Bulk Import

A bulk import is a process that lets you transfer a large number of records into a system all at once. Instead of entering each record individually, the information is read in from a file.

In the Amazon ecosystem (also called a bulk upload or bulk operations) this is a core building block for efficiently managing products and advertising campaigns.

• Time savings: Hundreds of changes in minutes instead of days.
• Fewer errors: Consistent formatting minimizes data-entry mistakes.
• Data consistency: Every change is based on predefined templates.
• Scalability: Ideal for large catalogs and complex campaigns.

Say you want to create a T-shirt in different colors and sizes: in Seller Central, under “Catalog → Add Products via Upload”, download the matching flat-file template, fill it out offline, and upload it again.

The template contains columns for all relevant attributes, such as SKU, price, size, color, and image URLs. Each variation is created as its own row.

On Amazon, bulk operations mostly rely on CSV files and tab-delimited text files (.txt), which you can edit with Excel or Google Sheets.

Important: the structure of the Amazon flat-file templates must be followed exactly. Mixing different product categories in a single file leads to processing errors.