How to update Shopify stock from a supplier CSV or Excel file
Turn a supplier's CSV or Excel stock list into Shopify inventory updates: column matching, quantity formats, prices with markup, and avoiding mistakes.
Supplier stock lists rarely look like Shopify's import template. Columns have names like "Item No", "QOH" or "Free Stock", numbers use commas, and quantities sometimes say "In stock" instead of a figure. Here is how to turn one into correct Shopify inventory.
Match the right column to the right variant
Every row needs something that identifies a variant in your store: usually the SKU, sometimes the barcode (EAN, UPC). If your SKUs differ from the supplier's codes, fix them in Shopify first, or add the supplier code as the barcode. Matching on product titles is unreliable and best avoided.
Read quantities the way suppliers write them
- ">50" or "50+" usually means at least 50. Treat it as 50, or cap it lower.
- "In stock" with no number needs a value you choose, such as 10.
- Negative numbers mean back-ordered: treat them as 0.
- Blank cells are not zero. It's safer to skip them than to take the item offline.
Prices: markup and rounding
If the file has trade prices, apply your markup consistently: for example, add 40% and round to .99. Watch for sudden jumps: a price that triples overnight is more often a file error than a real change, so it's worth skipping and checking.
Do it once, or on a schedule
With Feedguard you can upload the file each time, or point it at the supplier's link or FTP folder and let it run on a schedule. Either way you get a preview of every change, safety limits that stop a bad file, and one-click undo.