Bulk Import

If you are migrating from another system — or simply want to add hundreds of products at once — StockFlow’s bulk import accepts a CSV file with up to 500,000 rows (Enterprise plan) or 25,000 rows (Growth plan).

What can be imported?

Import type	What it creates
Products only	Goods List entries — no stock
Stock only	Inventory records for products that already exist
Products + stock	Both in one file
Clients	Client profiles — see Add a Client

This page covers Products + Stock imports. The format is the same for products-only or stock-only — just omit the unused columns.

Step 1 — Download the template

Go to Goods List → Import → Download Template
Open the template in Excel, Google Sheets, or any CSV editor

The template includes all supported columns with example rows and a “Field Reference” tab.

Step 2 — Fill in the CSV

Required columns

Column	Type	Example	Notes
`name`	Text	`Wireless Headphones Pro`	Max 255 characters
`sku`	Text	`WHP-001`	Must be unique. Leave blank to auto-generate.
`unit`	Text	`piece`	Must match an existing unit name. See Units & Variants.
`retail_price`	Number	`89.99`	Without currency symbol. Use `.` as decimal separator.

Optional columns — product details

Column	Type	Example	Notes
`category`	Text	`Electronics / Audio`	Use `/` for sub-category path. Created if it doesn’t exist.
`tags`	Text	`bluetooth, wireless`	Comma-separated
`description`	Text	Free text	HTML not allowed
`barcode`	Text	`5901234123457`	EAN-13, UPC-A, or custom
`cost_price`	Number	`42.00`	Used for inventory valuation
`wholesale_price`	Number	`65.00`	Optional pricing tier
`weight_kg`	Number	`0.35`	Used for shipping calculations
`brand`	Text	`Sony`	Free text
`supplier_code`	Text	`SON-WHP-001`	Your supplier’s part number
`active`	Boolean	`true`	Defaults to `true`. Set `false` to import as inactive.

Optional columns — initial stock

Column	Type	Example	Notes
`warehouse`	Text	`Main Store`	Must match an existing warehouse name exactly
`quantity`	Number	`50`	Units to add to the specified warehouse
`cost_per_unit`	Number	`42.00`	Overrides `cost_price` for this stock entry only

Step 3 — Validate your CSV

Before importing, StockFlow validates your file:

Go to Goods List → Import → Upload CSV
Select your file
StockFlow runs a pre-import validation — this takes a few seconds

Any errors are shown in a validation report, e.g.:

Row 14: SKU "WHP-001" already exists. Update is not allowed during import.
Row 27: unit "boxes" not found. Use "box" instead.
Row 88: retail_price value "-5.00" is invalid — must be 0 or greater.

Fix the errors in your CSV and re-upload. You can also download the validation report as a CSV.

Step 4 — Run the import

Once validation passes:

Review the import summary — how many products to create, how many stock records to add
Click Run Import
For large files (>1,000 rows), the import runs in the background
You’ll receive an in-app notification and email when it’s complete

Updating existing products

By default, bulk import will not overwrite existing products (to prevent accidental data loss). To update existing records:

Check the box Update existing products if SKU matches
Only the columns you include in the CSV will be updated — blank columns leave existing values untouched

Common errors and fixes

Error	Cause	Fix
`Unit not found`	Unit name doesn’t match	Go to Settings → Units to see exact names
`Warehouse not found`	Warehouse name doesn’t match exactly	Copy the name exactly from Settings → Warehouses
`SKU already exists`	Duplicate SKU	Either enable “Update existing” mode or remove the row
`retail_price required`	Missing price	Add a value or set `0.00` for free products
`File too large`	Exceeds row limit	Split into multiple files
`Encoding error`	Non-UTF-8 characters	Save the CSV as UTF-8 from Excel (File → Save As → CSV UTF-8)

Import history

All past imports are logged in Goods List → Import → Import History. Each log entry shows:

Import date and time
Number of products created / updated
Number of rows skipped (with reasons)
The user who ran the import
A downloadable copy of the original file

Categories & Tags Low Stock Alerts