How to Import Your Etsy Products into Shopify (A Step-By-Step Guide)

You’ve made the decision to expand your Etsy shop to your own website on the Shopify platform.

But how do you get all your Etsy shop products listed in your Shopify website without having to add them all manually?

This article will walk you through the steps, will provide helpful tips, and will recommend apps that you can use to do this work for you, if you don’t want to do it by yourself. 😉

Let’s get started!

Import Your Etsy Products to Shopify

Shopify allows you to import your products from Etsy, directly into your Shopify store. To do this, there are three basic steps:

1. Export your product CSV file from Etsy
2. Modify your CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets to fit the format Shopify needs
3. Import your modified CSV file into Shopify

This checklist will guide you through the process.

Products Without Variations versus Products With Variations

Keep in mind that there are basically two categories of product types on Etsy when it comes to importing them into Shopify – products without variations and products with variations.

When you list an item on Etsy, you have the option of adding product variations where they apply. For example, let’s say you’ve listed a handmade pencil bag that is available in several colors. The colors are listed as the variation for the product, as shown in this example. A customer must choose a color variation before adding the item to their shopping cart.

 

The other category of products are those without variations. These kinds of products are typically one-of-a-kind originals such as handmade items or vintage items, as shown in the example below:

 

While the method you use to import both categories of products into Shopify is the same, the CSV file from Etsy must be modified in more detail for products with variations. The steps below will walk you through both types of products.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• If your Etsy listings have VARIATIONS, note that Shopify handles variations in the CSV file very differently than Etsy does. You will need to make changes to your Etsy CSV file in order to import your variations correctly into Shopify (see section below for more details).

 

Products Without Variations

Importing products without variations are by far the easier products to import. We’ll start with products without variations.

STEP #1 – Export Your Product CSV File From Etsy

Etsy provides you with a CSV (comma separated values) file of all your products. This spreadsheet file includes your product titles, descriptions, photos, prices, and everything you need to list those same products on Shopify.

To export your product CSV file from Etsy:

1. From your Etsy account, go to SHOP MANAGER
2. Choose SETTINGS
3. Choose OPTIONS
4. Click the DOWNLOAD DATA tab
5. Click the black DOWNLOAD CSV button under the “Currently for Sale Listings” heading (this file will include all your product listings including their photos)
   
6. Choose the folder on your computer where you want to save the CSV file, then click SAVE, then see STEP #2 below to continue working with this file

 

STEP #2 – Modify Your CSV File (with no product variations)

Assuming your Etsy products have NO VARIATIONS, follow the steps and tips in this section to continue working with your CSV file that you saved in the step above.

HEADING CHANGES:

Before you can successfully import your Etsy CSV into Shopify, you will need to make a few changes to the CSV file headings.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the CSV file in either Excel or in Google Sheets (either program will work)
2. Click on cell B1 then change the heading from DESCRIPTION to BODY (HTML)
   You MUST type the heading exactly as shown in this step. 
3. Click on cell E1 then change the heading in column E from QUANTITY to VARIANT INVENTORY QTY
   You MUST type the heading exactly as shown in this step.
   

ADD A COLUMN:

In order for Shopify to track your inventory so that a customer can only purchase the quantity you have available, you will need to turn the “Shopify Tracks This Product’s Inventory” to ON. While you could do this manually by editing each product after it is imported into Shopify, it is much easier to turn this feature on in the CSV file.
NOTE: The quantity you have available is listed in column E – Inventory Qty. You can make changes to these quantities in the spreadsheet if needed.

Add Inventory Column:

1. Insert a new column in your CSV file (any empty column will work) and title it VARIANT INVENTORY TRACKER
   I recommend you insert this new column as column F in your spreadsheet. To insert the new column, right-click on the letter F at the top of the column, then click Insert from the menu. Enter the title into cell F1.
2. Click on cell F2 then type the word SHOPIFY – you’ll need to enter/copy this word in each product row (F2, F3, F4, etc.)
   TIP: You can type the text once, then copy it down into the other cells.

TAGS:

Tags in Shopify are VERY different than Tags in Etsy. I highly recommend you remove the tags from your CSV file before importing. The Tags can be found in Column G of the CSV spreadsheet (column G because you inserted a new column F in the above steps).
NOTE: For more information about tags, make sure to read the article Using Product Tags – Etsy Versus Shopify.

Delete Tags:

1. Right-click the letter G for the Tags column (above the word Tags) and choose Delete from the menu

REMOVE PRODUCTS (optional):

If there are products you do not wish to import into Shopify, make sure to delete the rows that those products are in.

Delete Unwanted Product Rows (optional):

1. Right-click on the row number (to the left of the first column) and choose Delete to remove that product

TEXT EDITS (optional):

Before you import your CSV file into Etsy, make sure to look the file over and make any changes you want to make.

For example, see my tips below.

