How to fix Shopify CSV import errors before upload

Keep the original export unchanged and work from a duplicate. Spreadsheet software can silently reinterpret identifiers, dates, and long numbers, so a recoverable source matters as much as the repair itself.

Before editing, confirm that the delimiter, encoding, header row, and line endings are consistent. Structural problems can make every later row appear invalid even when the values are correct.

Shopify product variants are related through the Handle column. A blank or inconsistent handle can split a product, attach a variant to the wrong product, or create unexpected duplicates.

Review all rows that share a handle together. Option names and values should remain structurally consistent across the group, and variant-specific fields such as SKU, price, barcode, and inventory should be checked row by row.

Trim accidental whitespace, normalize true and false fields to the accepted vocabulary, and make prices consistently numeric. Do not remove meaningful leading zeros from SKUs, barcodes, postal codes, or external identifiers.

Image URLs should be absolute HTTPS URLs that the destination can reach. A URL that works only inside a private dashboard or requires a signed session is not a durable import value.

The file you upload is the final CSV, not the spreadsheet view. Re-open the exported file and validate that quoting, commas, newlines, formulas, and encodings survived the export.

ImportReady’s current 100-row run performs a focused subset of this preflight locally: core destination mappings, required values, unique-key duplicates, whitespace, simple comma decimals, formula-like value review, and related deterministic checks. Its Shopify output is limited to simple-product rows; repeated Handles or option columns block corrected output because grouped variants and additional images cannot yet be preserved. The source remains untouched.