Each URL Entry includes Advanced Options that allow you to control how PriceFetchWP retrieves, caches, and processes prices for that specific external website.
Most websites will work correctly with the default settings. Advanced Options are primarily useful when you need different cache timing, custom request headers, a Proxy provider, Affiliate Integration, or other site-specific adjustments.
– Where to Find Advanced Options
Go to:
PriceFetchWP → Settings → URL Price Entries
Find the URL Entry you want to configure and click: Advanced Options
Changes made here apply only to that URL Entry.
– Override Global Price Cache
By default, URL Entries use the global Price Cache duration configured in PriceFetchWP.
Enable the cache override to use a different duration for a specific URL Entry.
You can configure the duration in:
- Minutes
- Hours
- Days
This is useful when different websites update prices at different rates.
For example:
- Frequently changing prices → shorter cache
- Stable prices → longer cache
- Expensive Proxy requests → longer cache may reduce third-party usage
Setting the cache duration to:
0disables normal PriceFetchWP price caching for that entry.
This is useful for testing but is generally not recommended for production use.
Purge Cache
Advanced Options also includes a Purge Cache control for the URL Entry.
Purging removes the currently cached PriceFetchWP price for that entry. It does not immediately perform a new external fetch.
The next applicable request will retrieve the price again.
For more information, see: Price Cache
– Proxy
A Proxy provider can be enabled for individual URL Entries.
PriceFetchWP currently supports:
A Proxy may be useful when the external website:
- Blocks Direct Fetch
- Restricts server-based requests
- Requires browser rendering
- Uses stronger anti-bot protection
When active, the URL Entry displays a status indicator such as:
Proxy: Scrapflyor:
Proxy: PhantomJSCloudProxy providers must first be configured under:
PriceFetchWP → Settings → Proxy Integration
For more information, see: Proxy Integration
Affiliate and Proxy
A Proxy provider and Affiliate Integration cannot be active on the same URL Entry.
If Affiliate mode is enabled, Proxy mode is disabled for that entry.
– Affiliate Integration
Affiliate Integration allows a URL Entry to retrieve pricing through a supported Affiliate API instead of fetching and parsing the external webpage.
Supported providers currently include:
- Amazon
- eBay
The Affiliate provider must first be Configured under:
PriceFetchWP → Settings → Affiliate Integration
Then enable: Use affiliate
inside the URL Entry and select the available provider.
Each Affiliate provider can only be assigned to one URL Entry at a time.
If a provider is already being used, PriceFetchWP will show that it is unavailable for another entry.
For example:
Amazon — in use (Entry 1)When Affiliate mode is active:
- The selected API becomes the price source
- Normal webpage selectors are disabled
- The applicable domain is locked
- Proxy mode cannot be used
- Most request-specific Advanced Options are disabled
- Price Cache timing can still be configured
The URL Entry also displays an Affiliate status indicator beside the entry number.
For more information, see: Affiliate Integration
– User-Agent
The User-Agent header identifies the type of browser or client making the request.
The default setting is recommended for most websites.
A custom User-Agent may be useful if an external website returns different content depending on the requesting browser or client.
Unless you have a specific reason to change it, leave this setting at its default.
– Accept Header
The Accept header tells the external server which types of response content the request can accept.
PriceFetchWP provides a default value suitable for normal price fetching.
A custom value should generally only be used when troubleshooting a website that behaves differently depending on the request headers it receives.
For most URL Entries, leave this setting at its default.
– Accept-Language
The Accept-Language header tells the external website which language or locale is preferred.
Some websites may use this header to determine:
- Language
- Regional content
- Currency presentation
- Localized page variations
A custom value may be useful when a website returns different content depending on language or region.
For most websites, the default setting should be sufficient.
– Referer Header
The Referer Header is disabled by default.
When enabled, PriceFetchWP sends the external website’s own origin as the request Referer.
For example, when fetching:
https://example.com/products/example-productthe Referer may be sent as:
https://example.com/Some websites behave differently when a Referer is missing, so enabling this option may help with certain requests.
Leave it disabled unless the website specifically appears to require it.
– cURL Timeout
Default: 7 seconds
The cURL Timeout controls how long PriceFetchWP waits for the external request to complete before treating it as timed out.
