How to match supplier SKUs to your own items

Published 6 October 2026. Updated 6 October 2026.

Every supplier price update runs into the same question: which of my items is this line? The supplier calls a hinge SSC-7100-SLV. You call it 7100-SLV Shelf Pin. The costs on the page are only useful once the two are tied together, and a wrong tie quietly puts a cost on the wrong item.

This guide explains why the numbers differ, the order of rules that gives you the most matches with the fewest errors, and how to keep a mapping that gets better each cycle.

Why supplier numbers and yours differ

• Your items were named when you first stocked them, often by someone in your own shorthand.
• Suppliers prefix, suffix or restructure part numbers, and sometimes renumber a family.
• Spreadsheets drop leading zeros, turn long numbers into scientific notation and change 3-4 into a date.
• One of your items may be sold under different numbers by two suppliers.
• Colour, size and finish codes sit in different places in the string.

None of this is a sign of a bad catalogue. It is the normal state of affairs, and it is why matching needs rules and not a single lookup.

The order of matching rules

Work from the most certain rule to the least. Stop at the first rule that gives a single clear answer.

1. Exact match

The supplier's number is identical to your SKU or item name. This is the cleanest case. It still needs a check that the number appears only once on each side.

2. Normalised match

Strip the differences that do not matter and compare again:

• Ignore upper and lower case.
• Remove spaces, dashes, slashes and dots.
• Remove a known supplier prefix such as a constant SSC-.
• Restore leading zeros that a spreadsheet removed.

After normalising, ssc 7100 slv and SSC-7100-SLV are the same string. Be careful that normalising does not make two different parts equal, for example A-10 and A10, if both exist.

3. Alias match

An alias is a saved statement that this supplier number means this item of yours. It is as reliable as the decision behind it: you make it once, and every later update reuses it.

Keep aliases per supplier, since two suppliers may use the same number for different things. A simple table of supplier, supplier number and your item is enough.

4. Look-alike match

When nothing else works, compare descriptions and numbers for similarity. This is the risky rule. Use it only when:

• One candidate is clearly ahead of the others, with a real gap in score.
• The colour, size and unit agree.

If two candidates are close, do not choose. A blue item and a white one can have almost identical descriptions.

5. No confident match

Everything left is a question for you. Treat the result as one of three kinds:

Checks that catch bad matches

Run these before any cost goes into an import.

1. No item is matched twice. If two supplier lines point to one item, one is wrong, unless the supplier really lists two pack sizes.
2. The change is believable. A match that implies a very large increase or decrease is more likely a bad match or a unit change than a real move.
3. The description still agrees. Read a sample of matched pairs side by side.
4. Counts reconcile. Lines in the file equal matched lines plus new lines plus questions.
5. Every item of yours is accounted for. Each is matched, or listed as absent from the file.

Build the alias list as you go

Each time you resolve a question, save the answer. After a few cycles with a supplier, most lines match by exact, normalised or alias rules and only genuinely new items need attention. Date the entries or note who set them, so a wrong alias can be traced.

When a supplier renumbers, expect a wave of unmatched lines. Ask for a cross-reference sheet from the old numbers to the new ones; suppliers that renumber often have one.

Common traps

• Numbers stored as text in one sheet and as numbers in the other
• Hidden characters, such as a trailing space or a non-breaking space
• Items that differ only by a trailing letter for finish
• A supplier reusing a retired number for a new part
• Kits and components listed under one number on one side and several on the other

How PriceListRadar does this step

PriceListRadar matches each row of the supplier's file to your QuickBooks item list in code, in a similar order: exact SKU, then normalised SKU and known aliases, then a look-alike match only when one item is a clear winner. If nothing matches with confidence, the line comes back to you as a question and is not guessed. Lines in the supplier's file that are not on your list are shown to you as new items, and items on your list that are absent from the file are marked as possibly discontinued.

Costs and percentage changes for matched rows are computed by code.

A second, stronger AI model reviews every result, fixes what it can, and lists what is left for you to decide. Results are model output checked by code and by a second model; they are not verified by a person. The matches feed the change list and a QuickBooks import file of checked rows. For the next steps, see how to update item costs in QuickBooks Online and the supplier price increase checklist. You can sign up to try it on a real list.

Questions

Should I rename my items to the supplier's part numbers?

Usually not. Your item names carry your own history, reports and customer documents. Keep your names and store the supplier's number as a mapping or in a field, so a supplier renumbering does not rewrite your catalogue.

What do I do when two suppliers sell the same part?

Give each supplier its own mapping to the same item, and keep the supplier's number in each. Then a price list from either one lands on the right item, and you can compare their costs side by side.

How often does an alias list need maintenance?

Add to it whenever you resolve an unmatched line, and review it when a supplier renumbers or retires a family of parts. A short list kept current beats a large one nobody trusts.