Creating collections & adding items

Technical Q&A
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Topic summary

A user is experiencing integration issues between Gelato (print-on-demand service) and Shopify while setting up their first product.

The core problem:

  • Gelato requires selecting a collection when creating a product, but cannot detect the collection created in Shopify
  • Shopify shows an empty collection because the product exists only in Gelato
  • The stores appear linked, but aren’t communicating properly

Current status:

  • Store is unpublished
  • User has created a collection in Shopify
  • First product is being created in Gelato
  • Synchronization between platforms is not working

User needs:
Step-by-step guidance on the proper workflow for creating products in Gelato, syncing them to Shopify, and organizing them into collections that display correctly on the storefront.

The discussion remains open with no responses yet.

Summarized with AI on October 29. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Okay, so I’m kind of stuck in some limbo land between creating items in Gelato, linking my Gelato & Shopify stores, creating collections & then having those collections show up on my page (which is, as yet, unpublished so please don’t ask for a URL, although I can of course send preview links).

I think I’ve linked the stores successfully.

I’m creating my first product in Gelato but it’s asking for a collection to add it to.

I’ve gone to Shopify & created a collection. But there are no items to add to it because that part’s over in Gelato.

Gelato can’t see the collection in Shopify.

Shopify can’t see the item in Gelato.

I can’t see how to add the collection to my Shopify store.

I’m sure it can’t be that difficult, I’m just struggling to find some kind of guide that will join all the bits together in my head so that I can join all the bits together on my computer.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

2

For third party platform issues contact the support of that specific platform/service.

Common Troubleshooting for vague app/integration problems: Uninstall/reinstall, turn it on/off again, make sure your actually inside X context inside other Platform Y’s config/dashboard etc.

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3

Thanks. I managed to find enough tutorials to figure it out in the end. It was a much slower process than I’d hoped but I got there in the end.

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4

You can always share the specifics and mark your own post of a solution as THE solution.

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Thanks, Paul. I’m working on the basis that I won’t know until afterwards, so I just have to try &, when I get to look back, it will all be so painfully obvious.

Some of the “help” I’ve received on here has been laced with sarcasm, bitterness, even anger.

I can imagine that, at times, us newbies asking the same tired old questions, or using the wrong termonlogy, over & over again can be quite frustrating for those of you who know so much. And we’re taking up all of your valuable time.

You guys say “read the help files”.

I read the help files & frankly they were ■■■■■ No help whatsoever.

I honestly think some of the people on here have forgotten how hard it is to know nothing about this.

I’d love to write a concise conclusion & mark it as solved but frankly it took hours of wrangling with AI chat bots, YouTube videos & the like for me to finally find “that button” or “that setting”.

There was no clear path that I could sum up.

Creating items in Gelato is pretty straightforward once you get used it & once you save it, it just appears in Shopify. So that whole “how do I get it from one to the other” just happens. But I didn’t know that (& I couldn’t find anyone or anything that laid it out for me in simple enough terms for my idiot brain to understand) until after I’d done it.

But now I have & it’s cool.

Except there are now other experts telling me Gelato are rubbish & I needn’t bother, etc. etc.

But like I say. I won’t know until afterwards.

And I’ll any help I can get along the way so when any of you do manage to grit your teeth, brave the idiocy & take the time, it’s really appreciated.