Why does Etsy only allow importing one photo now?

[Duckwells]

I went to perform my weekly upload from Etsy and no longer have the ability to import 10 photos with my listings.  I contacted support and after 2 days they responded that the "update" only allows for 1 photo, the remainder you need to upload separately.  I didn't see any announcement and am taken aback by the reduction.  

[Skye]

Hi, @Duckwells 

Greetings, and thanks for posting.

The import limitation could be due to the process in which you are using. As Shopify doesn't have any direct integration with Etsy it may be worth trying a different app, or import process.

Can you provide more context on the process you're currently using? 

[Duckwells]

I've been importing from my Etsy shop for about 5 years until this week.  Shopify "updated" the menu and now only imports 1 photo.  I have been using Chrome to download my Etsy listings, tweaked the columns to accommodate 10 photos as only 5 were automatic.  Worked perfectly.  This week, Shopify changed the import menu to limit the number of photos to 1.   Since I import approximately 10 new listings per week, I am looking at having to manually import approximately 100 photos weekly.  Sales vs. effort aren't meshing.

[Skye]

Hi, @Duckwells 

Thanks for providing the additional context. It sounds like you're referring to CSV importing, is that correct? 

If so, I'm not aware of any image limitations. You should be able to add multiple images 

to a product by adding additional lines to your Product CSV file. The ONLY columns that should be filled out are:

• Handle
• Image src
• Image position

If so, a work around would be to use an importing app from the app store. Some of these apps do have a fee, so it's worth checking through the list to see the most affordable option. 

[Duckwells]

Yes, I have been happily importing from my Etsy CSV file until this week.  

From Shopify's support team today:

The option you are seeing on the admin which you can only import 1 photo at a time is a normal behavior of the updated Admin. What workaround you can do is to get the Image URL and import or upload it, for easier import or upload.

I just had a substantial increase in my subscription fee so do not plan on using a third party app to do what was available to me last week.  

[Duckwells]

 

[Skye]

Thanks for that screenshot, @Duckwells 

However, the screenshot provided is not that of a CSV upload. Can you please provide the exact steps you took to reach that screen?

[Duckwells]

I go to products, import, add my Etsy .csv file. I choose upload and preview. When that is complete I go to the "change the order of column headings" to add 5 additional photos to the import as only 5 automatically were included. At this point the "update column headings" screen has changed this week to no longer being able to map more than 1 photo. This is a NEW screen as of last week.

[Skye]

Thank you, @Duckwells 

The feature you were using was actually a happy accident for a time, and wasn't intended to be able to add additional information. The feature was meant to align any CSV files from different platforms by manually telling Shopify which column to pull the matching data from. In the past, this was done through matching column headings in a very specific order.

That being said, you are still able to add the additional images via the CSV as mentioned above. Instead of your previous method, the multiple urls should be added within the CSV itself. You can find full instructions here.

[Duckwells]

Well, this is an unfortunate situation, and its a bit disconcerting that it for five years I've been enjoying a "happy accident".  Adding the images manually is a quite a burden compared to how I was performing this task.  

The effort isn't justified at this point given the increase in the subscription fee.  

[Skye]

I definitely appreciate the frustration, @Duckwells 

That being said, the process is no more manual than your previous process. You are simply adding the URLs to the file, instead of the preview page.

[Duckwells]

I disagree, it is a lot more tedious.  Your responses to me have been a bit condescending and not well received.  I have been performing .csv importing and column mapping for several years and you are making it sound like this is all one big misunderstanding. Shopify changed the administration last week and basically took away a basic function that worked well and the solution is convoluted or pay a third party.  

[Skye]

I apologize if you believe my responses to be condescending. It's difficult to interpret tone via text. My goal here is nothing more than to assist you. 

As mentioned, I appreciate how frustrating this is. However, the only way around this would be to use the method explained above, or to use a third-party app. 

Best of luck!

[BetterStay]

I have the same problem as you and I also received the same confusing answers from support. I import from Etsy --> Shopify daily using CSV. I now upload the extra images manually. 

[BetterStay]

Please update if you figure out how to format the Etsy CSV in a way that gets all 10 images uploaded : ) 

[Duckwells]

Hi, the way I do it, support says is a happy accident.  Using Chrome, from Etsy I download my listings into a CSV.  The new issue is resolved by not changing the format at all, as soon as you do it fails. I simply import the products into Shopify without making any changes to the CSV.  I'm back to getting only 5 photos, but it is better than 1, even though I'm paying more for the privilege of receiving less.