• If you want to change your product Titles before importing to Shopify, make sure to type the changes into the CSV file, in column A.
  TIP: You can make column A wider so you can see the entire product title – just point at the line between the letters A and B (the line that separates the columns) and double-click that line. To edit a title, press [F2] on your keyboard to put your cursor into edit mode for the cell you are in, then make necessary changes and press [ENTER].
• If you want to make any changes to your product Descriptions before important, make those changes in column B, the DESCRIPTION column (now called BODY (HTML). To edit a description, click in the cell that has a description you want to change, make any necessary changes, and press [ENTER].
  TIP: If you aren’t familiar or comfortable working with spreadsheets, I highly recommend you modify your descriptions after importing the CSV into Shopify. That way, you can use the text editor in Shopify to make your changes.
• Etsy does not provide the product weights in it’s CSV file. You can either add a WEIGHT column to your CSV and then type in all the weights for each product, OR, you can import the CSV without the weights and then add them to your products after they have been imported (this is typically the easier option).

 

STEP #3 – Import Your Modified CSV File Into Shopify

Once you have your CSV file the way you want it, and have saved the edited version on your computer, it’s time to import it into Shopify.

Import CSV Into Shopify:

1. From your Shopify Dashboard, click on PRODUCTS
2. Click the IMPORT link (located beneath the Products heading)
   
3. In the Import Products by CSV File dialog box, click the CHOOSE FILE button
4. Select your saved CSV file from your computer and click OPEN
5. Click the UPLOAD FILE button
6. A preview of the first product will appear – make sure to look that over to ensure your product looks okay, then click START IMPORT
7. Your products will start importing into Shopify – the length of time this takes depends on the number of products you imported
   Once the import is done, all your products from Etsy will be added to your Shopify website. You can go into each product and make any necessary changes within the Products menu of your Shopify Dashboard.

 

Additional Tips

• As I mentioned above, if you are not familiar with spreadsheets, I recommend you do not make changes to your TITLES or DESCRIPTIONS within the CSV spreadsheet. It will be easier for you to make the changes to those products once you import the CSV into Shopify.
• If you need to troubleshoot your CSV file, please read “Solutions to common product CSV import problems” at https://help.shopify.com/manual/products/import-export/common-import-issues
• If you do not want to work with your CSV file in any way, you can either hire a Shopify Partner (such as me) or a Shopify Expert to do this work for you. Another option is to use an app from the Shopify App Store, such as Etsify (https://apps.shopify.com/etsify-1) – please note that I have not personally used this app, but I have several clients that have used it and they have all been very pleased. This app is $69, but allows you to continue importing products from Etsy to Shopify whenever you need to do that. Another app that you could use to import products from Etsy to Shopify is the EasyImport app (https://apps.shopify.com/easyimport). This app charges 10-cents per listing. Again, I have not personally used this app, but I do have clients that have, and they were happy with it. Both of these apps will correctly import products with or without variations.

 

Products With Variations

Importing products with variations is more complex than importing products without variations. Because of the extra work involved, many merchants prefer to use an app to do the import for them. If you are not comfortable working with spreadsheets, you may want to use an app instead.

Because every merchant’s products and variation needs are different, the steps below will get you started in modifying your CSV file to work with Shopify, and will give you examples you can use. These are the basic steps needed, but hopefully they will get you set in the right direction.

The first step below is the same exact step as the one for products without variations, as shown above. I’ve repeated the steps below just to keep all steps together.

STEP #1 – Export Your Product CSV File From Etsy

Etsy provides you with a CSV (comma separated values) file of all your products. This spreadsheet file includes your product titles, descriptions, photos, prices, and everything you need to list those same products on Shopify.

To export your product CSV file from Etsy:

1. From your Etsy account, go to SHOP MANAGER
2. Choose SETTINGS
3. Choose OPTIONS
4. Click the DOWNLOAD DATA tab
5. Click the black DOWNLOAD CSV button under the “Currently for Sale Listings” heading (this file will include all your product listings including their photos)
   
6. Choose the folder on your computer where you want to save the CSV file, then click SAVE, then see STEP #2 below to continue working with this file

 

STEP #2 – Modify Your CSV File (with product variations)

The Etsy CSV file/database is very poorly designed. Etsy lumps all product variations into one cell. Because of this, you have to separate those variations out into separate cells (to align with standard database practice) so that Shopify can populate the variations into the correct places on the item listing page.

Here is an example of an Etsy CSV file with all the variations entered into one cell (notice column I and J specifically). This CSV file CANNOT be imported into Shopify without major modifications.

 

Here is the sample template CSV from Shopify that includes all the necessary headings with variations separated into their own cells and rows:

 

I’m sure you can see in the example file from Shopify how much neater the organization is in this spreadsheet for variations. In order for your Etsy CSV file to work in Shopify, you will have to modify the file to insert separate rows for each variation. Each product you have will have multiple rows. The number of rows needed depend on how many variations that product has (one row per variation – as shown in the Shopify template above).

