diff --git a/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py b/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
index ac569c95..eeaa63ac 100755
--- a/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
+++ b/pyfpdb/fpdb_import.py
@@ -152,7 +152,9 @@ class Importer:
     #Add an individual file to filelist
     def addImportFile(self, filename, site = "default", filter = "passthrough"):
         #TODO: test it is a valid file -> put that in config!!
-        if filename in self.filelist or not os.path.exists(unicode(filename,'utf-8')):
+        #print "addimportfile: filename is a", filename.__class__
+        # filename now comes in as unicode
+        if filename in self.filelist or not os.path.exists(filename):
             return
         self.filelist[filename] = [site] + [filter]
         if site not in self.siteIds:
@@ -177,10 +179,11 @@ class Importer:
         if os.path.isdir(inputPath):
             for subdir in os.walk(inputPath):
                 for file in subdir[2]:
-                    self.addImportFile(os.path.join(subdir[0], file), site=site,
-                                       filter=filter)
+                    self.addImportFile(unicode(os.path.join(subdir[0], file),'utf-8'),
+                                       site=site, filter=filter)
         else:
-            self.addImportFile(inputPath, site=site, filter=filter)
+            
+            self.addImportFile(unicode(inputPath,'utf-8'), site=site, filter=filter)
     #Add a directory of files to filelist
     #Only one import directory per site supported.
     #dirlist is a hash of lists:
@@ -406,7 +409,8 @@ class Importer:
         conv = None
         (stored, duplicates, partial, errors, ttime) = (0, 0, 0, 0, time())
 
-        file =  file.decode("utf-8") #(Configuration.LOCALE_ENCODING)
+        # sc: is there any need to decode this? maybe easier to skip it than guess at the encoding?
+        #file =  file.decode("utf-8") #(Configuration.LOCALE_ENCODING)
 
         # Load filter, process file, pass returned filename to import_fpdb_file
         if self.settings['threads'] > 0 and self.writeq is not None: