CSV File Formatting

Unfortunately, Excel makes it quite challenging to deal with UPC codes. It will automatically try to truncate the UPC code into scientific notation (something that looks like 8.0483E+11 instead of 804831000181).

This truncation can cause irreversible data loss when converting to a CSV file.

Thankfully, preventing this is a painless process!

Open the XLSX file in Microsoft Excel.
Right-click on the column that contains the UPC codes.
From the menu, select 'Format Cells'.
In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the 'Category' section.
Choose 'Custom'.
In the 'Type' field, enter '000000000000' (12 zeros).
Click the 'OK' button.
Go to File > Save As.
In the Save As dialog box, select 'CSV (Comma delimited)' from the dropdown list of file formats.
Give the file a name and choose a location to save it.
Click the 'Save' button.

Preparing a wholesale catalog involves more than protecting UPC formatting. Use the supplier price list analyzer workflow to separate costs, case quantities, minimum orders, supplier references, and product identifiers before you begin matching products.