Import a supplier price list without the spreadsheet cleanup

Why importing a supplier price list is harder than it looks

A price list that looks simple on screen is rarely simple as data. The same file can have a header row buried under a logo, SKUs typed three different ways, a second tab nobody asked for, and columns that mean something only to the supplier's own system. None of that is a problem with your spreadsheet skills — it's just what a file built by someone else, for their own purposes, looks like.

What CostRift needs from your file

• A CSV or XLSX file from the supplier — an email attachment, a portal download, or an export from their system.
• An item identifier column — a SKU or supplier item code — so rows can be matched later.
• A unit cost column. Selling price, currency, and unit-of-measure columns are optional, if the file carries them.

Step-by-step: from raw file to structured data

1. Add the file as CSV or XLSX. It's read in your browser — the raw file is not uploaded to CostRift's servers.
2. Map the SKU and cost columns by name, however they're labeled in the file. Selling price, currency, and unit-of-measure map independently if present.
3. CostRift reads the mapped columns only — everything else in the file is ignored, not merged in.
4. Rows are matched by SKU, normalized for case and outer whitespace. Rows that can't be matched cleanly are flagged for review rather than guessed.
5. The result is a clean, structured list: one row per matched item, ready to compare, filter, or export.

Before and after: a small worked example

Four rows from a supplier file, as typed, versus what the import produces once SKU and cost are mapped. Values are illustrative.

Common import problems — and how they're handled

Headers not in row 1

Suppliers often add a logo, a date, or a greeting above the real header row. Column mapping points at the row that actually has headers, not whatever is first.

Multiple sheets or tabs

A workbook with one tab per product line or region only needs the tab you're comparing — the rest is ignored rather than merged into one guess.

Inconsistent SKU formatting

The same item written as "sku-100", "SKU-100 ", and "Sku100" across rows or files. Matching trims outer whitespace and ignores ASCII letter case before comparing, so near-identical formatting still matches.

Extra, unrelated columns

Lead time, pack size, internal notes — anything beyond SKU and cost is simply left unmapped. It stays in the file; it just isn't used in the comparison.

Duplicate or ambiguous SKUs

The same identifier appearing twice, or appearing with two different costs. These rows are left unresolved for review instead of being paired arbitrarily — nothing is guessed.

Once your file is imported

Importing is the first step, not the destination. To see what changed against a previous version of the same supplier's list, see supplier price list comparison. If the increase itself is the question — what it does to your margin, and what to do next — see responding to a supplier price increase. If you're instead comparing several suppliers' quotes for the same items, that's a different comparison — see comparing supplier quotes.

Frequently asked questions