ShipStation automatically creates product records when orders import from your selling channels and contain a product that does not yet have a record in ShipStation.
By default, ShipStation uses the product SKU as the unique identifier for each product record, unless you change this in your store settings.
There are two other ways to add products to ShipStation:
To manually add individual product records to ShipStation:
-
Click New Product.
-
Enter the product’s SKU (the SKU cannot be edited after saving).
-
Enter the product’s Name.
Check the option Override the imported name if you want this name to appear in your ShipStation Order Details instead of the name sent from the Selling Channel. If you are using Advanced Product Types with alias SKUs, this setting will not apply.
-
Fill in any of the Product details you need.
Review the Product Details in the Products Overview article for more information on each option.
-
Click Save.
To create or make changes to multiple product records at once, you can directly edit and import your own product CSV files.
You can also download ShipStation’s pre-formatted CSV template to use (both in-app and at the end of this article) if you prefer, although this is no longer required.
Updating products with a CSV file
-
SKU is a required field.
-
There is no longer an option for match-by-name.
-
Shopify Merchants: Shopify manages product weights in grams, and we use ounces. Be sure to convert those numbers before importing your CSV into ShipStation.
-
Leaving a cell blank in the CSV file will cause ShipStation to enter a null value for that field.
-
Order Tags can be added, but not removed, with a CSV import.
-
CSV Tag field 29-Character Limit: If you add an order tag to a product via CSV, the tag field has a 29-character limit. The tag will not add if it has 30 characters or more.
-
Product Aliases and Product Preset Groups cannot be added or removed via the Import action
To import your products:
-
Go to the Products tab and click Import.
-
Select Import Products from the dropdown. This will open the Import Products from CSV popup.
-
Ensure that your CSV file has column headers before you upload it.
You may need to make edits in Excel (or an equivalent spreadsheet program) or import it into Google Sheets to edit. We improved the product import process so you no longer need to adhere to a CSV template. You can import your CSV directly from your selling channel's product export.
-
Attach your desired CSV file (drag and drop or click to select) to the Import Products from CSV popup.
Optional: Check the box to Overwrite Existing values for all fields in the CSV. You can also Select an Import Template.
-
Select Upload and Preview. Match the columns from your CSV document to the fields in ShipStation, if they're not already matched.
-
Select Start Import.
You will receive a message that your import has been sent. Close that window, and you can continue to work in ShipStation while the import completes in the background.
When your import is complete, a notification message will appear to let you know. You can also see any import errors.
If your import fails, you will receive an import failure message that indicates the potential reason. See the Product Imports Troubleshooting article for steps to troubleshoot any errors you may encounter.
With the new CSV import workflow, you can now create and use import templates to streamline your field-matching step.
To Create an Import Template:
-
Follow steps 1-4 to import your products as found in this article's section Add Products in Bulk via CSV.
-
Match the CSV column headers to your desired ShipStation fields.
-
Add a name for the field matching you selected into the field Template Name (optional).
-
Continue following steps 5 and 6 from the procedure to Upload and preview then Start Import for your products.
This action will now save these field-matching steps as a template for future imports.
To Use an Import Template:
-
Follow steps 1-6 in this article's section Add Products in Bulk via CSV.
-
Select your desired import template under the Import Template dropdown.
-
Continue following steps 5 and 6 from the procedure to Upload and preview then Start Import for your products.
-
ShipStation is set by default to create product records from the items included on orders when they import. When ShipStation creates product records this way, the product records contain only the Name and SKU sent by the selling channel.
-
Once a product record is created in ShipStation, the SKU cannot be changed. However, you can set product records to be inactive or delete them altogether, if needed.
-
All new products are Standalone products by default. If you wish to create relationships between products for reporting purposes, review the Product Types article.
-
ShipStation only receives product information from the selling channel. ShipStation does not send product information back to the selling channel.
-
Importing products with a CSV:
-
Many product details, but not all, can be added and updated in bulk with a CSV import.
-
CSV imports replace existing product details, so it's important that the CSV used always contains the values for all product details you wish the ShipStation product record to contain.
-
If the Active column is left blank in the CSV, ShipStation will ignore it and leave the product in its current state.
-
If the import fails, you will receive an import failure message that indicates the potential reason. Review the CSV Import Troubleshooting article for more details.
-