The available range is:
5–10 secondsWhen to Adjust
Consider increasing the timeout when:
- The external website responds slowly
- Test Entry reports timeout errors
- A Proxy request needs slightly more time
Consider decreasing it when:
- You prefer failed requests to stop sooner
- A slow external site is delaying the request unnecessarily
Changing the timeout does not make the external website faster. It only changes how long PriceFetchWP is willing to wait.
Use Test Entry after making adjustments.
– Verify SSL
Default: Disabled
Verify SSL controls whether PriceFetchWP validates the external website’s SSL certificate when making an HTTPS request.
When enabled, PriceFetchWP verifies that the certificate presented by the external website is trusted and valid for that connection.
When to Enable
SSL verification provides stronger certificate validation and may be appropriate when your server environment has a current and properly configured certificate-authority bundle.
Possible Compatibility Issues
Enabling SSL verification may cause a request to fail if:
- The external site has a certificate problem
- Your server has an outdated CA bundle
- The certificate chain cannot be validated correctly
- The hosting environment has an SSL/TLS configuration problem
Turning SSL verification off does not resolve every SSL or TLS problem.
For example, TLS protocol negotiation failures can occur before certificate verification is even reached.
– Quick Save
Use Quick Save after changing Advanced Options when you want to save your settings without refreshing the entire PriceFetchWP settings page.
You can also use the main Save Changes button at the bottom of the settings page.
After changing request-related settings, run Test Entry to confirm the result.
– Best Practices
• Leave defaults unless needed
Most URL Entries do not require custom headers, timeouts, Proxy providers, or other request adjustments.
Start with the defaults whenever possible.
• Use Test Entry
After changing Advanced Options, run Test Entry.
This can help confirm:
- Fetch mode
- HTTP status
- Selector matches
- Regular and Sale Price results
- Proxy behavior
- Affiliate API results
- SSL/TLS errors
- Request timing
• Adjust one setting at a time
When troubleshooting, change one option and test again before modifying additional settings.
This makes it easier to determine which change affected the result.
• Keep custom headers at their defaults unless needed
Custom User-Agent, Accept, Accept-Language, and Referer settings can change what an external website returns.
Only override them when there is a specific reason.
• Use caching wisely
Shorter cache durations provide fresher price checks but cause external requests more frequently.
Longer cache durations reduce:
- External requests
- Proxy usage
- Page-fetch overhead
- Third-party API usage
• Enable a Proxy only when necessary
If Direct Fetch reliably retrieves the correct price, there is generally no reason to enable a Proxy.
• Use Quick Save while testing
Quick Save makes it easier to adjust Advanced Options and run another Test Entry without refreshing the entire settings page.
⚠️ Common Issues
Requests timing out
Run Test Entry and review the reported error.
If the external request is simply taking longer than the configured timeout, try increasing the cURL Timeout within the available range.
If the request is being blocked rather than responding slowly, increasing the timeout may not help.
Price not loading
Run Test Entry first.
Check:
- Whether the fetch itself succeeded
- HTTP status
- Selector type
- Selector value
- Which selector row matched
- Whether the price exists in the returned content
If the fetch succeeds but no price is found, use See raw HTML to inspect the page PriceFetchWP actually received.
Only consider a Proxy if Direct Fetch is blocked, browser rendering is required, or the returned page differs from the expected content.
Website returns different content
Some websites vary their response based on:
- User-Agent
- Referer
- Language
- Location
- Cookies
- Request source
- Browser behavior
You can test the applicable Advanced Options one at a time to determine whether a request-header adjustment helps.
Slow page loads
If external price requests are affecting page performance:
- Use an appropriate Price Cache
- Enable Delay Price Load
- Avoid unnecessarily long timeout values
- Use Direct Fetch when a Proxy is not required
- Avoid disabling caching in production
Proxy is not available
Make sure the provider has first been configured under:
PriceFetchWP → Settings → Proxy Integration
Then return to the URL Entry and select the provider from Advanced Options.
Affiliate provider is not available
Make sure the provider shows as Configured under:
PriceFetchWP → Settings → Affiliate Integration
A provider may also be unavailable if it is already assigned to another URL Entry.
Next Steps ───
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