Flipkart Orders or Returns Report Opens With an Error or Looks Empty: The Fix

What is wrong inside the file

An .xlsx file is a zip folder of small XML files, one for each sheet. Each sheet starts with a line that states which cells hold data, for example A1:AD1.

In the Returns report we downloaded from Seller Hub, the Returns sheet states A1:AD1, a single header row, but it holds 134 rows. The Orders report did the same: A1:AM1 on a sheet with 1,612 rows. The Help sheet in both files states its size correctly. Every sheet in our settlement report states A1, which is wrong as well.

A program that trusts the stated size reads the header and stops. A program that reads every row ignores it. That is why the same file can look empty in one app and complete in another.

Signs that your file has this problem

• The sheet shows the column names and nothing under them.
• An import tool says the file has 0 orders, or finds only the header.
• An app reports an error or says the file is damaged when you open it.
• The file is tens of kilobytes or more although the sheet looks empty.

Fix 1: upload the original file to the dashboard

1. 1

   Download the Orders report (Seller Hub, Orders, Reports) and the Returns report (Seller Hub, Returns, Reports). Keep the files exactly as Flipkart gives them.

2. 2

   Open the free Flipkart seller dashboard and go to Upload reports.

3. 3

   Choose both files at once, and the settlement report too if you have it. The dashboard reads every row of the sheet, whatever size the file states.

4. 4

   On the Check, then save screen, compare the number of rows and the dates with what you expect, then confirm the import.

Fix 2: save a fresh copy in Excel

1. 1

   Open the report in Microsoft Excel. If Excel offers to recover or repair the content, accept.

2. 2

   Press Ctrl+End (Cmd+End on a Mac) to jump to the last row and check that your orders are there.

3. 3

   Use File, Save As and save a new .xlsx file with a new name. Excel writes the correct size into the copy, so other apps can read it.

4. 4

   Keep the original download unchanged, in case you need it for a dispute with Flipkart.

Two more things to clean before you match reports

• Order item IDs in the Orders and Returns reports start with OI: (OI:4386…). The settlement report has only the number. Remove OI: with Find and Replace before a VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP, or no row will match.
• The SKU is written three ways: """SKU:KH-OM-5""" in the Orders report, SKU:KH-OM-5 in the Returns report and KH-OM-5 in the settlement report. Strip the quotes and the SKU: part so the three match. The dashboard does both clean-ups when it reads the files.
• If you read the files with your own script, read until the last row instead of trusting the size the sheet states.

Frequently asked questions