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Troubleshooting: Product Import Template Won't Import

You've filled out your import template, but it fails during import? Here's how to avoid the most common causes.

Just because your spreadsheet fails on the first attempt doesn't mean you need to give up. Our system provides a detailed error message and lists the reasons in the import history. To see it, hover your mouse over the "Failed" status. A pop-up will show you the affected cell and a description of the error.

Every error message follows this structure: [Cell]: [Error message]

Here's an example screenshot showing this format.

Below, we'll go through all the possible messages in more detail:

 

A Variation Must Have At Least One Attribute

This means a variation always needs at least one attribute. This error appears when column "B" (product name) contains the same value in multiple rows, but there are no attributes, or not enough of them.

Note: The message will always reference column "A," but it actually applies to the entire row.

Let's look at an example using the product "Shopping Bag Star."

There are two ways to fix this:

» Add attributes

If it's a product that comes in multiple variations, it's best to add the distinguishing details in columns "N" through "AG." During import, this will then create a product with variations.

Note: A maximum of three attributes can be used per variation and product.

You'll find an overview of all attributes here.

» Make the names unique

Instead of combining multiple products into one, as the first solution does, you can also simply give each product a unique name. In the checkout, these items will then be listed separately, one below the other.

This approach makes sense if you have products that share the same name but come from different manufacturers or suppliers.

 

Only Maximum 3 Attributes Allowed

This message appears when you try to assign more than 3 attributes to a product with variations. Let's look again at our "Shopping Bag" example: here, a total of 4 attributes are used, which triggers the error message above.

Let's look at another example: even though only three attributes are used per row here, the product "Shopping Bag Star" as a whole still uses 4 attributes overall — even though "Material" and "Fabric/Texture" aren't used for every row.

Please enter your attributes as shown in the corrected example instead.

 

This Field Is Required

This message appears when you haven't entered a value in column "B" (product name) or column "E" (tax rate in %). Enter a name or a tax rate to fix the error.

Aside from "Product Name" and "Tax Rate in %," there are no other required fields in the import template.

 

Invalid Tax Rate

This message appears when column "E" (tax rate in %) doesn't contain a numeric value. Enter the tax rate as a plain number rather than a percentage — for example, "19" instead of "19%."

If you can't remove the percent sign, follow these steps in Excel:

  • Select column "E" or the affected cells
  • Right-click and choose "Format Cells"
  • Select the "Number" tab
  • Change the format from "Percentage" to "General" or "Number" and save the change

 

Value Must Not Exceed XX Characters

Some cells have a character limit. The error message always includes the affected cell so you can quickly identify which value needs to be adjusted.

The following character limits apply:

  • Item number: maximum 30 characters
  • Product name: maximum 256 characters
  • EAN number: maximum 30 characters
  • Manufacturer: maximum 256 characters
  • Supplier: maximum 256 characters

 

Other Issues

"Failed" messages can also occur that aren't tied to a specific cell and therefore don't generate a pop-up. Possible causes include:

  • Exporting from Numbers
    Make sure your data is formatted correctly. Contact our support team if you run into issues.
  • Uploading a spreadsheet with the wrong file extension
    Please upload the spreadsheet in Excel format (.xls).
  • Formatting in certain cells that distorts the values
    Simply copy the values from your spreadsheet into a new workbook. In many cases, this alone resolves the issue.