Build your bulk-upload file

Fill the Standard or Advanced template correctly: what each column holds, why condition is a whole-file setting, the Brands catalog, and how to avoid dropped rows.

Bulk Upload reads a spreadsheet you build from one of two ready-made templates. This page explains what goes in each column, how the two templates differ, and how to give GridX Connect information it can match, so more of your rows are added and fewer are dropped.

There is no column-mapping step. You do not tell GridX Connect which template you used or which column is which — it reads the headers in the file you downloaded and works the rest out. The safe way to build your file is to start from a downloaded template and keep its header row exactly as it is.

> [!WARNING] > Do not rename, translate or reorder the header row. The headers are matched exactly as written — Quantity is not the same as Qty, and Vehicle Make is not the same as Make. A file missing Part Number, Price or Quantity is rejected before any row is read, with "Your file is missing required columns".

> [!NOTE] > Condition is not a column. You set New or Used once for the whole file on the Bulk Upload page, not row by row. Part type is not a column either — GridX Connect works out the part type for every row from what you put in Brand (see below).

Before you start

  • You can open Bulk Upload from the sidebar (the item is not locked).
  • A spreadsheet editor that can save as CSV (.csv) or Excel (.xlsx).
  • The OE or Manufacturer Part Numbers for your parts to hand.

Steps

  1. Open Bulk Upload from the sidebar.
  2. Under Download Template, click Standard Template (it downloads as gridx-connect-template-v3.0.xlsx) or Advanced Template (gridx-connect-template-v4.0-advanced.xlsx).
  3. Open the file and go to the Parts List sheet — that is where your rows go. The Instructions sheet is guidance only and is ignored when you upload.
  4. Fill in one row per part, keeping the header row exactly as downloaded.
  5. Put the OE Number or Manufacturer Part Number in Part Number, and fill in Vehicle Make. Use the Brand column only where the rule below says to.
  6. Save the file as .csv or .xlsx, 10MB or smaller.
  7. Go back to the Bulk Upload page, pick your condition, and upload. For the upload itself, see Run a bulk upload.

The Brand column: the one rule that matters most

Brand is only for aftermarket and private-label parts. Leave it empty for genuine OE parts, new or used.

| What you are listing | File condition | Brand column | |---|---|---| | Genuine / OE part, new | New | Leave empty | | Aftermarket or private-label part | New | Enter the brand | | Genuine / OE part, used | Used | Leave empty |

Getting this wrong is the single most common reason a row fails. A brand name on a Used row marks the part as aftermarket, and used parts can only be listed as OEM — so the row fails every time you upload it, no matter how often you retry. If you need to list branded aftermarket stock, put it in a separate New file, because condition is set for the whole file.

You can also set the Brand column to the vehicle make (for example Toyota on a Toyota part) — that is read the same as leaving it empty.

The two templates

The Standard Template has 5 columns. The Advanced Template has those same 5 plus 9 more, for sellers who already hold full product data. Both are .xlsx files with a Parts List sheet.

Standard — 5 columns

| Column | Required | Notes | |---|---|---| | Part Number | Yes | The OE Number or Manufacturer Part Number. Casting marks and stamped numbers return the wrong part. | | Price | Column must be present | Your listing price. You can leave a row's price blank and set it later in Inventory. | | Quantity | Yes | How many you have. | | Vehicle Make | Strongly recommended | The vehicle make — this is what makes the match accurate. | | Brand | Conditional | Only for aftermarket / private-label parts. See the rule above. |

Advanced — the same 5, plus 9

Every one of these is optional. Leave any of them blank and GridX Connect fills it in for you, exactly as the Standard template would.

| Column | What it holds | |---|---| | Title | Your own listing title. Blank means GridX Connect writes one. | | Description | Your own product description. | | Image URLs | Links to photos you already host. | | SKU | Your own SKU or label. Blank means GridX Connect creates one. | | Weight Major | Shipping weight, whole pounds. | | Weight Minor | Shipping weight, remaining ounces. | | Package Length | Package length, inches. | | Package Width | Package width, inches. | | Package Depth | Package depth, inches. |

Weight and package size are used for calculated shipping, so fill in all five of those or none of them.

> [!TIP] > You do not need the Advanced template to get good listings. The Standard template lets GridX Connect write the title, description and specs from the part number for you — reach for Advanced only when you want your own titles, SKUs, images or shipping dimensions.

Getting the Part Number right

The Part Number is what GridX Connect uses to identify each part, so it is the most important column. Use the OE Number or the Manufacturer Part Number. Casting marks and stamped numbers look like part numbers but return the wrong part, so a row built on one is likely to be dropped.

The Bulk Upload page carries a reminder headed Important: Please Read Before Processing, which reads To find the exact part you need on GridX Connect, please give us the correct information. In practice that means a real part number plus the Vehicle Make.

Filling the Brand column from the catalogue

When a row *does* need a brand, the page includes a searchable GridX Brands Catalog listing the brands GridX Connect recognises. Open it, type into Search brands..., and browse Popular Brands and All Brands. If a name returns No brands found for "...", try the maker's proper brand name before you fill in your spreadsheet.

Why rows get dropped, and how to fix them

When a part cannot be verified or found, its row is Dropped rather than added, and it is listed with a reason:

| Reason shown | What to do | |---|---| | Unable to find product information for this part number | Check it is the OE or Manufacturer Part Number, and fill in the Vehicle Make. | | Could not identify the product for this part number | Check the part number and the Vehicle Make. | | The vehicle make in this row is not recognized | Use the maker's normal name. The reason often suggests the right spelling. If the value is really a parts brand, move it to the Brand column. |

Rows can also come back as Failed, which is different — that is almost always a Brand on a Used row. See Fix bulk upload rows that were skipped or dropped.

After a job, use Export CSV on the Results panel to download the rows that did not go in (saved as {filename}_errors.csv), correct them, and upload only those rows again.

If something goes wrong

| On-screen message | What to do | |---|---| | Your file is missing required columns | The header row is missing Part Number, Price or Quantity, or one of them has been renamed. Start again from a downloaded template and keep the headers exactly as they are. | | File size must be less than 10MB | Split your parts into files under 10MB each. | | Only CSV and Excel (.xlsx) files are supported | Save your spreadsheet as CSV or Excel (.xlsx). | | Your file has no data rows | The Parts List sheet has headers but no rows under them. | | All parts already exist in your inventory | Every row matched a part you already stock. Upload part numbers you do not already have. |

A file with no condition column is normal — you set New or Used on the page, not in the spreadsheet. Likewise, do not add a part-type column; GridX Connect works out the part type for every row from the Brand column and the file's condition.