Migrate to Stocksmith from another inventory system

Move your existing inventory data into Stocksmith without losing anything along the way

Switching from a system like Soapmaker 3 can feel like starting from scratch, and importing your data in the wrong order makes it worse — Stocksmith silently skips any row that references a material or product it can't find yet. Import in the order below, and your materials, products, recipes, and purchase history land in Stocksmith correctly the first time.

This guide covers the order to bring your materials, products, recipes, and purchase history into Stocksmith using CSV imports, and what to expect at each step.

Before you start

• Import your data in the order below. Recipes and purchases reference materials and products by SKU, so those need to already exist in Stocksmith, or the referencing rows are skipped.
• CSV imports can't bring across contacts or customer records — you'll need to add those manually once your inventory data is in place.

In this article:

• Exporting your data from your old system
• Importing your data in the right order
• Setting starting quantities and costs
• What CSV imports can't bring across
• FAQ

Exporting your data from your old system

Most inventory systems, including Soapmaker 3, let you export your records to a spreadsheet. Stocksmith imports CSV files, so once you have your data in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets, save or export it as a CSV before uploading it.

Importing your data in the right order

Stocksmith's importers look up existing records by SKU. If a recipe or purchase references a material or product that hasn't been imported yet, that row is skipped — so bring your data across in this order:

Step 1: Materials

Start with your raw materials. Use the Starting Quantity and Starting Unit Cost columns to bring forward the stock on hand and its cost as of your Stocksmith start date.

See Importing materials for the full column reference and step-by-step instructions.

Step 2: Products

Import your finished products next. As with materials, the Starting Quantity and Starting Unit Cost columns bring forward your current stock and its cost.

See Importing products for the full column reference and step-by-step instructions.

Step 3: Recipes

Once your materials and products both exist in Stocksmith, import your recipes to link them together.

See Importing Recipes via CSV for the full guide.

Step 4: Purchases

Import your purchase history last. Any purchase line item categorised as a material cost needs a material SKU that already exists in Stocksmith, so this step relies on Step 1 being complete.

See Importing purchases via CSV for the full guide.

Setting starting quantities and costs

You don't need a separate step to bring across your current stock levels. The materials and products importers both include Starting Quantity and Starting Unit Cost columns — set these to whatever you're holding on your Stocksmith start date, and Stocksmith records them as your opening stock.

Importing purchases is for bringing across your purchase order history, not for setting starting stock — most people migrating from another system only need the Starting Quantity and Starting Unit Cost columns on their materials and products import to get their opening balances right.

What CSV imports can't bring across

Stocksmith doesn't currently have a bulk importer for contacts or customer records. If you're bringing across a customer list from your old system, you'll need to add your contacts manually once your inventory data is in place.

FAQ

What happens if I import a recipe before its materials or product exist?

The recipe row is skipped — Stocksmith can't match a material or product it can't find by SKU. If a recipe references even one missing material, the whole recipe for that row is skipped, not just the missing ingredient. See CSV import troubleshooting to find and fix skipped rows, then re-import just those rows.

Can I undo an import if something goes wrong?

Yes. Go to your Imports page, hover over the ⋮ icon next to the import, and select Undo Import.

Can I bring across my customer or contact list?

Not via CSV import — Stocksmith doesn't currently have a bulk importer for contacts. Add your contacts manually once your inventory data is in place.

How do I check everything imported correctly?

Once an import finishes, export that record type again — for example, Exporting products — and compare it against your original file. Most record types in Stocksmith have an equivalent CSV export.

Need Help?

Still working through a migration? Get in touch with our support team — we're happy to help you plan the move. You might also find Updating products via CSV useful if you need to make bulk changes after your initial import.