Home › Guides
How to import new products into Shopify from a supplier CSV
Step-by-step guide from supplier file to draft products in Shopify using CatalogPatch.
Symptom
You have a supplier catalog CSV and need to create the products in a new or existing Shopify store without touching existing products.
Explanation
1. Export one sheet as CSV (UTF-8). XLSX is not accepted. 2. Upload it on CatalogPatch; confirm delimiter and decimal separator. 3. Map Title and Price (required), SKU, barcode, description, vendor, type, tags, up to three options and up to five image URL columns; in variants mode pick the parent ID column. 4. Review the report: blocking errors must be fixed in the source or by changing the mapping; warnings like duplicate SKUs need your confirmation. 5. Download the free sample ZIP and import it into your store as draft products to check the result. 6. Build the full file, pay $12, download the ZIP. 7. In Shopify: Products → Import → choose shopify-products.csv → keep “Overwrite products with the same handle” unchecked → import → verify drafts, then publish.
Working fixture: fixture-j-shopify-gate.csv
parent,title,description,vendor,type,tags,sku,barcode,color,size,price,compare_at,image1,image2,variant_image
J1,CatalogPatch Test Hoodie,"Heavyweight hoodie.
Machine washable.",CatalogPatch Test,Apparel,"test, hoodie",00451,,Navy,S,45.00,55.00,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg
J1,,,,,,00452,,Navy,M,45.00,55.00,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg
J1,,,,,,00453,,Grey,S,45.00,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg
J1,,,,,,00454,,Grey,M,45.00,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg
J2,CatalogPatch Test Mug,Ceramic mug for import testing.,CatalogPatch Test,Kitchen,test,00099,0012345678905,,,9.50,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/bath.jpeg,,
Resulting Shopify CSV
Handle,Title,Body (HTML),Vendor,Type,Tags,Published,Option1 Name,Option1 Value,Option2 Name,Option2 Value,Option3 Name,Option3 Value,Variant SKU,Variant Price,Variant Compare At Price,Variant Barcode,Image Src,Image Position,Variant Image,Status
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,CatalogPatch Test Hoodie,<p>Heavyweight hoodie.<br>Machine washable.</p>,CatalogPatch Test,Apparel,"test, hoodie",FALSE,Color,Navy,Size,S,,,00451,45.00,55.00,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg,draft
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,,,,,,,Color,Navy,Size,M,,,00452,45.00,55.00,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg,
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,,,,,,,Color,Grey,Size,S,,,00453,45.00,,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg,
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,,,,,,,Color,Grey,Size,M,,,00454,45.00,,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg,
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/garnished.jpeg,1,,
cp-catalogpatch-test-hoodie-493d650d8d15,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/shoes.jpeg,2,,
cp-catalogpatch-test-mug-454763061e4b,CatalogPatch Test Mug,<p>Ceramic mug for import testing.</p>,CatalogPatch Test,Kitchen,test,FALSE,Title,Default Title,,,,,00099,9.50,,0012345678905,,,,draft
cp-catalogpatch-test-mug-454763061e4b,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,https://cdn.shopify.com/static/sample-images/bath.jpeg,1,,
Limitations
Products are always created as draft. Existing products are never updated; handles are generated as cp-<slug>-<hash> and not checked against your store.
Rule: legacy-products-v1 profile · Shopify reference: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/import-products · checked 2026-09-08.