Building a Real-Time Bullion eCommerce
The Gold and Silver shop is a Real-Time Bullion eCommerce Platform with eBay Sync & Dynamic Pricing Engine
The Gold & Silver Shop is a US-based coin and bullion dealer, known for offering gold and silver bars, collectible coins, military relics, and world currency. With increasing competition and the rise of digital-first collectors and investors, they recognized the urgent need to modernize their online experience.
The objective was clear: transform their outdated site into a cutting-edge eCommerce platform that would serve both retail buyers and wholesale dealers, handle real-time metal pricing, and sync seamlessly with their eBay store all while remaining secure, fast, and scalable.
This wasn’t just a redesign,it was a full-stack transformation of how the business operates digitally.
Services
We Provided
Digital Commerce Strategy & Consultation
We guided the client through MVP scoping, API prioritization (Tornado Zaner, eBay, tax, shipping), and user segmentation to design a unified experience for both retail and wholesale flows.
Real-Time Bullion Pricing Mechanism
Integrated the Tornado-Zaner API to fetch live metal prices (Gold, Silver, Platinum). Product prices get calculated dynamically reflected across product pages, carts, and checkout based on real-time.
eBay Store Sync & Admin Controls
Built a powerful backend module allowing the admin to sync 10,000 product data between the website and eBay store. Includes eBay-specific pricing logic, image syncing, commission settings, and auto-rounding logic for eBay listings.
Checkout with Locked Pricing & Session Timer
Given the volatility of bullion prices, the checkout flow includes a 5-minute session timer with real-time price lock using the API. This ensures pricing accuracy and reduces order abandonment due to price changes mid-checkout.
Multi-API Fulfillment & Compliance
Integrated UPS, USPS, and FedEx APIs for real-time shipping estimates. State-level tax is auto-calculated using third-party tax APIs (TaxJar, Avalara, or Vertex) ensuring compliance.
The
Challenges
Real-Time Pricing Complexity
Bullion prices fluctuate every second. The platform needed a robust architecture to ingest, display, and lock prices dynamically without slowing down performance.
Dual User Roles & Pricing Models
Serving both casual buyers and wholesale clients meant creating differentiated experiences and pricing structures all managed from a single admin system.
Inventory Sync with External Marketplace (eBay)
Synchronizing inventory, pricing, and product visibility between the website and eBay in near real-time presented both technical and logical edge-case challenges.
Checkout Security & Market Accuracy
The need to secure pricing during a checkout session while allowing fluctuations to resume afterward required a custom session logic tied to pricing APIs and payment step logic.
Complex Admin Controls & Pricing Rules
The admin panel had to support markup layers, discount tiers, price equations per metal type, and bulk actions for product updates all while remaining intuitive.
The
Solution
We took a modular yet deeply integrated approach to product design and development, building each system to scale independently while staying tightly connected at the business logic layer.
🧠 Domain Modeling
Created clear product types Bullion vs. Collectibles with different pricing rules.
🔄 API-Driven Architecture
Zaner API polling at defined intervals; eBay, tax, and shipping APIs orchestrated through Laravel backend services.
📊 Custom Pricing Engine
Built a formula-based calculator for bullion products, factoring in weight, markup, payment type, and customer role.
🔐 Secure Checkout Pipeline
Introduced a 5-minute timer that locks prices until order is placed. Any session timeout triggers an API refresh.
⚙️ Dynamic Admin System
Created advanced admin workflows to manage pricing rules, eBay sync, stock thresholds, and content updates effortlessly.
The
Impact
✅ Real-Time Pricing Accuracy Achieved
The platform now delivers live, market-reflective bullion pricing across all key user touchpoints homepage, product listings, carts, and checkout.
🛒 eCommerce & eBay Operations Unified
Inventory and product management for both the website and eBay store are fully unified reducing duplication and saving time for the admin team.
📦 Wholesale Operations Digitized
Wholesalers now have their own account type, pricing logic, and product visibility making bulk sales faster and easier to manage.
🔐 Secure & Compliant Checkout
From tax automation to session-based price locking and payment-specific pricing logic, the platform now meets real-world trading standards for precious metals.
📊 Future-Ready Architecture
The tech stack (Laravel + AWS + API integrations) is scalable, secure, and modular built to evolve as the business grows and adds new trading features.
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