products.

Test with ArbiSource, or scrape with the extension​

You'll then be offered two ways to run the scan:

  • Test with ArbiSource (recommended). If the test passes, ArbiSource can run the scan for you in the background, just like a built-in retailer. You don't need to keep the site open. After a successful test you can also check for barcodes, look for larger images (which improves image matching) and find the site's category pages. Choosing one parent category that contains everything you want is quicker than several sub-categories. You can also enter category addresses yourself.
  • Scrape with the extension. Used when the test fails, or the site needs infinite scrolling. The extension moves through the pages in your browser while you watch, and sends products to ArbiSource in batches. Before it starts, you choose a discount percentage, a price override if you need one, and your filters.

When you're happy, click Export to ArbiSource. Your scan is saved under Scans → Custom, ready to start and to run again whenever you like. The next time you visit that site, the extension remembers it.

Shopify shops are detected automatically. You don't need to configure anything: you can scrape the current collection, the entire site, or test with ArbiSource.

Callum builds a custom scan with the extension during the SellerAmp × ArbiSource live session (from 33:37 to about 39:05). Recorded on the US version, with a US retailer.

Introducing the Custom Scan Assistant Chrome extension (ArbiSource). Auto-Detect was added after this video was recorded; the other steps are the same.

Video coming soon

short "Category page vs product page" explainer for custom scans.

Getting a good result​

  • No results? Check you started from a category page, the price was captured in full, and the scan's filters aren't too tight (Chapter 13).
  • Lots of mismatches? Sites without barcodes rely on title and image matching. Add the brand field, check for larger images, and judge each match carefully before buying.
  • Slow pages are handled more patiently than they used to be, but very heavy sites may still need scraping with the extension.
  • Results can be exported, unlike Store and Category Scans.
  • Still not working? Email support with the site's address and screenshots of what you selected.

Checklist​

  • I've installed the extension and added my Extension Token
  • I start from a category page, not a product page
  • I try Auto-Detect, then check the required fields
  • I use Test with ArbiSource where possible
  • I know where my saved scans live (Scans → Custom)