Import / Export metafields, upload data through CSV

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Users are frustrated that Shopify’s native metafield feature lacks built-in bulk import/export functionality via CSV, forcing merchants to either purchase third-party apps or manually enter data.

Key Pain Points:

  • Bulk editor doesn’t support pasting data, making manual entry impractical for large SKU counts
  • Native CSV import can delete existing metafield data when using “overwrite” option
  • Variant-level metafields (like GTIN/UPC) don’t appear in product exports

Workarounds & Solutions:

  • As of 2024, native metafield export/import is possible by including metafield columns in CSV format: Metafield:namespace.key [type]
  • Third-party apps like Matrixify ($20/month for 5,000 items) and DataChamp (limited free plan) offer bulk management
  • Manual entry remains viable for smaller catalogs

Critical Technical Requirements:

  • List-type metafields require line breaks (\n), not commas
  • Column names must exactly match format: Metafield:namespace.key [type]
  • Data types must be precise (e.g., list.single_line_text_field)
  • Standard spreadsheet apps (Excel, Numbers) corrupt line breaks; Python scripts or text editors recommended
  • Predefined list values must match exactly (case-sensitive, no spaces)

Merchants report typical monthly costs of $125-200 including necessary apps, far exceeding base subscription pricing.

Summarized with AI on October 27. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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I would happily pay more for not having to look up every basic functionality and deal with 3rd party apps. They are a massive privacy liability. The amount of data that they need to access,… we could basically just provide all of our customer data, revenue and other critical business data as a zip file for anyone to download.

Export and import of data, product bundling and bulk printing of shipping labels should be the minimum standard of every ecommerce platform. I see that it makes sense for shopify to outsource connectivity to external services, like shipping providers, advertisement, social media platforms as it’s beyond shopify’s core business. It’s not only the aforementioned privacy risk, but also the often ridiculous pricing of these apps! There are product bundle apps that not only charge a monthly fee but also a percentage of the revenue of each bundle sold. Like seriously?! How can shopify even allow that. Shipping apps that charge monthly fees + a commision for every printed label. Monthly subscription to import and export data every once in a while!? That’s capitalism at its best. Shopify willingly offers a very average product while it is so easy for them to offer a great product! The only thing I am really happy with is their support. Whenever I had critical issues it was resolved in 5-10 minutes through their chat.

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