When you sell the same products on Etsy and Shopify, Shuttle can match them up automatically, down to each variation. Once products and variations are matched, Shuttle can keep stock levels, prices and other details in sync between your two shops.
What are matched products?
Matched products are items that Shuttle recognizes as the same product on Etsy and Shopify. Matching lets Shuttle sync data accurately, which keeps inventory consistent, avoids duplicates and helps orders go through smoothly.
Why does matching products matter?
A well-matched catalog keeps your Etsy and Shopify shops consistent and saves you manual work. With your products matched, you get:
Accurate inventory syncing across both shops.
Consistent prices and product updates on both platforms.
Less manual matching and update work.
No duplicate listings when you transfer products.
The right line items on transferred orders.
Imported reviews assigned to the right Shopify products.
How does Shuttle match products automatically?
Products that Shuttle transfers are matched automatically, so matching only needs your attention for products that already exist in both shops. For those products, Shuttle has three automatic methods and a manual one, and you can use them in any combination.
The three automatic methods are in the Smart Matcher section, under Settings > Products > General. Each method has its own checkbox, and after you change one, click Save.
Match products by SKU
When your products and variations have unique SKUs that are the same on Etsy and Shopify, Shuttle can pair them automatically. To use SKU matching, turn on Match products and variations by SKU.
Shuttle only makes a SKU match when exactly one product shares the SKUs. If several products share them, Shuttle skips the product.
If either shop uses the same SKUs for completely different products, leave Match products and variations by SKU off to avoid wrong matches.
Match products by title
If your products do not have unique SKUs, Shuttle can match them by their titles instead. To use title matching, turn on Match products by title.
Shuttle compares a product's title with the unmatched products in your other shop. When exactly one product has the same title, the two are matched automatically, and when more than one has that title, Shuttle skips the match. Title matching works in both directions, from Etsy to Shopify and from Shopify to Etsy.
Title matching takes priority over SKU matching. Shuttle tries to match by title first and only falls back to SKU matching when it finds no title match.
Title matching needs product titles that are distinct within each shop. If your titles repeat, leave Match products by title off.
Match variations by name
Inside a matched product, Shuttle can pair Etsy and Shopify variations that share the same name, even when their SKUs differ. To use name matching, turn on Match variations by name.
A variation's name is made from its option values, for example "Red / Medium" on a t-shirt. The options can be in a different order, so "Red / Medium" can still pair with "Medium / Red".
Matching variations by name saves manual work when your variations do not share SKUs. Once the variations are paired, Shuttle can update their stock and prices accurately.
Name matching only works well when variation names stay the same in both shops. If two variations in the same product have the same name, Shuttle leaves them unpaired, and you can pair those yourself by giving them the same SKU.
Check your existing products again after changing a setting
After you turn on a matching option, you can ask Shuttle to check your existing products again:
Go to Settings > Account > Connected Shops.
Click Re-match products next to your Shopify shop or your active Etsy shop.
Confirm in the window that opens.
The re-match runs in the background and can take a few minutes for large catalogs, so you can leave the page while it runs.
Match a product yourself
If a product has no matching SKU or title, you can match it yourself from the Products page.
On the Products page, find the product you want to match.
Click the … button at the end of the product row, then click Match to Etsy or Match to Shopify. You can also click the Etsy or Shopify logo in the Match status column.
In the window that opens, search for the product in your other shop by keyword, ID or SKU, then click Search.
Click the result you want to pair with.
Click Match to product to confirm.
After you confirm, Shuttle pairs the variations inside the two products wherever it can. Any variations it cannot pair show as unmatched in the Variations column of the product row.
Move an existing match to another product
In the match window, a search result that is already matched to another product shows a Matched to tag. When you select that result, the button changes to Unmatch and match here.
Clicking Unmatch and match here moves the match to the product you are matching, and the other product is left unmatched. You can match that product again at any time.
Pair variations yourself
When Shuttle could not pair some variations, you can pair them yourself by giving them the same SKU.
On the Products page, click the Variations column of the product, or click the … button and then Edit variations.
Give the Etsy variation and the Shopify variation the same SKU.
Click Update variations, then click Update both.
If you changed the SKU in one shop only, you can click Update Etsy only or Update Shopify only instead, but pick the shop where you changed it. Otherwise the new SKU is not saved and the variations stay unpaired.
For variations in products that are not matched, see Using Custom Matches.
Remove a match
You can remove a match from the Products page.
On the Products page, click the Etsy or Shopify logo in the Match status column of the matched product.
In the window that opens, click the link to un-match the product. For a product you matched yourself, the link says click here to reset.
Click Yes, reset match to confirm. This cannot be undone, but you can match the product again afterwards.