Instagram shopping denied: Product Unavailable on Your Website

[AkaneY]

Hi everyone! I've been having an issue on connecting Istrangram shopping with my Shopify store. I've tried many solutions that I found online but nothing worked so far. I'm hoping to find someone would lead me in the right direction or in a similar situation.

I opened my Shopify store which connected to print-on-demand order fulfilment company Printful. I connected the Shopify Catalog with Facebook via Shopify app. It works perfectly and all items from the catalogue are available on my Facebook page. However, I couldn't get it approved from Instagram and they keep declining produced tagging. The reason is:

Product Unavailable on Your Website (To use Instagram Shopping, your products must be sold on the website connected to your account.)

My understanding of 'The website connected to your account' is that the website link on my Instagram profile. I put the correct shop link which is the same as the one connected to the Facebook page. All products are available on the shop with the direct purchase and I'm not really sure why I keep receiving the same results. I follow all guidelines and policies and I'm sure my shop qualifies for Instagram shopping.

I'm guessing an issue might be the website domain in which my own (not Shopify's), but already got it verified from Facebook. Once I disconnected everything and started it again, but I still keep receiving the same result from Instagram.

If someone knows the best solution please let me know, I would be greatly appreciated your help!

[Tumilu]

Hey, I have the very same issue and have been battling it for 2 months now.  I believe it is some issue with Shopify stores using non myshopify.com domains 

The links in my FB catalog link to my domain, the domain is set as primary and it s verified with Facebook. 

I unlinked the domain, then relinked it (countless times). I've reinstalled FB app, converted IG to personal and back again  - I have done every possible thing and still the same rejection.

I have been in touch with FB regarding this issue since November. All I am being told is that they have forwarded it to the Technical team and "will let me know as soon as there are any updates". 

[AkaneY]

That sound exactly the same as my issue. Have you tried that process with myshopify.com domain too? I got an error when the first time I tried to authenticate it with Facebook, but just tried it again and got verified so I'll request another review with that domain as the primary.

And In case If you haven't changed the Facebook page template to the Shopping template, It'd be worth trying (Apparently it's one of the requirement to get approved from Instagram)

[Tumilu]

I verified myshopify too (via HTML), but since my own domain is set as primary, and that is the one I submitted to IG,  I still got rejected.  

One thing I did not try yet is change myshopify.com domain to primary, change the links in my catalog to point to the myshopify domain and try like that...

however from the business point of view, I do not wish to keep up the myshopify domain as the primary one indefinitely...

[AkaneY]

I send an appeal to review with shopify domain registered for both FB/IG, and again got rejected with the same rejection email. I feel like that it is not something we can fix in our end, or an actual issue might be something different (eg. having a small number of followers, something like that)... I wish there's a way to contact an actual person who can look into the issue! I'll keep trying and update if the situation improved.

[Tumilu]

Hey,

Same here - appealed and got rejected AGAIN... but... One person I was in contact with on FB Support told me they do not, on their end, see my domain as verified, or, for the matter of fact, as even added to my Business Manager. 

And on my end when I access BM I see it added and verified correctly (the green dot next to the domain name etc).

So it might just happen that we fell into some sort of a black hole on their end. 

The FB staff said she will forward it immediately, so I hope to update you soon with more news.

[AkaneY]

Ok I see, yes please keep me posted! I believe this is one of the errors that occurred in the process of Fb and IG integration. Could I ask one thing that how you reached out to the staff in FB who in charge of this matter? I have no idea where to look to.

[Tumilu]

Go to your Commerce Manager in FB, click Overview. On the right side there will be "Need Help?" And you can click "contact support". Choose a subject and you can choose to contact them via chat or email.

My advice would be ask whether on their end they see a domain added and verified in your BM. At least you will know whether that is the issue I am having and will save a few weeks of a worthless back and forth exchange 🙂

I am still waiting for their response.

[AkaneY]

Awesome thanks so much for that! just send an inquiry and hoping to receive the response with the solution as soon possible.

[halehmahbod]

How did you get in touch with FB staff? I am not getting any response from their support. 

[Erintidey]

Hello! I don’t suppose you could email me and try talk me through how to do this can you? 

im so new to all this and have been also battling with trying to get Instagram shopping for 2 months. 
I’m getting confused at some of the steps. 

[Shutter-Jack]

did you buy a domain with Shopify? 

[Erintidey]

No- I brought it via google domains
🙂

[Tumilu]

Please then check out the guide I wrote on the bottom od page 2. Hopefully it works in your case too.

[Erintidey]

Thanks so much! I will and I’ll let you know if it does! You could be the
genius who figures this mess out hah!

[AkaneY]

I've got great news guys - my shop finally approved for IG shopping! I followed the steps by @Tumilu and change the catalogue domain from own domain which is not managed by Shopify to myshopify.com with Flexify app as my catalogue was already huge. And I set myshopify.com as the primary domain, sent the domain change request to FB, and after that request automatically handled to IG and got approved.

Initially, I didn't want to use Flexify app as its free plan has the limit number of products(up to 1000), and considering my catalogue will keep expanding in the future it's not a sustainable solution. But I decided to go with it as once I changed the catalogue domain by deleting Facebook app from Shopify, set the primal domain as myshopify.com and reinstalled the app, hoping it'll generate new catalogue with myshopify.com which was set as the primary as that time. But apparently, the original Shopify catalogue (with my own domain) was kept alive even after deleting Facebook app and it was back on board when I reinstall the app.

