Stock like 10+ or "in stock" in a CSV: find and fix
Stock cells like 10+, 5-10 or in stock give no exact count, so an import may reject or misread them. Find them, enter real counts, then recheck.
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Short guides to finding and fixing errors in a product CSV, plus updates from the build. Posts are published in English.
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Prices and numbers
Weight and size units in a product CSV: find and fix
A 250 g item shows as 250 kg? Pick one unit per measurement, split units from numbers, convert the rest, spot outliers, then recheck.
Read the postFractional stock quantities in a CSV: find and fix
A stock of 2.5 or 0,5 can be rejected, rounded or split into an extra column. Find fractions with a helper column, fix them to whole units, recheck.
Read the postDate columns in a CSV: serials, swaps, formats
Dates shown as 45992, day and month swapped, or three formats in one column. Find each problem, rebuild the column as yyyy-mm-dd text, then recheck.
Read the postThousands separators in CSV prices: find and fix
Is 12,500 twelve thousand five hundred or twelve and a half? Find thousands separators in a CSV price column and rewrite them in one style.
Read the postText in a CSV price or stock column: find and fix
Words like N/A, free or call us in a price or stock column can make an import skip or misread rows. Find them, write real numbers, then recheck.
Read the postZero or negative CSV price and stock: find and fix
A price or stock of 0 or below can make a product look free or show wrong availability. Find the rows on a copy, fix them from your records, recheck.
Read the postCurrency symbols in a CSV price column: find and fix
Prices like "$12.50" or "45 TL" can make an import reject or misread rows. Find the symbols on a copy, keep prices as plain numbers, then recheck.
Read the postDecimal comma or column separator in CSV prices?
A comma in a price can be a decimal mark or a column separator. Learn how to tell them apart, fix a copy of your CSV, and recheck before you import.
Read the postSKUs and barcodes
Size and colour variant rows in a CSV: find and fix
Variants on separate rows need their own SKUs and titles that fit their options. Sort by product, check each group, fix, then recheck.
Read the postBarcode check digit errors in a CSV: find and fix
A barcode can have the right length and still fail because its last digit does not match. Check it by hand, copy the code again from the source, recheck.
Read the postBarcodes shown as 1.23E+12 in a CSV: find and fix
A barcode column showing 1.23E+12 has been read as a number. Rebuild it as text from the source, then check the saved CSV in a text editor.
Read the postDuplicate SKUs in a product CSV: find and fix
Shared SKUs can make an import reject, merge or overwrite products. Clean spaces and case, sort the whole table, then decide which row stays.
Read the postWhy SKUs lose leading zeros in CSV files
Spreadsheet apps can read a digits-only SKU as a number and drop its leading zeros. Import the column as text and compare the export with your original.
Read the postDuplicate SKU: what should I change?
Two different products share one SKU. A synthetic before-and-after example of fixing it without deleting a valid product.
Read the postHeaders, rows and empty cells
Line endings (CR, LF, CRLF) in a product CSV
Your CSV looks fine, but the import fails at the end of a row? See what CR, LF and CRLF are, how to spot them in a text editor, and how to change them.
Read the postVery long text in a CSV cell: find and fix
Rows rejected as too long, or one cell holding several rows? Count the characters, fix missing quotes, shorten or move the text, then recheck.
Read the postCSV opens in a single column: check the separator
Every row stuck in one cell in column A? Find the character between your values, pick it when importing, then recheck the columns.
Read the postQuotes and commas inside CSV cells: find and fix
A comma or a quote inside a cell can push values into the wrong column. Wrap those cells in double quotes, double the inner quotes, then recheck.
Read the postBlank rows in a product CSV: find and remove
Rows with nothing in them raise the row count and may cause upload warnings. Find fully blank rows with a filter, delete them, then count again.
Read the postCSV column headers that don't match the template
An import can reject a product CSV over one header that differs from the template. Compare headers character by character, fix the header row, recheck.
Read the postLine breaks inside a CSV cell: fix split rows
A line break or a stray quote inside a cell can split one product into two rows. Put the text back on one line, close every quote, then recheck.
Read the postEmpty cells in your product CSV: why and how to fix
Empty cells in a product CSV usually come from four causes. Find them on a copy, fix each one, then check the file again before you import it.
Read the postText, links and encoding
Duplicate product titles in a CSV: find and fix
Different products with the same title confuse shoppers. Compare titles ignoring case and spaces, tell variants from real duplicates, fix, recheck.
Read the postImage links in a CSV: capitals, spaces and %20
Blue-Mug.JPG and blue-mug.jpg may be two different files. Check capital letters, edge spaces and %20 in your image links by hand, on a copy.
Read the postHTML tags in CSV product descriptions: find and fix
Pasted HTML tags and codes like & can show up as raw text in product descriptions. Find them on a copy, clean them to plain text, then recheck.
Read the postEmoji and invisible characters in a product CSV
Emoji, symbols like ™ and invisible zero-width characters can break a product import. Find them on a copy, swap in plain text, then recheck.
Read the postCategory or brand names in a CSV: find and fix
"Shoes" and "shoes" can import as two categories. List the unique values, pick one spelling for each, replace the variants, then recheck.
Read the postMissing column in a CSV import: check for a BOM
If an import says a column is missing although the name looks right, this post shows how to check a copy of the file.
Read the postBroken image links in a product CSV: find and fix
A space, a doubled dot or a missing ending in an image link can hide a product picture. Check the column by hand and match each link to the real file.
Read the postHidden spaces in a product CSV: find and fix them
A space at the start or end of a cell makes SKUs and prices stop matching. Find edge spaces by comparing lengths, trim them on a copy, then recheck.
Read the postWhy accented letters look broken in your CSV
Turkish or accented letters look garbled in a CSV? Find the file's encoding, save a copy as UTF-8 and check it again without touching the original.
Read the postWorking through a file
CSV correction worksheet: log each fix, recheck
A copyable template for recording each flagged row, the value you verified, the fix you made and the result of the recheck.
Read the postCheck, fix, recheck: a product CSV before you use it
A use case, not proof of demand: how a solo founder can check a product CSV in the browser, fix it and check it again.
Read the postOther posts
The starting point, in numbers
Revenue $0, no verified paying customers, and a catalog of 196 business ideas you can rate. Here is the honest picture on day one.
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