MAP monitoring readiness kit: dealer list and MAP price list templates
Monitoring MAP on dealer sites starts from two files: a list of the online dealers that carry your parts, with their websites, and a MAP price list with one row per part number, its MAP and the date that MAP took effect. Both are below as CSV templates. The price list template is the exact format Price Axle imports.
Key takeaways · if you read nothing else
- A MAP price list needs three things on every row: the part number, the MAP and the date that MAP took effect. Name, brand, finish and fitment are optional, but they help confirm a dealer’s page.
- Give every part number its own row, including each finish and each kit that has its own part number.
- When a MAP changes, add a row with the new effective date and keep the old one, so an ad seen last month is checked against last month’s MAP.
- The dealer list needs each dealer’s name and website. A priority column decides which dealers go into the first scope.
- Product page links are optional. If you don’t have them, finding and verifying each page is part of setup.
On this page7 sections · templates
What do you need ready before MAP monitoring starts?
Two files, plus your policy kept to hand. The third file, the product page list, helps if you already have it.
| File | What it holds | Who builds it | Needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer list | The online dealers that sell your parts, with their websites | You, or with us during setup | Yes |
| MAP price list | Part number, MAP and effective date, one row each | You | Yes |
| Product page list | The exact page for each part number at each dealer | Built and verified during setup; send it if you have it | No |
Your MAP policy also matters, because its exceptions (bundles, coupons, shipping) decide how some ads are read. Don’t email it. If a diagnostic is a fit, we arrange a secure exchange for the policy and the price list.
Where does the dealer list come from?
From what you already know about who sells your parts online. Five places to look:
- Your direct dealer accounts. Every business that buys from you and has a website.
- Dealers who buy through distributors. They may not be in your accounts at all. aFe POWER, for example, lets approved resellers buy “either directly, or through authorized AFE POWER distributor partners”. If your distributors share who they sell to, use it.
- Dealer applications or an authorized-dealer list, if you run a program.
- Your sales team. They usually know which accounts are active online.
- A search for your brand and a few part numbers. Add the dealer sites you recognize.
Then mark a priority for each. Start the first scope with the dealers that matter most to you, for example the busiest sites or the ones other dealers raise with you. Dealer site monitoring explains how a dealer list becomes monitored listings.
The dealer list template
Four columns. It’s a planning file: we use it to find each dealer’s product pages, and the dealer records are created from those page addresses.
Illustrative example: fictional dealers on reserved .example web addresses.
| Column | Needed? | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
dealer_name | Yes | The name the dealer trades under | Dealer One |
website | Yes | The site’s home page address | https://www.dealer-one.example |
priority | Recommended | 1 for the first scope, 2 next, 3 later | 1 |
notes | No | Anything that helps: how they buy, what they carry | Buys through a distributor |
The MAP price list template
This is the exact format we import. Header names aren’t case-sensitive, and the import ignores columns it doesn’t use, so an extra column such as UPC can stay.
Illustrative example: fictional manufacturer and part numbers. Not real pricing.
| Column | Needed? | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
mpn | Yes | Your part number as it appears on dealer pages. Case and spaces don’t matter. | EXM-CAT-1001 |
map_price | Yes | The MAP in dollars and cents. A $ sign and commas are fine. | 899.00 |
effective_from | Recommended | The date this MAP took effect, written YYYY-MM-DD. If it’s blank, the date of the policy version you send it with is used. | 2026-10-01 |
name, brand | No | The product name and brand | Cat-back exhaust |
variant | No | The finish or configuration | Polished tips |
fitment_hints | No | The vehicles it fits. Helps when a dealer’s page names the vehicle instead of the part number. | 2015-2020 F-150 5.0L |
currency | No | Only USD is supported. Leave it out for USD. | USD |
Three rules decide whether a file imports:
- One row per part number per effective date. The same part number twice with the same date is refused.
- A price change is a new row. Give it the date the new MAP starts. The previous MAP is closed the day before, and a different MAP on a date that already has one is refused, so earlier findings keep the MAP that applied then. The template shows one: EXM-CLP-2002 at $49.99 from Oct 1, 2026 and $54.99 from Jan 1, 2027.
- One error stops the whole file. Nothing is imported until every row is valid, and each error comes back with its line number.
The MAP pricing policy guide explains why old MAP rows are kept rather than overwritten.
Some things have no column. Tell us when you send the files:
- which part numbers replaced which, so we know what a dealer page still showing an old number refers to;
- your policy’s exceptions for bundles, coupons or shipping.
The product page list (optional)
One row per part number per dealer page. If you don’t have these links, leave this file out: finding and checking each page is part of setup.
| Column | Needed? | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
mpn | Yes | A part number from your price list | EXM-CAT-1001 |
url | Yes | The full link to the dealer’s product page | https://www.dealer-one.example/products/exm-cat-1001 |
retailer | No | The dealer’s name. Defaults to the site’s address. | Dealer One |
retailer_sku | No | The dealer’s own SKU, if it shows one | D1-88231 |
match_confidence | No | exact, probable or uncertain | exact |
match_status | No | verified, unverified or rejected | verified |
notes | No | What the page shows | MPN and finish shown on page |
You can leave the last three blank; we set them when we check each page. Only an exact match can be marked verified, and only verified pages are compared with MAP.
What usually needs fixing first?
Six gaps come up before a price list will import or match cleanly:
| Gap | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Part numbers changed by the spreadsheet | Excel removes leading zeros and turns long numbers into scientific notation, so 00123 becomes 123 | Format the part number column as text before you paste or type |
| Several finishes on one row | “Black / Polished” can’t be matched to one page | One row for each finish that has its own part number |
| A kit with no part number of its own | There’s no row to compare the kit’s price with | Give the kit a row if it has a part number; otherwise it’s a bundle question for your policy |
| MSRP sent instead of MAP | Every comparison is against the wrong price | Check the column holds MAP, not MSRP or list price |
| A MAP written as words, such as “Call” | The import needs a price | Enter the amount, or leave the part off the list |
| Effective dates missing or in another format | Blank dates take the policy’s date; 10/1/2026 is refused | Write every date as YYYY-MM-DD and check it after saving |
MAP vs MSRP covers the difference between the two prices.
What do you do with the files?
Count first, then send.
- Size the job. Put your part number and dealer counts into the scope calculator to see how many listings and checks they make.
- Request an assessment. The form asks for your dealers (names or websites; a rough list is fine) and whether a current price list is ready to share. Don’t email the files. If a diagnostic is a fit, we arrange a secure exchange.
FAQ
Does my price list have to be in this format before I contact you?
No. The form only asks whether a current price list exists. The template shows what the file needs to become before it can be imported.
Do you need UPCs?
Not for the import. There’s no UPC column; listings are matched on the part number and confirmed on the page. A UPC column in your file is ignored.
Can the price list include parts we don’t want monitored?
Yes. The price list can hold your whole catalog. What’s monitored is the agreed list of product pages, which covers your priority part numbers only.