To download the Inventory Loader, click here.
The Inventory Loader lets you do the following:
To use the page matching features of Inventory Loader, you must provide a product identifier and specific information about your offer. You can use a SKU and selected listing data when modifying existing listings.
Because Inventory Loader cannot be used to create new product detail pages, you do not need to provide detailed product data. A single Inventory Loader file can be used to upload or modify listings in multiple product categories at the same time.
To create an Inventory Loader file, you must first download the Inventory Loader File Template to your hard drive. The template will open as a Microsoft Excel file and contains a preformatted worksheet where you provide your product data. The file includes additional worksheets to help you complete the template. You can also enable optional file macros to automate some of the steps for creating and uploading your file.
There are four basic steps to using the Inventory Loader File template:
Inventory Loader File Tabs
When you open the template, you will see several tabs along the bottom of the workbook:
Tab Name | Description |
---|---|
Instructions | An overview of how to use the product template. |
Data Definitions | A detailed review of each field in the inventory file, including label
name, definition, use case, accepted values, and an example. Yellow rows indicate required information. To have your product upload properly, you must complete all required fields. Orange rows indicate desired information. Desired columns give customers the basic information they need to make an informed purchasing decision. It is highly recommended that you fill in all desired cells. Not doing so may result in poor product descriptions, and/or make your product hard to find. For example, a product can exist in the catalog, but cannot be offered for sale without a price or quantity, in which case the product would not surface on the website. White rows indicate optional information. Optional information may be useful, but not critical, when offering a product for sale. We encourage you to fill out all optional cells that apply to your products. |
Template | This is the actual worksheet in which you enter your product data using the specifications listed in the Data Definitions tab. This worksheet contains a row to help Amazon know which template you are using and another row with column headings (label names) representing each of the fields in your inventory file. It has color-coded column headers to indicate whether the field is required (yellow), desired (orange), or optional (white). |
Inventory Loader File Macros
On the Add-Ins menu in the toolbar at the top of the template, you will find four macros: Validate, Upload File, Import File, and Update Template. With these macros, you can validate your data and learn how to correct any errors, as well as automate some of the tasks in populating and uploading your file. These macros are designed to simplify your experience and are highly recommended.
See Using Template Macros for detailed information about how to use each macro.
If a value is not included in the field below, your listing will not go live on the Amazon website. Under certain circumstances, values are also required in other fields. (See details in the Desired Inventory Loader Fields section below.)
sku: A SKU is a "stock-keeping unit" used to track inventory. Each SKU you create must be unique to an individual item in your current template and existing listings. A SKU can be any alpha-numeric string. Avoid using symbols or spaces in your SKU.
The data you enter for these desired fields gives customers the basic information they need to make an informed purchasing decision. We highly recommend that you fill in all desired fields. Not providing data in desired fields can result in poor product descriptions and make your product hard to find. Note that if a product exists in the catalog but does not have a price or quantity, customers cannot buy it.
product-id
Each product sold on Amazon also includes an industry standard product identifier. This field is required for product matching when creating new listings.
The following are recognized by Amazon as product IDs:
product-id-type
The product-id-type is a numerical entry that indicates if the product-id is an ASIN, ISBN, UPC, or EAN. This is a required field if product-id is provided. The options include:
item-condition
This is a numeric entry that indicates the condition of the item. This field is required for creating a new listing.
Condition types:
price
The price per item, in Canadian dollars. Do not enter the "$" symbol. The price has to be greater than zero (0.00). This is a required field if product-id is provided and you are creating new listings. You must provide a price to make the item available for purchase on Amazon.ca.
quantity
You must enter a quantity when adding a new SKU. You can set the quantity anywhere between 1 and 1000. This is a required field for seller-fulfilled items if product-id is provided, and to make the item available for purchase on the website. Items must be in-stock and on-hand at the time a purchase is made.
item-note
Use this field to describe any differences your item has from the new item sold by Amazon (for example, if your hardcover book is missing the dust-jacket). This field is limited to 1000 characters for all Used, New, Collectible, and Refurbished items.
will-ship-internationally
A code that indicates the countries to which you are willing to ship:
If you do not enter an option, the general setting you chose when you signed up to sell will be used as the default.
add-delete
Options include:
To remove offers from Amazon without deleting the SKU, use 'd' or set your inventory quantity to '0' (zero).
If you do not populate the add-delete field, our system will use these defaults:
minimum-seller-allowed-price
This optional field helps Amazon identify potential pricing errors with your listings. To use this service, enter your minimum allowable price for this product. If you attempt to set your price for the product below your minimum allowable price, your offer will become inactive and you will be notified via email. You can always change your minimum allowable price by modifying the value in this field and uploading the updated file to Amazon.
maximum-seller-allowed-price
This optional field helps Amazon identify potential pricing errors with your listings. To use this service, enter your maximum allowable price for this product. If you attempt to set your price for the product above your maximum allowable price, your offer will become inactive and you will be notified via email. You can always change your maximum allowable price by modifying the value in this field and uploading the updated file to Amazon.
fulfillment-center-id
This field is only required if you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). If you don't use FBA, leave this column blank.
leadtime-to-ship
The time, in days, between when you receive an order and when you can ship the item. The default leadtime-to-ship is 1 to 2 business days.
product-tax-code
Use the Product Tax Code only if you are sure that your account is tax-enabled in Seller Central and you have Amazon tax codes for all your products. If no entry is provided, the default is "A_GEN_NOTAX."