Argos UK

Complete guide on our Argos UK module

Preliminary Checklist

Before setting up tasks on Argos, make sure you have everything below prepared:

Profiles

• Create and save your checkout https://guides.stellaraio.com/stellar/navigating-stellaraio/what-is-the-profiles-tab/how-do-i-add-a-profile under the Profile tab in Stellar. These contain your billing, shipping and payment info.

Proxies

• Residential Proxies - High quality residential proxies are recommended for Argos due to how fast the ISPs get blocked on drop
• Low-quality, overused, or flagged proxies are likely to trigger Akamai protection and result in failed tasks.
• For the most reliable performance, use a mix of proxy types and providers rather than relying on a single proxy pool.

  • At the time of writing, the UK pools from OneStop, Immaculate & Icey are working well on Argos. As always, it's recommended to have multiple proxy providers, don't just rely on one.

Cook Group Access

• Joining a cook group isn't required, but it's highly recommended when running Argos.

  • A good cook group can provide:

    • Early restock alerts so you're notified as soon as products become available.
    • Product URLs, and SKUs to help you set up tasks quickly.

Task Overview

Normal Mode (Delivery)

Collection Mode (Radius from Postal Code - Non-App Exclusive)

Collection Mode (Store ID - Non-App Exclusive)

Collection Mode (Radius from Postal Code - App Exclusive)

Collection Mode (Store ID - App Exclusive)

Monitor Mode

Monitor-Collection

Which Mode do I use?

• Normal Mode - Use Normal Mode for delivery-only orders on products that are not app exclusive. This mode adds the specified product to your cart and completes the checkout process.

  • Use App can also be used for non-app-exclusive products. If you're experiencing issues checking out on the desktop website, try completing your checkout through the app instead.
• Collection Mode – Postcode & Radius (Non-App Exclusive) - For non-app exclusive products, you can use Collection Mode with a postcode and radius.

  • Postcode – The location to search from.
  • Radius – The maximum search distance (in miles) from the postcode you entered.

    • This mode will search for stock within the specified area.
• Collection Mode – Store ID (Recommended) (Non-App Exclusive)

  • Using Store IDs is highly recommended over a postcode and radius, as it is generally the most reliable and consistent method for collection tasks.

    • Finding Your Store ID

      • Visit https://www.argos.co.uk/stores/.
      • Enter your postcode to view nearby Argos stores.
      • Select the store you want to use.
      • The Store ID is the number at the beginning of the store URL.

        • Example

          • Store URL: https://www.argos.co.uk/stores/4238-tottenham-court-road-argos
          • Store ID: 4238
        • Monitoring Multiple Stores

          • You can monitor multiple stores by separating Store IDs with commas.

            • Examples:

              • 4238,2132,150
              • 4238, 2132, 150

              Both formats are valid—the spacing between Store IDs does not matter.
• Collection Mode – Store ID or Postcode & Radius (App Exclusive)

  • For app-exclusive product drops, the same setup applies as the Collection Mode options above. The only difference is that you must enable the Use App option.
  • When creating your task:

    • Configure your collection task using either Store ID (recommended) or Postcode & Radius.
    • Enable the Use App toggle before starting your task.

  
• Monitor Mode continuously checks the product page for availability. When the product comes into stock, it automatically triggers your linked Normal Mode tasks to begin the checkout process.

  • Note: Monitor Mode is intended for delivery-only products.
• Monitor Collection Mode continuously checks collection stock availability before triggering your linked Collection Mode tasks.

  • When configuring a Monitor Collection task:

    • Use a Postcode and Radius to define the search area.
    • Store IDs can also be used with Monitor Collection tasks.

      • Important: When using Store IDs in Monitor Collection mode, you may notice more "Setting Up" logs than when using a postcode and radius. This is expected behaviour and is not an indication that the task is malfunctioning.

        • For the best coverage, it's recommended to run a mix of tasks using Store IDs alongside tasks using a postcode and radius.
• What does Profile mean?

  • A Profile contains your saved checkout information, including your billing address, shipping address, and payment details.

