Product Import Failure Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting the reasons why your product bulk import is failing

If you want to import products into your POS system in bulk, you can do this by uploading a CSV file into your back office under Products > Import Products. Please see below for the most common errors and how to avoid or fix them.

Incorrect column header

The most common reason for a failed import is a mistake in the column headers. Please download our template here for the correct headers - just remember to delete row 1 before importing.

You also do not need all headers/columns in the upload - please delete any empty columns before importing. Please note it is mandatory to have the product_name column. 

Duplicate column header

This means that you might have the same header repeated somewhere. For example "product_name" listed on column A and column C - just delete the duplication.

Import error

The error will say "This section is for importing new products into the system. Please do not use this to update any current products". Ensure that you're not updating existing products on the system - if you want to make bulk changes to your existing products, please send an email to pos.support.uk.ie@sumup.com and the support team will be able to assist you. 

Otherwise, remove any headers in your file that say "id" or "product_id".

File error

The error may say "Something is wrong with the file. Please check and try again". Ensure that the file you are uploading is a CSV file. We recommend that you work with Google Sheets - so in Google Sheets, go to File > Download > select Comma Separated File (.CSV). 

Validation error

Download the error report which will show the row and the validation issues for each row. Common mistakes are:

  • VAT rates incorrectly formatted - for example it should be '5% VAT' or '15% VAT' or '17.5% VAT' or '20% VAT' not just "5%". 
  • Selling prices including currency signs (£) - it should just be the number entered.
  • Whitespaces - blank spaces before or after the VAT name. Just use Google Sheets remove whitespace function to easily delete them.

If you're unsure what to enter in, have a look at our explainer of the columns in row one of the sheet here