Why Supplier CSVs Fail to Import Directly
Wholesale marketplaces and POS systems export inventory using their own internal database naming conventions. When you try to upload a raw export directly into Shopify Admin, the upload fails with messages like "Missing required header: Handle" or "Illegal column count".
Shopify's CSV importer expects exact, case-sensitive column headers. If a supplier labels their price column as MSRP or Cost instead of Variant Price, Shopify ignores the column entirely, resulting in products with $0.00 pricing.
Key Column Mapping Reference
| Third-Party Supplier Header | Official Shopify CSV Header | Required Formatting |
|---|---|---|
| Product Name / Item | Title | Plain text, double-quotes escaped |
| Item Name / Slug (None) | Handle | kebab-case URL slug (auto-generated) |
| Retail Price / MSRP | Variant Price | Numeric decimal only (no $, €, or £) |
| Current Stock / Quantity | Variant Inventory Qty | Integer numbers only |
| Barcode / UPC | Variant Barcode | 12 or 13-digit text (preserve leading zeros) |
How to Convert Supplier Sheets with ShopiClean
- Open the Supplier Catalog Converter.
- Drop your raw CSV or wholesale spreadsheet file into the upload zone.
- Our tool auto-detects common supplier column headers and matches them to official Shopify fields.
- Confirm any optional fields (such as SKU, Vendor, or Weight).
- Click Export Clean CSV to download an import-ready Shopify file.