A practical guide to merging product details, quality control records, and freight data into a single source of truth.
The Challenge: Disconnected Data Streams
In cross-border e-commerce operations like those managed through EastMallBuy, critical data often lives in separate silos:
- Order & Product Data:
- QC (Quality Control) Data:
- Freight & Logistics Data:
- QC (Quality Control) Data:
Manually cross-referencing these datasets is time-consuming and prone to errors, obscuring your true profit margins and operational hiccups.
The Solution: A Unified EastMallBuy Tracking Spreadsheet
The goal is to create a comprehensive Order Overview
Begin with a master table. Each row represents a unique product line item for an order. The key to automation is using a unique identifier (like This ensures your core sheet automatically updates with QC results and freight costs when the linked data sources are updated. With data linked, implement summary sections or pivot tables at the top of your sheet to get instant insights:1. Core Structure & Key Columns
Data Group
Example Columns
Source
Order Core
Order ID, SKU, Product Name, Quantity, Unit Cost (CNY), Supplier
Platform/Supplier Invoice
QC Status
QC Date, Inspector, Passed Qty, Defect Notes, Photo Link
QC Report/Agent Email
Logistics & Cost
Weight (kg), Volumetric Weight, Freight Cost, Duty Estimate, Total Landed Cost
Forwarder Quote
Calculated Fields
Total Cost (Unit Cost * Passed Qty), Cost Per Unit (Landed), Margin %
Formulas (Auto-calculated)
2. Efficient Data Merging Technique: The VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP Power
SKUOrderID-SKU) to pull data from other sheets/tables.Example: =XLOOKUP([@SKU], QC_Data[SKU], QC_Data[Passed_Qty], "Pending")
Example: =[@Total_Cost] + XLOOKUP([@ShipmentID], Freight_Data[ShipmentID], Freight_Data[Charge])3. Creating the Comprehensive Overview
Best Practices for Maintenance
✅ Standardize Your Inputs
Ensure all data sources (agents, forwarders) use your predefined SKU or Order ID format. Consistency is crucial for lookups to work.
✅ Source Data as "Raw Data" Tabs
Keep the original QC reports and freight quotes in separate, untouched sheets within the same workbook. Your master sheet only references
✅ Automate Where Possible
Use simple scripts (like Google Apps Script or Macros) to import QC photos as hyperlinks or to pull updated currency exchange rates for cost calculations.
✅ Schedule Regular Updates
Dedicate time weekly to paste new QC and freight data into their respective raw tabs. The master overview will refresh automatically.