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Product Export Guide

Updated

Export your product catalog to CSV for bulk editing, analysis, reporting, or third-party integrations. Product Export gives you access to all 80 product fields or lets you select only the specific fields you need for targeted updates.

Important: Navigate to Import/Export from the top navigation bar → Select Export → Choose Product Export
🎯 Before You Export - Planning Your Strategy

Choose Your Export Type

Standard Export (All 80 Fields)

  • Best for: Complete catalog backups, comprehensive updates, platform migrations
  • Includes: All product data - pricing, descriptions, images, inventory, SEO, categories
  • When to use: Full data backup or when you need access to all product information for re-importing the Product Import template

Custom Field Export (Select Specific Fields)

  • Best for: Targeted updates (pricing, descriptions, inventory settings)
  • Includes: Only the fields you select - keeps files small and focused
  • When to use: Customize your export or include custom fields for channel integrations, etc.
  • Advantage: Faster processing for specific fields

Plan for Large Catalogs

Large Catalog Warning: For catalogs exceeding 5000 items, export one or two categories at a time to prevent server timeouts and keep CSV files manageable.

Category Filter Strategy:

  • 5000+ products: Export 1-2 categories at a time
  • 1000-5000 products: Export multiple categories, monitor file sizes
  • Under 1000 products: Safe to export entire catalog

Use Additional Filters to Refine Your Export

  • Product Name / SKU: Search for specific products
  • Manufacturer: Filter by brand
  • Price Range: Export products within price brackets
  • Visibility: Export only visible or hidden products
  • Warehouse Location: Filter by inventory location
📝 How to Export Products - Step-by-Step

Standard Export - All 80 Fields

1Navigate to Import/Export > Export

2Select the Product Export radio button

3Select one or more categories from Filter By Category

4(Optional) Apply additional filters using Additional Product Filters

5Click Generate Export File

6Wait for processing (30-60 seconds for large exports), then click Download it now

What You'll Get: A CSV file with all 80 product fields including Product Name, SKU, pricing, descriptions, images, inventory settings, categories, and all other product data.

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Custom Field Export - Select Specific Fields

1Navigate to Import/Export > Export → Select Product Export

2Select categories and apply filters as needed

3Check the box: "select custom product fields"

Critical: You MUST check this box BEFORE clicking Generate Export File, or the field selection screen won't appear.

4Click Generate Export File (first time)

5On the field selection screen, choose your fields:

  • Left section: Select from 80 standard product fields (Product Name, SKU, Pricing, Images, Descriptions, etc.)
  • Right section: Select custom attributes (Amazon Active, integration fields, etc.)
  • Optional: Check "Include Sort Order and Visible Columns" if managing attribute visibility
Pro Tip: Always include Product Name and SKU in custom exports for easy product identification.

6Click Generate Export File (second time)

7Click Download it now to get your custom export

Common Custom Export Examples

Use Case Fields to Select
Amazon integration setup SKU, Product Name, Amazon Active, Amazon SKU, Amazon Price
📊 Understanding Your Export CSV

The 80 Product Fields (Organized by Category)

Basic Information (7 fields): Product Name, SKU, Manufacturer Name, Manufacturer SKU, Category, Home Page Featured, Product Name Enhancer Label

Descriptions (2 fields): Short Description, Long Description

Images (28 fields): 4 complete image sets with Thumbnail, Image, Large Image, and Alt tags

Pricing (7 fields): Cost, Regular Price, Our Price, Mark Up, Hide Price, Quantity Discounts, Customer Group Pricing

Inventory & Display (6 fields): In Stock, Visible, Inventory Display Option, Backorder Option, Hide Quantity, Discontinued

Physical Specs (7 fields): Weight, Weight Unit, Length, Width, Height, Search Terms, UPC Code

Shipping & Tax (5 fields): Shipping Surcharge, Is Exempt, Tax Rate, Tax Code, Product Zip code

Organization (4 fields): Sort Code, Display Format, Preferred Location, Bin Number

Product Type (5 fields): Product Type, Commit Option, Costing Method, Barcode, Action

Advanced Features (7 fields): Product Options, Related Products, Product Attributes, Personalization Questions, Product Sellers, Enable Meta Tag, Meta Tags

Important CSV Format Notes

Category Format:

Electronics;Computers;Laptops^Yes^1|Home;Office^No^2
  • Semicolons (;) = category levels
  • Caret (^) = featured status and sort order
  • Pipe (|) = multiple category assignments

Boolean Values:

  • Most fields: Yes or No
  • Some attributes: 1 (yes) or 0 (no)

