SkuveraShopify CSV data problems
Shopify reports no error, but the imported data is wrong. What causes each problem, and how to fix and prevent it.
- Shopify CSV barcodes turned into 4.00638E+12 after editing in ExcelExcel treated your barcodes or SKUs as numbers and displayed them in scientific notation, such as 4.00638E+12. When the file was saved as CSV, that shortened text replaced the real values, so the last digits are gone. Copy the correct values back from Shopify or your original data, keep those columns as text in Excel, and check the file before you import it.How to fix it
- Shopify overwrite import cleared product descriptions, compare-at prices or metafieldsWhen you select “Overwrite products with matching handles”, every column in your file replaces the store's value, and an empty cell can count as a value. Restore the lost values from an export taken before the import, and next time fill those cells or remove the columns you don't mean to change.How to fix it
- Shopify variant IDs changed and inventory reset to 0 after a CSV importShopify keeps an existing variant only when its option values stay the same. If an overwrite import changes Option1, Option2 or Option3 value, Shopify deletes the variant and creates a new one with a new ID. In our tests that happened even when only the capitalization changed, and the new variant's inventory was 0. Copy option values exactly from a store export.How to fix it
- Shopify says the CSV import was successful, but products didn't updateYour products were most likely skipped because they already exist. When “Overwrite products with matching handles” isn't selected, Shopify ignores products whose URL handle matches an existing product, yet the import can still be reported as successful. Import again with that option selected, after checking what the overwrite will change.How to fix it
- Shopify product images missing or on the wrong product after sorting the CSV in ExcelShopify's import guide warns that a CSV sorted in a spreadsheet editor such as Excel or Apple Numbers can separate products from their image links, and the images can be lost. Undo the sort or go back to an unsorted export, keep every product's rows together with its Title row first, and check the file before you import it.How to fix it
Seeing an error message instead?
If Shopify rejected your file with an error, look it up in our guide to Shopify CSV import errors.