    • Select the profile you want to use, and the bot will use the information stored in that profile during checkout.
• What type of Proxies shall I use?

  • Residential Proxies - High quality residential proxies are recommended for Argos due to how fast the ISPs get blocked on drop
  • Low-quality, overused, or flagged proxies are likely to trigger Akamai protection and result in failed tasks.
  • For the most reliable performance, use a mix of proxy types and providers rather than relying on a single proxy pool.

    • At the time of writing, the UK pools from OneStop, Immaculate & Icey are working well on Argos.
• How do I find the Product SKU?

  • Your cook group will usually provide the SKU for the product you want to purchase.

    • Alternatively, you can find the SKU directly on the Argos product page. It is displayed in both the URL and on the product page itself.
    • Example:

      • Product URL: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9605073

        • SKU: 9605073
• What is Delay?

  • Delay is the amount of time, in milliseconds (ms), that a task waits before retrying after encountering an error.

    • Recommended starting value: 5000ms or lower.
    • Adjust as needed based on:

      • Proxy quality
      • Site performance
      • Error frequency
• What is Monitoring Delay?

  • Monitoring Delay is the interval, in milliseconds (ms), between each stock check.
  • Recommended starting value: 7000ms.

    • Adjust as required depending on proxy quality and monitoring needs
• What is Postal Code?

  • Postal code - The Postal Code is the location where the collection stock search begins when using Postcode & Radius mode.
• What is Pickup Radius?

  • The Pickup Radius is the maximum distance (in miles) from the postcode that the task will search for available collection stock.
• What are Store IDs?

  • Please refer to the Collection Mode – Store ID section above for a detailed explanation of Store IDs, including how to find them and when to use them.
• What is the Use App box?

  • Enable Use App for app-exclusive product drops. This switches the task from the desktop checkout flow to the mobile app checkout flow.
• What is the Endless Mode box?

  • When enabled, the task automatically restarts after a successful checkout, allowing it to continue attempting additional purchases until stopped manually.
• What is Catch All?
• A Catch All email allows any email address on your domain to receive messages, making account generation much easier.

  • For setup instructions, refer to the Catch All guide:

    • https://guides.stellaraio.com/stellar/navigating-stellaraio/what-is-the-settings-tab/catchall-email-guide#step-1-create-your-catchall-domain
• What is QTY?

  • QTY is the number of units you want to purchase in a single order.

    • Recommended starting value: 1

      • Only increase this if the product allows multiple units to be purchased per order.
• What is Reset Delay?

  • Reset Delay is the amount of time, in milliseconds (ms), that a task waits before resuming monitoring after stock has been detected.

    • Recommended starting value: 5000ms.

      • Adjust this value depending on your proxy quality and monitoring requirements.
• What is a watch task?

  • When Watch Task is enabled, the task remains idle until a linked Monitor Task detects stock.
  • Once stock is found, the Watch Task automatically wakes up and begins attempting checkout.
  • This helps reduce unnecessary proxy usage and allows you to run large numbers of checkout tasks efficiently.
• What is the "Retry on Decline" box?

  • When enabled, the task will automatically restart if:

    • Your payment card is declined, or
    • The product goes out of stock before checkout is completed.
  • This allows the task to continue attempting checkout without requiring manual intervention.

Important notes

• Use Store IDs whenever possible for Collection tasks. They are generally more reliable and consistent than using a Postcode & Radius.
• Do not use Store IDs with Monitor Collection tasks. Monitor Collection only supports Postcode & Radius. Using a Store ID for these tasks will prevent them from working correctly.
• Enable the Use App option only for app-exclusive products. For non-app-exclusive products, leave this option disabled.
• "Setting Up" loops are expected while off-drop. Argos' antibot (Akamai) has become much stricter, so tasks may remain on Setting Up for several attempts before passing through.
• Give your tasks time to authenticate. It is common for tasks to pass Setting Up after 3–8 attempts. This is expected behaviour and does not indicate an issue with the module.
• Start with a quantity of 1. Only increase the quantity if the product is known to allow multiple units per order.
• Test your setup before a release. Confirm your profiles, proxies, billing information, and task configuration are working correctly before an expected drop.