AP Buddy

What it is

AP Buddy is a modular Electron desktop app that automates the repetitive, failure-prone parts of Amazon→eBay dropshipping operations. It integrates browser automation (Puppeteer) and platform APIs (eBay + Google) to handle daily workflows like invoices, tracking, listing, monitoring, and reporting — with guardrails aimed at preventing expensive mistakes.

Outcomes

In production and actively maintained with paying subscribers
Automated free trial system: Discord command onboarding + email capture + license provisioning
Reduced manual ops overhead by consolidating routine workflows into one configurable tool
(Optional: add real numbers) Hours saved/week, orders processed/week, listings monitored/day, etc.

Problem

Dropshipping operations are a death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts situation: manually pulling invoices, uploading tracking, auditing listings for profit killers, reacting to sales, and babysitting inventory/price competitiveness. Most “automation” breaks the moment a UI changes, an API rate-limits you, or a workflow isn’t perfectly linear — and those failures can directly cost money.

Constraints

External dependencies: eBay API limits, Google API quotas, flaky network conditions, changing web UIs
Automation reliability: browser sessions crash, pages change, and edge cases are the norm
Safety: incorrect actions can cause monetary loss (wrong price, wrong stock state, bad tracking, etc.)
Licensing/productization: access control, subscription state, and user onboarding had to be fully automated

Solution

I built AP Buddy as a modular operations suite where each workflow is a dedicated module with clear inputs/outputs and configurable behavior. Where possible, it prefers stable APIs; where not possible, it uses hardened Puppeteer automation with logging and recovery. Operational data is surfaced inside the app (dashboard + logs), and key artifacts (invoices + configuration) can be backed up and restored via Google Drive.

Architecture

Electron App (UI + Orchestration)
- Dashboard + run controls
- Config management with validation
- Module runner / scheduler
Automation Layer (Node + Puppeteer + APIs)
- Puppeteer flows for invoice retrieval and other UI-dependent tasks
- eBay API integrations for orders, listings, tracking uploads, sales data
- Google APIs for Sheets metrics + Drive backup/import
Licensing + Access Control
- Paddle handles billing lifecycle
- Cloudflare Worker + KV stores license state
- Discord role sync grants/removes access based on active subscription/trial
Operational Tooling
- Rich logs intended for debugging real user issues
- Sale notifications with in-depth sale context
- Scheduled checks for listings/orders to catch common “profit leak” problems

Data flow (high-level)

User configures modules in the Electron UI
Scheduler triggers module runs (or user runs manually)
Modules read config → perform API actions / Puppeteer flows
Results are logged + surfaced in the dashboard
Invoices/config are backed up to Drive; metrics sync to Sheets
Licensing state is periodically validated against Cloudflare KV (kept in sync via Paddle events + Discord roles)

Reliability notes

Designed around “assume external systems will fail sometimes”
Guardrails on automated actions to reduce costly mistakes
Logging structured to make user bug reports actionable

Notable technical details

Multi-service integration: eBay API + Google Drive/Sheets + Discord + Paddle + Cloudflare KV
Automated invoice retrieval and archival to Google Drive
Automated tracking uploads to eBay orders
Automated product sourcing and listing workflows
Listing audit pipeline (up to ~2000 recent listings) to detect common monetary-loss issues
Order auditing + configurable error handling
Sales metrics ingestion + Google Sheets reporting
Listing cleanup/repricing to free insertion slots and stay competitive
Inventory and “winning product” monitoring to keep items in-stock and correctly priced
App-native dashboard and logs for operational visibility