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How to upload a fulfillment and tracking number feed

Add tracking numbers to many marketplace orders at once by uploading a Fulfillment Tracking spreadsheet, then check the results and fix common errors.

In Acenda, you can add tracking numbers to many marketplace orders at once by uploading a spreadsheet when you ship orders outside of a connected fulfillment provider. Acenda adds a shipment to each order, updates the order status, and sends the tracking details on to the sales channel.

This guide covers how to prepare the file, upload it with the Fulfillment Tracking import type, and fix common errors. To add tracking to a single order by hand instead, see How to add tracking information to an order.

Before you start: Each order must already be routed to a warehouse in Acenda. The import matches every row to the order and the warehouse it was routed to, so you need both the order number and the right warehouse ID. See How to add and manage warehouses if you need to look up a warehouse ID.

Step 1: Prepare your file

File requirements

  • File type: An Excel workbook (.xlsx) or a .csv file. If you use CSV, save it as a UTF-8 CSV file. Older .xls files aren't accepted.

  • One sheet only: If your workbook has more than one sheet, only the first sheet is imported.

  • Size limit: Up to 10MB per file.

  • Row limit: Up to 1,000 rows per file, not counting the header row. Split larger files into several imports.

  • Header row: The first row must contain the column names below, spelled exactly as shown in lowercase. Don't add other columns.

Columns

Column Name

Requirement

Description & Example

external_order_id

Required

The sales channel's order number. This is the Sales Order column on the Orders list and the Order ID on the order page. (e.g., 111-0000000-0000000)

warehouse_id

Required

The ID of the Acenda warehouse the order (or that part of it) was routed to. Find it in the ID column under CHANNELS > Warehouses. (e.g., 1)

carrier

Required

The shipping carrier. (e.g., UPS, USPS, FedEx, OnTrac or UPS Mail Innovations)

method

Optional

The shipping method or service level. (e.g., Ground)

tracking_number

Required

The carrier's tracking number, with no spaces. (e.g., 1Z0000000000000000)

sku

Required

The SKU of the item that shipped, exactly as it appears on the order. (e.g., YOUR-SKU-123)

quantity

Required

How many units of that SKU shipped under this tracking number. A whole number of 1 or more. (e.g., 1)

cost

Optional

The shipping cost for this package. (e.g., 8.50)

One row per SKU, per package

  • Add one row for each SKU in each package. If a package holds two different SKUs, add two rows with the same order number, warehouse ID and tracking number.

  • Rows that share the same order number, warehouse ID and tracking number become one shipment. Those rows must have the same carrier, method and cost.

  • If an order ships in several packages, add rows for each tracking number. Each one becomes a separate shipment on the order.

Tip: Acenda checks tracking numbers for UPS, UPS Mail Innovations, USPS, FedEx and OnTrac against that carrier's format before importing them. Carrier names aren't case-sensitive, and "Fed Ex" and "UPS MI" are also recognized. Other carrier names are accepted as typed, without a format check.

Step 2: Upload the file

  1. Click DATA TRANSFERS > Imports in the sidebar.

  2. Click New Import in the top right.

  3. Choose Fulfillment Tracking in Import Type.

  4. Under Upload New File, drop your file into the box or click browse to choose it from your computer.

  5. Check the preview. Acenda shows the file details, the column mappings and a few sample rows.

  6. Confirm that each column is matched to the right field.

  7. Click Start Import.

Step 3: Check the results

After you click Start Import, you'll return to DATA TRANSFERS > Imports. The Status column shows the progress as a percentage, then Done when the import finishes.

  • See row errors: If any rows failed, a red View Errors icon appears in the File details column. Click it to open the Error Log, which lists each failed row and the reason.

  • See import details: Click View Details on the import to see its file, status and line counts.

  • Check an order: Open an order from ORDERS > Orders. The new shipment, carrier and tracking number appear on the order.

What changes on your orders

  • Each package is added to the order as a shipped fulfillment, the same as adding tracking by hand in How to add tracking information to an order.

  • The order status updates on its own. It changes to Shipped when every item has shipped, or Partially Shipped when only some have.

  • Acenda then sends the tracking details on to the sales channel, the same way it does for tracking added by hand.

Important: Rows that imported successfully are not undone if other rows fail. Fix only the failed rows and upload them again. Re-uploading rows that already worked adds the same shipment a second time, or fails if the items are already fully shipped.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

  • What does "missing required columns" mean? The header row is missing one or more required columns. Check that it includes external_order_id, warehouse_id, tracking_number, carrier, sku and quantity, spelled exactly as shown.

  • What does "invalid column" mean? The file has a column Acenda doesn't recognize. Remove it or correct the spelling.

  • What does "tracking import can have maximum 1000 lines" mean? Split the file into several files of up to 1,000 rows each.

  • What does "Tracking imports are limited to 10MB" mean? Remove extra rows or formatting, or split the file.

  • What does "no shipadvice found for external_order_id=…" mean? Acenda couldn't find that order in that warehouse. Check that the order number matches the Sales Order value exactly, and that warehouse_id is the warehouse the order was routed to. You can see the warehouse on the order page.

  • What does "no ship_advice_item found … sku=…" mean? That SKU isn't on the order for that warehouse. Check the SKU on the order page and match it exactly.

  • What does "quantity cannot be greater than the quantity of the ship advice item" mean? The quantity is more than the units still waiting to ship for that SKU. This often happens when the item was already shipped or cancelled, or when the same row was uploaded twice.

  • What does "invalid UPS tracking number; appears to be USPS tracking number" (or similar) mean? The tracking number doesn't match the carrier's format. Check the carrier value for that row, and that the number was copied in full.

  • What does "spaces are not allowed in the tracking number" or "invalid characters" mean? Remove spaces, commas, slashes, quote marks and line breaks. If Excel has turned a long number into scientific notation (for example 9.4E+21), format the column as Text and re-enter it.

  • What does "TBA is not a valid tracking number prefix" mean? Amazon Logistics (TBA) numbers can't be imported here.

  • What does "carrier is varying", "method is varying" or "cost is varying" mean? Rows for the same package have different values. Make carrier, method and cost match on every row that shares that tracking number.

  • Why didn't the sales channel accept the tracking when the import worked? Some sales channels have their own rules for carriers and tracking numbers. Check the order on the sales channel, and contact Acenda Support with the order number and the message you see.

Related articles

Still stuck? Contact Acenda Support and send Acenda support your file, the import ID from the Imports list, and the errors from the Error Log.

Related: Acenda training and onboarding

Keywords

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