Google Merchant Center does not understand Shopify Markets - how to add countries ?

[Digit_PaxMentis]

For a global brand (English speaking website) with headquarter in Europe (and registered as legal and certified business in EU) via the Google & Youtube app the shopify store system was connected with Google Merchant Center.

370 products listed, 4170 product variants, 22 collections have been "exported" to Merchant center for listing in Google Shopping (which is for free, as Shopify has a deal with Google).

4040 products have been flagged "green", yet ... we have some serious issues:

1.) 6 countries are listed, without any products.

These countries are:  
Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Slovenia

Yet, we have all these countries in the Shopify markets included. 

2.) Google Merchant Center critises about "Shipping & Returns" ????? - Citiation: 

"To show products to customers in all the countries you sell in, add your shipping information for the following countries:

Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe"

Yet, on the other hand, Google notices itself in the overview, citation:
"Shipping settings are being handled by Shopify"

Here Google oversteps a "red line". As a company in the EU, we are bonded to laws, e.g. bans and embargos. We are not allowed, so we setup the Shopify system - to sell to Russia, Ukraine and more. - We mention this explicitly on our website in our Shipping policies, citation: 

"EU Sanctions

As our company services on its own all Print designs for the products is registered and settled in the EU, we are strictly bonded to EU regulations and restrictive measures in view of the political situation, in view of misappropriation of state funds, against serious human rights violations and abuses, against violent actions and combat terrorism or against the proliferation and use of chemical weapons or against cyber-attacks threatening the Union or its Member States (see tracker of EU Union).

Actually the EU list names following countries (status: 21st March 2024) the online shop is limited to service potential buyers: Afghanistan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, China (specific restrictive measures in relation to the events at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989), DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of North Korea), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bisseau, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Moldova, Myanmar (Burma), Nicaragua, Niger, Russia Serbia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe (see Sanctions Map - www.sanctoinsmap.eu )"

Why takes Google for itself the right, to demand we shall offer also shipping informations for such countries ??? - Google cant change here EU law and push us into an illegal acting.

How to deal with both issues 1.) and 2.) ????

Tks in advance for giving attention. Hope getting some concrete advice.

(P.S.: Of course we have addressed these issues with official formal letter to Google, yet as answer by the Google Support team we only got she ignorant hint: "We, Google cant do anything. Its the system. Inform yourself on the relevant help websites and request a new approval after your changes."

What a nonsense. Honestly, we get pi**** off about Google's arrogance. And Shopify as major player should be too. As this behaviour is damaging all our businesses worldwide. - This giant and monopolist is ignoring our business interests and needs.

We have 335,000.-- EUR Inventory sales value in the shop. With our global fulfillment partners on all continents its even 6.9-7.2 million EUR inventory "net value". For all of our 106 partners inclusive ourselves, and inclusive Shopify (as we cant upgrade our plan because of lack of sales orders) the damage is huge. - We cant tolerate this behaviour from Google's side further on.

[EmmanuelFlossie · Accepted solution]

For my clients, the only way I set up multiple countries, using the local currency and or language is by using: https://apps.shopify.com/multiple-google-shopping-feeds

I have been using it for years, and has great support. The google and  youtube app does not support multimarket.

[Digit_PaxMentis]

Tks Emmanuel F. Will take a look into it. Good to know that Google & Youtube app has its limitations. Never read anywhere about it. I planned to integrate Globo Product options ... to tweak individually product pages and collections. Might that come into conflict with the app you named ?

Side comment:

This tendency to require more and more apps, not because of gimmicks, but just to fulfill the minimum standards of modern e-commerce, is little bit frustrating. I have already integrated more than 50 apps (from URL shortener, legal policies to email marketing and SEO optimisation). - It remembers me the times of Wordpress.com system, when we added gadgets like crazy in the first decade of this century, and over the time the whole WP system became slower and slower with such integrations. Its getting very RAM hungry (from side of users).

With these 50 apps extra, and with another 6 bucks monthly for the app you advice, the budget extends to 500-600 bucks monthly ... just as basic fees, here Shopify plan is the smallest part. Plus paid ads and all the other extra costs (e.g. A.I. integration, accountant for tax declaration every quarter and so on ...). A simple POD store (as I run it with pomshop.nl ) then quickly has 2,000 bucks monthly as fix costs. Thats insane. We come close to the costs of a physical store in a smaller city.

Online Customer needs and expectations grow steadily ... and with such tremendous cost explosion, its not anymore possible to run any "side hussle" I think. It needs professionals, competitive modern marketing, brand building (over years), and an investment plan for pre-financing over 2-3 years at least till reaching the profitability zone.

E.g. For POD (Print-on-demand) the times are already gone like during Covid-19 times, that we can make profits with printed 30 bucks T-shirts or 12USD mugs, as we have to pay also tax (in my EU country 31% income tax beside VAT = 21%). Commission rates of 17-22% are just too low. And steadily transportation/shipping costs increase, which stresses the money wallet of the customers, because of increasing energy prices. Buying a T-shirt, and then paying 12 bucks for shipping costs doesn't make sense at all.

So the question is: Does Shopify keep following its strategy to blow up the store system with tons of apps by external 3rd parties and paid services ? Or will we get soon a bigger update/upgrade that all the required functionalities become standard part of the shopify system ?

[EmmanuelFlossie]

I know, it's all extra expenses.

The problem now compared to years ago is that every business has turned to monthly subscription, which I am not a big fan of.

For example there are businesses that charge $25 per month for conversion tracking. I have given out for free, but it does mean you need to install it yourself.

However if I compare to when I was a full time developer, when I built and maintained 2 eCommerce platforms, it was a full time job. And that is all year round, so that is also an expense for my employer. Far greater than what it is now. I built the whole platform, excluding the payment gateway, but anything from the website, cart, checkout, was all built, and took a lot of time. Even maintenance was a big job.

So times have changed where everything is a bit cheaper, as you no longer need to hire a full time developer to manage eCommerce platforms.

If you want to cut costs, you need to find ways to built it manually, as the example I gave, conversion tracking. Whoever thought people would want to pay $25 per month just to track conversions must be mad.

I don't think Shopify has the capacity to build all the individual features, but they should build the fundamentals.