Importing Products
Learn how to bulk import products from a CSV file.
When to Use Import
Bulk import is ideal for several scenarios.
When you have many products to add at once, import saves significant time.
When migrating from another system, export your data and import into VasBox.
Update multiple product prices or details at once by re-importing.
Template Columns
Understanding the CSV template structure.
Download Template First
| Column | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | Yes | Product name | Widget Pro |
| sku | No | Stock keeping unit | WDG-001 |
| hs_code | No | Harmonized System code | 8471.30 |
| description | No | Product description | Premium widget |
| unit_price | Yes | Selling price (number) | 99.99 |
| tax_category | Yes | Tax category (standard, exempt, zero_rated, withholding) | standard |
| unit_of_measure | No | How product is sold | each |
| is_service | No | Service flag (true/false) | false |
| is_active | No | Active status (true/false) | true |
Import Process
Follow these steps to import your products.
Download Template
Navigate to Products → Import and click Download Template to get the CSV template with the correct column headers.
Prepare Your Data
Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets and fill in your product data:
- • Use CSV format (comma-separated values)
- • Ensure UTF-8 encoding for special characters
- • Do not modify the header row
- • Prices must be numbers (no currency symbols)
- • Boolean fields use true/false or 1/0
Upload and Preview
Upload your CSV file and preview the import:
Preview Import
25 products found in file
| Row | Name | SKU | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Widget Pro | WDG-001 | $99.00 | Ready |
| 2 | Widget Basic | WDG-002 | $49.00 | Ready |
Confirm Import
Review the preview, then click Import to add all products to your catalog. A progress indicator will show the import status.
Import Complete
Troubleshooting Import Errors
Common issues and how to fix them.
"Missing required field"
Ensure name, unit_price, and tax_category columns have values for every row. Empty cells in required fields will cause this error.
"Invalid price format"
Prices must be numbers only. Remove currency symbols ($, USD) and thousand separators (commas).
"Invalid tax_category"
The tax_category must be one of: standard, exempt, zero_rated, or withholding.
"Duplicate SKU"
Each SKU must be unique. Check for duplicate values in your file or existing products with the same SKU.