NOTE: Here is a link to the Sample Product CSV File from Shopify. Click this link and you can download the file to use it as your template starting point.

MODIFY YOUR CSV FILE (with product variations)

In addition to separating your variations into separate cells, you’ll also have to add the quantity available for each variation.

If you have multiple types of variations for each product (for example, size and color) each of those variation types will also have to be separated into their own rows.

You will also have to change your Etsy CSV file column headings so that they use the headings needed by Shopify. (Make sure not to add any additional headings to the Shopify CSV template)!

HEADING CHANGES:

Before you can successfully import your Etsy CSV into Shopify, you will need to make changes to the CSV file headings.

Follow these steps:

1. Open your Etsy CSV file in either Excel or in Google Sheets (either program will work)
2. Open the Sample CSV Template from Shopify (you will need this file to see what headings you need)
3. Modify your Etsy CSV file to add all the additional headings you see in the sample Shopify file
   I recommend you copy and paste the headings so they are EXACT in your Etsy CSV file.
   
4. Change the headings of the columns of data in your Etsy CSV file to use the headings needed by Shopify
   For example, change the word DESCRIPTION to BODY (HTML)
5. Remove the TAGS column, as described in the steps above for products without variations

NOTE: Here is a table that shows all the possible headings for the CSV file that Shopify needs in order to import your products properly – Product CSV File Format. Make sure you do not add additional columns to this template! For more detailed help on using this sample file, please see the Shopify Help page Using CSV Files.

ADD ROWS FOR VARIATIONS:

Once your headings all match the Shopify sample template, you’ll need to start adding rows for each variation, then move the variation data out of the single cell in your Etsy CSV file.

Add Variation Rows:

1. You will need to add rows beneath each product listing in your Etsy CSV file so you can add your variations on those rows (again, one row per variation)
2. Once you have the blank rows added, you will need to retype all your variations into the rows, removing the variations from the single cell within the Etsy CSV file.
   Here is an example of individual rows for each product variation from the spreadsheet shown in the example above.
   
3. Make sure to add these variation rows to each and every product that uses variations – you can use the example above to help guide you

 

STEP #3 – Import Your Modified CSV File Into Shopify

Once you have your CSV file the way you want it, and have saved the edited version on your computer, it’s time to import it into Shopify. The steps below are exactly the same as step #3 in the section above for products without variations. I’ve repeated it here to make it easier.

Import CSV Into Shopify:

1. From your Shopify Dashboard, click on PRODUCTS
2. Click the IMPORT link (located beneath the Products heading)
   
3. In the Import Products by CSV File dialog box, click the CHOOSE FILE button
4. Select your saved CSV file from your computer and click OPEN
5. Click the UPLOAD FILE button
6. A preview of the first product will appear – make sure to look that over to ensure your product looks okay, then click START IMPORT
7. Your products will start importing into Shopify – the length of time this takes depends on the number of products you imported
   Once the import is done, all your products from Etsy will be added to your Shopify website. You can go into each product and make any necessary changes within the Products menu of your Shopify Dashboard.

CSV TIPS:

• Modifying your CSV file to add rows for all your variations can be a very time consuming task. You MIGHT find it easier to import your listings using the steps under the heading “Modify Your CSV File (without product variations)” above, and then add the variations after the products are imported to Shopify. I realize this isn’t the best solution, but if you are not familiar with working with spreadsheets, you might find it easier to add your variations in the Shopify product listing pages. Here’s how https://help.shopify.com/manual/products/variants
• Because modifying your CSV file to accommodate your variations can be a large task, you might want to consider using one of the apps I mentioned above.

 

Additional Tips

• Hide Products Until They’re Ready – When you import your Etsy CSV file into Shopify, all products are visible and will appear in your store. If you’re store is already open to the public, you might want to hide all products until you’ve checked and perfected their titles, descriptions, product weights, etc. To do this from the Shopify Dashboard, click on Products, then select all the products listed there. Click on Bulk Actions and then choose Hide Selected Products. Now, as you have time, go in to each product and made any necessary changes. When the changes are made, you can make that particular product visible in your store. You do that by choosing which sales channel to add the product to in the upper right of the product listing page.
  TIP: Product titles on Etsy follow different rules that product titles on other ecommerce platforms. I highly recommend you read the article It’s All About Titles – Perfecting Your Product Titles for Optimum Exposure.
• Enter Product Weights – Because the Etsy database/CSV file does not export product weights or package sizes, you will need to add these weights to your products listed on Shopify (assuming you are going to use calculated shipping). Make sure to read the article Setting Up Shipping on Shopify and How It’s Different Than Your Etsy Shop.

 

I hope you’ve found this information helpful. If you have questions about these steps, please post in a comment below and I’ll be happy to reply.