There are exactly two ways to import your Etsy listings into Shopify: manually, using Etsy's CSV export and Shopify's product importer (free, but you'll do real spreadsheet work), or with an integration app (minutes, and it can keep the two stores in sync afterwards). This guide walks through both — including the CSV problems most tutorials skip over — so you can pick the right route for your catalog and get it done today.

Quick recommendation: under ~20 simple listings and leaving Etsy for good → manual CSV is fine. More products, variations, or any plan to keep selling on both platforms → use an app; the free tiers cover most small shops.

Before you start: what actually transfers

An Etsy listing and a Shopify product aren't the same shape. Whichever method you choose, these are the parts that need to survive the move:

• Core listing data — title, description, price, quantity, tags
• Images — up to 10 per Etsy listing, including variation photos
• Variations — Etsy allows two variation types per listing (e.g., size and color); Shopify supports three options
• SKUs — the identifiers that let you match products across platforms later (critical if you'll sync)

What doesn't transfer with any method: your Etsy reviews, sales history, and shop sections. Those belong to Etsy.

Method 1: The manual CSV route (free)

Step 1 — Export your listings from Etsy

In Etsy, go to Shop Manager → Settings → Options → Download Data and download the Currently for Sale Listings CSV. You'll get a file (EtsyListingsDownload.csv) with one row per listing: title, description, price, quantity, tags, materials, and ten image-URL columns (IMAGE1–IMAGE10).

Step 2 — Get Shopify's product CSV template

Download Shopify's [product CSV template] or export one existing Shopify product to see the expected format. This matters because the two files have almost nothing in common: Shopify expects columns like Handle, Title, Body (HTML), Option1 Name, Option1 Value, Variant SKU, Variant Price, and Image Src — none of which match Etsy's export headers.

Step 3 — Reformat the data (the real work)

Map your Etsy columns into the Shopify template. Three parts routinely go wrong:

Variations become multiple rows. Shopify's importer wants each variant as its own row sharing the same Handle. An Etsy listing with 3 sizes × 4 colors becomes 12 rows, each with its own price, SKU, and quantity. Etsy's export doesn't give you those rows — it compresses variations into summary columns — so you'll be rebuilding every combination by hand. This is where large catalogs die.

Images: one URL per row. Etsy's export thankfully includes image URLs. But Shopify's Image Src takes one image per row — additional images each need their own extra row for the product. Ten images on 100 listings is a thousand rows of image bookkeeping. Also note: if you later close your Etsy shop, those Etsy-hosted URLs die, so import (which copies the files to Shopify) before closing anything.

Descriptions lose formatting. Etsy descriptions are plain text; Shopify's Body (HTML) renders HTML. Your line breaks flatten unless you convert them to <br>/<p> tags during cleanup.

Step 4 — Import into Shopify

In Shopify admin: Products → Import → Add file, upload your CSV, and review the preview carefully before confirming. Limits to know: 15 MB max file size (split big catalogs into multiple files) and one import at a time. Shopify emails you a results summary — read it, because rows that fail validation are silently skipped.

Step 5 — Verify everything

Spot-check your most complex products first (most variants, most images): prices, quantities, variant combinations, image order, and description formatting. Then set your products' status, organize them into collections, and configure shipping — none of that comes from Etsy.

Total honest time estimate: 1–2 hours for a simple 20-listing shop; a full day or more once variations are involved.

Method 2: The app route (minutes, and it stays in sync)

Integration apps talk to both platforms' official APIs, so all the reformatting above happens automatically — variations, images, and SKUs included. Using Etsy Importer & Sync as the example (the process is similar across apps):

1. Install the app from the Shopify App Store — the free plan includes unlimited imports, no credit card.
2. Connect your Etsy shop through Etsy's official authorization page (you never share your password).
3. Import in bulk — select listings or import everything; titles, descriptions, prices, all images, and every variation combination come across in one pass.
4. Review and publish — spot-check the same way as the manual route, just with much less to fix.
5. Optional: turn on sync. This is the part CSV can never do — inventory and orders stay matched between Etsy and Shopify going forward, so selling on both platforms doesn't mean managing both by hand.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the user guide — most shops finish in about 15 minutes.

Which method should you use?

If you're staying on both platforms, the decision is bigger than the import itself — see our complete Shopify Etsy integration guide for the full comparison of sync options and apps.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import Etsy listings to Shopify for free? Yes, two ways: the manual CSV method costs nothing but your time, and integration apps offer free tiers — Etsy Importer & Sync's free plan includes unlimited product imports and SKU linking.

Does Etsy have an official export to Shopify? No. Etsy provides a generic CSV download (Shop Manager → Settings → Options → Download Data), but it doesn't match Shopify's import format — you reformat it yourself or let an app handle the conversion via both platforms' APIs.

Do my Etsy reviews transfer to Shopify? No method transfers reviews — they're Etsy's data, tied to your Etsy shop. Some sellers add third-party review apps on Shopify and rebuild social proof there.

Why did my Shopify CSV import fail or skip products? The usual causes: variant rows missing or misnumbered options, image URLs that aren't publicly accessible, files over Shopify's 15 MB limit, or column headers that don't match the template exactly. Shopify emails an import summary listing skipped rows.

Will importing duplicate my products if I run it twice? With CSV, yes — unless handles match exactly, re-importing creates duplicates. Apps prevent this by linking products by SKU, which is also what makes ongoing sync safe.

How do I keep Etsy and Shopify inventory matched after importing? CSV can't. An integration app with two-way inventory sync updates stock on both platforms whenever a sale happens on either — this is the difference between a one-time import and a real multichannel setup.

The bottom line

The manual CSV route works, and now you know exactly where it bites: variant rows, image bookkeeping, and the fact that it's frozen the moment you finish. For a small one-time move, spend the afternoon. For anything else, start with the free app import — same result in minutes, and it can keep both stores matched from then on.