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Importing a distributor file

Importing a distributor file is the primary way to bring new titles onto your Shopify store. This page walks through the whole workflow end to end, using the most common case: receiving a shipment from Ingram.

When you order books from a distributor, the shipment arrives with an accompanying file — an electronic packing list of everything in the boxes, keyed by ISBN. Instead of typing those books in one by one, you hand that file to Bookhead. Bookhead reads each ISBN, enriches it with a cover and bibliographic data, checks it against what's already on your Shopify store, and creates or updates the products for you.

What you'll need​

  • The distributor file for the shipment (for an Ingram order, the invoice or shipment file that lists each title, its ISBN, the quantity received, and the price). Order files from Ingram or Edelweiss both work.
  • The Bookhead app installed and connected to your Shopify store (see Installing the app)

The receiving workflow, step by step​

Step 1: Receive the shipment and locate the file​

When the shipment arrives, find its distributor file. For an Ingram order this is the shipment/invoice file tied to that order. It lists, for each title, the ISBN, the quantity in the box, and the price.

Step 2: Open the import screen in Bookhead​

In Bookhead, go to the import screen for distributor files and start a new import.

Step 3: Provide the file​

Upload the distributor file. Bookhead reads the file and shows you the list of books it found — each line is one title from the shipment, with its ISBN, quantity, and price.

Step 4: Review what was found​

Check the list before importing:

  • Confirm the quantities match what physically arrived in the boxes.
  • Confirm the prices are what you intend to sell at.
  • Bookhead flags titles it can already match to a product on your Shopify store versus titles that are brand new, so you can see at a glance what will be created and what will be updated.

Step 5: Import​

Start the import. For each title in the file, Bookhead:

  1. Looks up the ISBN and pulls the cover image and bibliographic data (title, author, publisher, format, description, and more).
  2. Checks your Shopify catalog to see whether the book already exists there.
  3. Creates or updates the product accordingly:
    • New title → a new, fully enriched product is created on your Shopify store.
    • Title you already carry → the existing product is updated (for example, the quantity from the shipment is added) instead of creating a duplicate.

Step 6: Confirm the results on your Shopify store​

Once the import finishes, open your Shopify admin and spot-check a few of the titles from the shipment. You should see complete products — cover, title, author, description, price, and the received quantity — ready to sell.

How duplicates are avoided​

Because Bookhead checks each ISBN against your existing Shopify catalog before writing, receiving the same title in a later shipment updates the product you already have rather than creating a second copy of it. This is the same read-for-sync behavior described in How syncing works.

If something doesn't look right​

  • A title didn't get a cover or full data — occasionally a brand-new or obscure ISBN has limited data available. The product is still created; you can fill in missing details by editing it (see Creating book products manually for the fields involved).
  • Quantities look wrong — re-check the file against the physical shipment, then re-run the import.
  • Anything else — email [email protected] with the shipment details and we'll help.