Products FAQ
The questions merchants ask most about the catalog, answered honestly and linked to the guide that goes deeper. If yours isn’t here, try the troubleshooting guides or the full FAQ.
Why isn’t my product showing on the storefront?
Section titled “Why isn’t my product showing on the storefront?”Only Active products appear to shoppers. The usual causes are that the product is still a Draft, is waiting on a future scheduled go-live time, is out of stock, or isn’t in the category or collection being browsed. Set it to Active and confirm its stock — see Publish, schedule, and status and A product isn’t showing on my storefront.
What’s the difference between Draft, Active, and Archived?
Section titled “What’s the difference between Draft, Active, and Archived?”Draft is a work in progress that’s saved but hidden. Active is published and visible to shoppers. Archived is retired from your active catalog without being deleted, so you can restore it later. More in Publish, schedule, and status.
How do I put a product on sale later without publishing it now?
Section titled “How do I put a product on sale later without publishing it now?”Keep it as a Draft and set a go-live time in the product’s Publishing panel. The product flips to Active on its own at that time, and you can reschedule or clear the time while it’s still a draft. See Publish, schedule, and status.
Do I have to set variants for a simple product?
Section titled “Do I have to set variants for a simple product?”Yes, but only one. Price and stock live on variants, so even a product with no options carries a single variant that holds its price. Add options like Size or Color later if it grows. See Product options and variants.
How do I sell a downloadable product?
Section titled “How do I sell a downloadable product?”Set the product’s Type to Digital on the Details tab, save it, then upload the file buyers receive on the Digital tab. Delivery is handled by CIQRA at checkout — you don’t email files by hand. See Sell digital products.
What’s the difference between on hand, reserved, and available stock?
Section titled “What’s the difference between on hand, reserved, and available stock?”On hand is the physical units you hold, reserved is units committed to unfulfilled orders, and available is what’s sellable — on hand minus reserved. A product can show stock on hand yet be unsellable because it’s all reserved. See Track inventory.
Can shoppers be told when a sold-out item is back?
Section titled “Can shoppers be told when a sold-out item is back?”Yes. On the storefront, a sold-out item offers a notify-me sign-up. When you restock that variant, everyone who signed up is emailed once that it’s available again — your part is simply to restock it. See Low stock and back-in-stock.
What are product tags for?
Section titled “What are product tags for?”Tags group and filter products internally. You add them in a product’s Organization section, filter the list by tag, apply a tag in bulk, and build smart collections around a tag. They organize your catalog — they aren’t shown as categories to shoppers. See Bulk-edit products and Build collections.
How do I create a product that’s similar to one I already sell?
Section titled “How do I create a product that’s similar to one I already sell?”Duplicate it. The ⋯ menu on a product’s row copies it as a draft, so you change only what differs — name, price, media — instead of rebuilding from scratch. See Duplicate a product.