When you import live listings from multiple marketplaces, it's best if the SKUs are identical on each marketplace. However, we understand that is not always possible. If you have different SKUs on each marketplace, merging the PO Sources will allow you to consolidate your imported listings under one product.
If you want to launch multiple new listings for one product, not work with imported listings, please see Creating Multiple Listings for One Product (Product Merge).
Downloadable Excel Example of Merging PO Sources
We attached the file we used in our example eBay and Amazon import to the bottom of this article.
What we'll cover:
- An Introduction to Merging PO Sources
- An Example of Merging PO Sources
- How Merging PO Sources Affects Your SKUs, Warehouse IDs, and Quantities
- Enabling the Match by Product 'SKU' Feature in Your Market Lists
- When Not to Merge PO Sources
- How to Merge PO Sources
- What to Do if You Make a Mistake
- Related Articles
- Downloadable Excel Example of Merging PO Sources
An Introduction to Merging PO Sources
In Solid Commerce, the SKU is what identifies each product. It also connects us to your marketplace listings.
Because it is our primary identifier and connector, the SKU is the only field you cannot revise in Solid Commerce. If you want to change a SKU, you need to delete the product, and then create it from scratch with a new SKU.
That is why it is best to align your SKUs across the marketplaces before importing your listings. If that is not possible, you can manage the different imported SKUs by merging their PO Sources.
An Example of Merging PO Sources
Let's assume you have the same blue guitar listed on eBay and Amazon. You want to keep the eBay SKU: EG-Blu-1, not the Amazon SKU: Electric_Blue_01. Merging the PO Sources allows you to join the Amazon product to the eBay SKU: EG-Blu-1.
We call the product you keep the Master Item (eBay SKU: EG-Blu-1). The item that is merged is the Child Item (Amazon SKU: Electric_Blue_01).
We keep the Child Item in your Market List so we can continue to control your listing. You can maintain different prices, titles, and other marketplace details between the merged products.
The quantity of the Child Item is controlled by the Master Item.
How Merging PO Sources Affects Your SKUs, Warehouse IDs, and Quantities
When we import listings from the marketplaces, we use the SKU from the marketplace in both the Product Custom SKU and Warehouse ID fields.
Using the same ID for both fields is also usually the simplest, most functional, option when creating new products. However, Merging PO Sources creates items with a different ID in each field. After merging, the Child Item has the Product Custom SKU of the Master Item and the Warehouse ID of the Child Item.
Here's why the merge works:
The Warehouse ID is the identifier that connects us to your live listings on the marketplaces.
The quantity we display in the Market List is actually pulled from the Solid Commerce Warehouse you select as the PO Source for your listing. To find that quantity, we first search your Warehouse for the Warehouse ID. If we don't find the Warehouse ID, and you have enabled the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) option in your Market List, we search for the Product Custom SKU instead.
The process of merging the PO Sources replaces the Product Custom SKU of the Child Item with the SKU of the Master Item. The Child Item is removed from the Warehouse, but remains in the Market List. All of the child's product information is also removed from the system.
When we search your Warehouse for the Warehouse ID of your Child Item, we cannot find it. We find the Product Custom SKU of the Master Item instead. The Child Item is connected to the quantity of the Master Item. Any update to the quantity of the Master Item will cause the quantity of the Child Item to adjust, and vice versa.
EXAMPLE: After you merge your Amazon item with your eBay item, the Product Custom SKU (My Part # SKU) will be EG-Blu-1, but the Warehouse ID of your Amazon item will remain Electric_Blue_01.
Enabling the Match by Product 'SKU' Feature in Your Market Lists
You must enable the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) option in your Market List for the product merge feature to work. If you don't enable this option, our system will not search your Warehouse for the Product Custom SKU of your merged item when we fail to find its Warehouse ID.
To enable the Match by product 'SKU' option:
1) Inside Solid Commerce, navigate to the Inventory Manager.
2) Expand the Marketplace you are merging products on. Select the Market List the products you are merging are saved in.
3) Click on the Edit button on the top left of your screen.
4) In the Edit List Data pop-up, check the Match by product 'SKU' (Including Alternate SKU's) box.
5) Click the Save button.
When Not to Merge PO Sources
You only want to merge the PO Sources of identical products. If you have products with slightly different product details, you should create a kit instead.
EXAMPLE: You carry one set of shocks that fit both Chevy and GMC trucks. You have two different listings for the shocks, each with a different SKU, title, and manufacturer. Because the Manufacturer field is a product level field in Solid Commerce, you need to keep these products separate. You can create a kit to use one product to control the inventory across your listings. To learn how, please see the two kitting articles listed in the Related Articles section.
How to Merge PO Sources
1) Choose your Master Item.
- Because the Child Item's product data is deleted, it is best to use the item with the most data as your Master Item.
- EXAMPLE: eBay allows us to import all of your product details and images. Amazon doesn't allow us to import product details, UPCs, or images. If possible, it is best to use your eBay item as the Master Item so you don't lose the imported data.
- If you cannot use the eBay SKU, but don't want to lose the product details that imported from eBay, retrieve all of the product details into Excel before merging.
- To assign all of the eBay details to your Amazon product, replace the Product Custom SKU and Warehouse ID in the file of retrieved data with the ID of your Amazon Master Item.
- Upload the file with a Products only update.
- For more info, see the Excel articles in the Related Articles section.
2) Merge the PO Sources by creating a spreadsheet with the following columns:
- Results — Leave the cells under the header blank.
- Product Custom SKU — The SKU of the Child Item.
- Warehouse ID — The Warehouse ID of the Child Item.
- PO Sources — The name of the Warehouse that contains the Master Item.
- List Name — The name of the Market List that contains the Child Item.
- Merge With PO Source Item — The SKU of the Master Item.
3) Upload the file with a Marketplace only update.
- NOTE: You'll want to turn off the Auto Import after you have merged the skus from your first marketplace so the the skus that you have just merged do not come back into your warehouse.
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IMPORTANT! 1) Import the listings from the marketplace with your Master Items. 2) Import the listings from a second marketplace. 3) Merge the PO Sources in the second marketplace. 4) Import the listings from a third marketplace. 5) Merge the PO Sources in the third marketplace. 6) Keep importing and then merging the PO Sources until you have imported the listings from all of your marketplaces. |
What to Do if You Make a Mistake
1) If you make a mistake merging PO Sources, you will need to remove the Child Product from Solid Commerce completely.
- For more information about removing products, see Deleting Products.
2) After the Child Item has been removed completely, it should re-import from the marketplace so long as you have the automated import settings turned on in your Marketplaces Setup.
- If you want to learn how to control the automatic import settings, we have separate articles about connecting to each marketplace to show you how.
3) After it imports, you can merge the PO Sources again by following the steps above.
Related Articles
- Creating Multiple Listings for One Product (Product Merge)
- Creating and Customizing a Solid Commerce Excel Template
- Uploading With the Excel Tool - Quick Guide
- Retrieving With the Excel Tool - Quick Guide
- Introduction to Kitting: Bundles, Kits, and Aggregates
- Creating Kits: Listing One Product Multiple Times
- Deleting Products
- Searching for Products
- Articles about connecting to the Marketplaces
Downloadable Excel Example of Merging PO Sources
Here is the file we used to consolidate the eBay and Amazon listings for the blue guitar onto the eBay Master Item.
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