The most common issue with exported CSV files relates to how spreadsheet programs such as Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets reformat the data in the CSV file.
This article covers:
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The steps to take to prevent Microsoft Excel from automatically reformatting your CSV file tracking numbers, zip codes, order numbers, or product SKUs, which may cause a CSV import to fail in ShipStation.
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How to import a CSV file and properly format the data in Google Sheets.
Numbers on macOS
We do not recommend opening exported CSV files from ShipStation in Numbers on macOS. Opening an exported CSV file from ShipStation in Numbers may cause the file to be unable to successfully import back into ShipStation.
If this has occurred, re-export the CSV from ShipStation and open it in another program (like Excel or Google Sheets).
When you open CSV files directly in an application like Excel, the program will try to automatically format the data based on the content of the cell. Sometimes this can cause issues with numeric fields such as a leading zero being left out or tracking numbers formatted as a formula.
To resolve issues with cell formatting you will need to select the effected column(s) and change them to the Number format as shown in the image below:
Save the File
After successfully importing the data into Excel, save the file in a more advanced format (such as .xlsx) to preserve the cell formatting so you can open the file more easily in the future.
If you save the file in CSV format again, you will need to perform the above steps every time you need to review the file to ensure numerical data is preserved.
As with Excel, importing a CSV file into Google Sheets may lead to tracking numbers being formatted improperly. To correctly format tracking numbers that are displayed incorrectly as scientific notation: