We get that, but it seems like an extra step in the process that wasn’t there before. Most of the other platforms (woocommerce, Magento, etc) that we have worked with make “Published” the default status when creating a new product, with the option to change to draft when needed.
Topic summary
Shopify changed the default status of newly created products to “draft” (hidden from sales channels) to reduce accidental publishing; merchants can switch to “active” during creation.
Current behavior and limitations:
- At launch, products created via CSV/API were “active” by default and status couldn’t be set via CSV, Bulk Editor, or apps/API; status is product-level only, not per variant. Third‑party app pickers showed items as unavailable; reports couldn’t filter by status.
- Recent posts note inconsistencies: Printful API items now arriving as draft, while some POS-created items default to active.
Merchant feedback and requests:
- Strong calls to make the default configurable (store-level choice of active/draft). Suggestions: color‑code statuses; add “Save as draft” and “Save & Publish” buttons.
- Disagreement: some want active default for speed; others warn active-by-default risks publishing incomplete/zero‑priced products.
Workarounds and issues:
- Set status to active when creating; CSV upload currently sets active. One user outlined steps to bulk change Drafts to Active; screenshots are central. Some report lag (up to hours) before active products appear.
Outcome:
- Shopify support has logged feature requests; no timeline. Discussion remains open.