Review marketplace product data for contact cleanup

A marketplace export can mix product listings with supplier names, email addresses, phone numbers, and internal notes. When you are cleaning a contact list, a careless duplicate cleanup can remove a valid product row just because the same supplier appears more than once.

Start by reviewing the file and deciding whether you need to correct product data, clean contact details, or both. The CSV Editor opens CSV files in your browser so you can inspect, find, edit, and sort rows before saving a cleaned copy.

Review the marketplace CSV

1. Open a copy of the marketplace export in the CSV Editor. Keep the original file unchanged so you can recover a product row or contact detail if needed.
2. Check the headers first. Identify which columns describe products, such as product ID, SKU, or listing name, and which contain contact details, such as supplier name, email, and phone number.
3. Look for obvious problems. Find blank contact fields, inconsistent email addresses, phone numbers with different formatting, or names that appear with small spelling variations.
4. Sort or search the relevant columns to compare similar entries. Check product IDs as well as contact details before deciding whether two rows are duplicates.
5. Make corrections in a separate working copy. Save the cleaned file under a new name, then reopen it and check a few product and contact rows before importing it.

Do not treat every repeated supplier name as a duplicate. One supplier can provide many products, and a marketplace export may correctly repeat that supplier's contact information on every listing.

What the results mean

The same contact appears on several product rows

This is often normal. If the SKU or product ID differs, each row may be a separate listing from the same supplier. Keep those product rows unless your marketplace or import instructions say otherwise. If you need a standalone contact list, make a separate copy containing contact information rather than deleting product listings from the marketplace file.

Two rows have the same product ID and contact details

These may be duplicate exports, but check other listing fields before removing either row. A repeated ID can also be intentional if the file contains variants, regional listings, or separate inventory records. Compare the product name, variant, status, and other identifiers available in the file.

One person has more than one email or phone number

Do not merge the details automatically. The entries may be an old address and a current one, or different contacts at the same supplier. Confirm which detail is current with a reliable source before removing anything.

A contact field is blank or inconsistent

A blank value may mean the marketplace export did not include the information, not that the supplier has no contact details. Differences in capitalization or phone formatting may be harmless, while a missing character in an email address can prevent messages from reaching the right person.

Clean the data without losing listings

1. Keep an untouched original. Duplicate the CSV before editing it. This gives you a reference if you remove the wrong row or need to compare a disputed contact.
2. Choose a stable way to identify products. Use a SKU or product ID when available, not the supplier name. Two listings with different product identifiers should not be removed just because their contact fields match.
3. Review repeated contacts one at a time. Sort or find the supplier email or phone number, then inspect the product identifiers on matching rows. If the listings differ, keep both rows.
4. Correct only details you can verify. Fix clear typos when you have a trusted source for the right value. Avoid guessing a missing email or combining two phone numbers into one field.
5. Use duplicate removal cautiously. The CSV Editor can remove duplicate rows, but a whole-row match is different from a repeated contact. Only remove rows you have confirmed are redundant. If you want to deduplicate contacts while preserving every product, work from a separate contact-only copy.
6. Check the saved file before importing. Reopen it and inspect the first few rows, several edited rows, and the last row. Confirm that product IDs, contact fields, and row order look as expected for the marketplace import.

Common CSV details that can cause trouble

A CSV is plain text arranged in rows and columns. Commas separate fields, but a field can also contain commas when it is wrapped in quotation marks. For example, a supplier name such as North Market, Inc. may be stored as "North Market, Inc.". If a row appears shifted, inspect the fields before editing or importing it. The commas may be part of a quoted value rather than extra columns.

Watch for leading zeros in product codes and phone numbers. A value like 004812 is not necessarily the same as 4812. Keep identifiers as they appear in the source unless you know the receiving system expects a different format. Also check that edited emails do not have spaces before or after the address.

When you are unsure whether a repeated record is safe to remove, leave it in the marketplace file and ask the marketplace administrator or supplier to confirm. The CSV Editor runs in your browser, and the files you open stay on your device.