HTML Content:

  • Long Description and Short Description may contain HTML tags
  • Maintain HTML formatting when editing and re-importing
Critical for Re-Import: Empty cells in your CSV will overwrite existing data with blank values. If you export only selected fields (e.g., SKU, Name, Price), only import those specific fields—never use a partial export for full Product Import or you'll lose data.
⚠️ Troubleshooting Export Issues

Export Times Out or Fails

Symptoms: Export hangs, never completes, or shows server error

Solutions:

  • Export fewer categories (1-2 maximum for catalogs over 5000 items)
  • Use additional filters to reduce product count
  • Try exporting during off-peak hours
  • If using custom fields, select fewer fields

Custom Field Selection Screen Doesn't Appear

Cause: The "select custom product fields" checkbox wasn't checked before clicking Generate Export File

Solution: Check the box BEFORE clicking the button, then refresh if needed

CSV Opens with Garbled Characters

Cause: Character encoding mismatch (UTF-8 vs ASCII)

Solutions:

  • Excel: Use "Data" > "From Text/CSV" and select UTF-8 encoding
  • Google Sheets: File > Import > Upload > Select UTF-8
  • Never double-click CSV files—always use Import feature

Export Has Fewer Products Than Expected

Causes: Filters still applied from previous export, products not in selected categories, visibility filters active

Solutions:

  • Clear all Additional Product Filters fields
  • Verify category assignments in Catalog Manager
  • Export without filters first to get full count

Excel Changes SKU Formatting Automatically

Symptoms: SKUs like "001234" become "1234", or numbers become dates

Prevention: Import CSV using "Data" > "From Text/CSV" and set SKU column to "Text" format

Fix: Select column > Format Cells > Text > re-enter values

Data Safety Tip: Always keep your original export file untouched. Save a copy with "_EDITED" suffix for editing. This gives you a clean backup if changes go wrong.
✅ Best Practices and Pro Tips

Export Strategy Tips

1. Use Custom Field Selection for Efficiency

  • Smaller files = faster exports, imports, and easier Excel editing
  • Only export fields you plan to edit—reduces accidental overwrites
  • Example: 4-column price update CSV vs 80-column full export

2. Create Export Templates for Recurring Tasks

  • Document field selections for common tasks (pricing updates, inventory audits)
  • Standardize file naming: export_pricing_update_YYYY-MM-DD.csv
  • Saves setup time for weekly or monthly exports

3. Leverage Filters Strategically

  • Price Range: Export only products over $100 for discount campaigns
  • Warehouse Location: Separate exports per warehouse for distributed teams
  • Visibility: Audit visible vs hidden products
  • Manufacturer: Vendor-specific exports for supplier communications

Data Management Best Practices

1. Regular Backup Schedule

  • Weekly: Pricing and inventory snapshots
  • Monthly: Full catalog backup before major changes
  • Quarterly: Complete archive for compliance

2. Version Control Your Exports

  • Use timestamps: products_export_2025-10-15.csv
  • Add purpose: products_holiday_pricing_2025-10-15.csv
  • Keep last 3-5 versions for rollback capability

3. Test Small Batches Before Bulk Changes

  • Edit 10-20 rows in Excel first
  • Import test batch to verify formatting
  • Confirm results in Catalog Manager
  • Then apply changes to full dataset

4. Use Excel Formulas for Consistency

  • Price increase: =ROUND(A2*1.15, 2) for 15% markup
  • Conditional visibility: =IF(C2>100,"Yes","No")
  • Text combination: =A2&" - "&B2
  • Formulas prevent typos and ensure uniform updates

Common Export Workflows

Seasonal Price Updates:

  1. Export: SKU, Product Name, Our Price, Regular Price (custom fields)
  2. Apply formula for discount percentage in Excel
  3. Re-import using Product Import with Action = U

Amazon Channel Setup:

  1. Export: SKU, Product Name, Amazon Active, Amazon SKU (custom fields + attributes)
  2. Set Amazon Active to 1 for products to sync
  3. Re-import using Product Custom Attributes Import

Catalog Backup:

  1. Export all categories with all 80 fields (standard export)
  2. Save with timestamp and store securely
  3. No re-import needed—this is for disaster recovery
Recommended Workflow: Export → Save Backup → Edit Copy → Test Small Batch → Verify Results → Import Full Dataset. This minimizes errors and provides rollback options at every step.
📚 Additional Resources

Related Guides

Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide, contact support with:

  • Your export settings (categories selected, filters applied)
  • Field selections (if using custom fields)
  • Any error messages or screenshots

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