If you have ever uploaded a product CSV to Shopify and ended up with a wall of red error messages, or worse, an import that "succeeded" but left you with wrong prices and missing images, this list is for you. These are the problems that cause most failed or silently wrong imports, plus a quick way to check each one yourself.
1. Prices in the wrong format
Spreadsheet tools in many locales write 1.299,00 or 12,5. Shopify expects a plain number with a dot: 1299.00, 12.50. A currency symbol ($12.50) is also a classic.
Check: sort the Variant Price column and look for commas, symbols and letters.
2. Missing prices
A row without Variant Price is either rejected or imported with a price you did not intend.
Check: filter for empty cells in that column.
3. Duplicate SKUs
Two variants with the same Variant SKU confuse inventory tracking and later syncs with other tools.
Check: use a "remove duplicates" or COUNTIF check on the SKU column. Empty SKUs are fine; repeated ones are not.
4. Inventory that is not a whole number
Variant Inventory Qty must be an integer. 3.5, -2 or "ten" will cause trouble.
Check: filter for values containing a dot or a minus sign.
5. Handles with spaces or capitals
The Handle becomes part of the product URL. Use lowercase letters, numbers and dashes: blue-shirt, not Blue Shirt. Rows that belong to the same product (extra variants and images) must repeat the exact same handle.
Check: the same handle should never appear with two different titles.
6. Broken image URLs
Image Src has to be a full, publicly reachable https:// link. A link to a file on your own computer, a missing https://, or a link behind a login does not work.
Check: paste a few URLs into a private browser window.
7. TRUE/FALSE columns that are not TRUE/FALSE
Columns such as Published expect TRUE or FALSE. Values like yes, 1 or true with a trailing space are a common source of "why is my product hidden?".
Check: filter the column and look at the distinct values.
A small habit that saves hours
Before every big import, import three products first and look at them in the admin. Only then upload the full file.
Do it automatically
Doing these seven checks by hand on a file with a few thousand rows is tedious, so I wrote a small checker. It fixes the safe things (spaces, handle format, price format, TRUE/FALSE) and only reports the things that need a human decision (missing prices, duplicate SKUs, bad inventory, broken image URLs). I offer it as a paid service for 15 € per file (up to 2,000 rows), without any login to your store: https://skeilster.gumroad.com/l/shopify-csv-check
Disclosure: that service is mine. The list above works fine without it.
What else has bitten you in a CSV import? I am collecting cases to cover in the checker.
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