Not sure if I can manually delete Shopify catalogue when deleting Facebook app. But Flexfy did work and when the products exceed +1000 I will need to manually change the domain of each product page, which should be a hustle, or to pay for the monthly plan($29/month〜).

And after got approved and did some test taggings, I changed the url which is set on both Facebook page and Instagram account from myshopify.com to own domain, and tagging still works. So I guess the main problem is the catalogue with own domain attached, as @Tumilu said.

In later time I'll change shop's primaly domain to own domain(while keeping the catalogue domain as myshopify.com) to see if the taggings are still working or not, and update here once I'll see any changes 🙂🙂

[Erintidey]

I also have amazing news!! Mine is approved to! I emailed fb appeal and changed my domain, they them automatically sent me of for a review and I’ve woken up to a working Instagram shop!

the fact my fix was as simple as unlinking a domain and re linking will continue to confuse me as to why it’s taken fb 2 months to realise 😂

[bambina]

What did you do? did u just unlink it?

[Erintidey]

I wrote to FB using the option “I didn’t get approved but I’ve changed my domain” and just typed my domain in and that was it🤷🏼‍♀️ I didn’t change my domain to myshopify domain or change my product links it just accepted my private domain 

[AkaneY]

Hmm, then probably what we have to do is just ask Facebook to unlink the domain and submit the private domain, without touching anything in the catalogue itself?

I just reverted my private domain as primary and everything still works fine (while still keeping the catalogue domain as myshopify.com)

[bambina]

trying this out today. wish us luck!! 

[bambina]

okay, did not work 😞

[bambina]

did u receive the same email? we consented and got rejected still huhu

[bambina]

I got great news you guys! we finally got approved!!

First thing i did was to make sure i copy the url and not type the website on our ig bio.

second was i checked the domains on my shopify account. i noticed that my domain didn't have the "www" so i typed it in.

then i went to verification on business manager and made sure that its www. and that my account  was connected.

then i appealed again using the my domain was rejected but i want to change it and woke up getting approved.

[Tumilu]

Funny that the workarounds look so different for each of us. In my case adding the "www" did not work. Catalog still runs on myshopify.com links while my private domain is set to primary. As long as its works though I won't complain :))

[AkaneY]

@Tumilu Can I ask how do you keep myshopify.com domain in your catalogue after setting back your private domain as primary? I use Flexify app but it doesn't keep myshopify.com domain in the catalogue.

So once I got approved IG by setting myshopify.com domain as primary and able to tag products. But as @Tumilu previously said it's not the permanent solution as running the business with a private domain is very important. So after that, I switched back to my private domain(3rd party, not Shopify owned) as primary to see if I can still tag products. And the result was not - I was not able to tag products anymore because the domain in the catalogue was automatically rewritten to the private domain which I can't get approved by IG.

I've tried a couple of different approaches(http and https as well), but nothing has quite worked so far. But If only I could keep the domain in the catalogue as myshopify.com while setting the private domain as primary everything should works as all access from the catalogue automatically redirects to the private domain. My portfolio is already vast so I can't change the catalogue manually.

I'll keep seeking a solution...

[Tumilu]

Oh so I guess that Flexify overwrites the domain then... :(( As I manage my products manually, the links in my case have not been overwritten and everything works for me.

Did you try to Play with Flexify settings on Shopify, perhaps there is a part in there that affects how often the data updates? 

Alternatively I think you can try to experiment with the Data Sources on FB side - but I have not done that so I cannot advise with anything specific. 

[halehmahbod]

I seem to have the same issue. Where did you set the website in instagram? I don't even see the shop option under settings->business. So, I am not sure where to change this domain that Instagram keeps complaining about. Thank you

[Sv3]

https://youtu.be/QzqaJEH5fUg I think this video might help you.

[Tumilu]

Thanks but no - she is talking about dropshipping. In my case I manufacture and sell physical products myself and they all are available at all times. 

The issue in my case probably stems from domain verification issues - I see the domain as verified in my Business Manager, but was told by FB staff that on their end they do NOT see my domain as even added... but since discovering that 2 weeks passed and they still did not do anything to fix it. Gah.

[AkaneY]

Hey, thanks for the link! Yes, I use third-party print-on-demand company Printful. But the products are available for direct purchase from my Shopify store which is directly connected to them and I know many people selling products from the same company in Instagram Shopping. 

I sent an enquiry to FB, and they said it's probably the catalogue I'm trying to attach doesn't have the same domain as the one with which I requested IG Shopping approval, and they can't verify which domain I applied for IG. I think my catalogue must be attached to my own domain in which I applied for IG, but not 100% sure. And my own domain and Shopify domain are both authenticated on FB.

So I'm still in the black hole... I'll check out her other videos as well to see If I can find any solution.

[Scott1986]

Any luck with this, I too am having the exact same issue and have changed my domain to a non shopify domain.

My business is verified with FB though and have input the DNS info without any issues.

Spoke with FB about it, got nowhere.

HELP!

[AkaneY]

No unfortunately... I send a request to review from Instagram app and again got the same result. Not sure what else I can do now but I'll update here if I made any positive progress.

[Tumilu]

Nah appealing won't work I think - I have been appealing weekly since mid
November...

Talked with countless FB staff, noone knows anything. Still waiting for the
reply from the supposed "technical team", but losing my hopes really...

[Tumilu]

So this is just to update you that ANOTHER FB staff just gave up on me. The one who supposedly knew how to fix it now just gave me the "advice" to appeal in-app. As if 3 months of appealing already wouldn't do it. *sigh* I am lost.

Shopify staff do not know what is going on. FB staff do not know what is going on. Perfect....