Etsy and Shopify descriptions often need different content, such as shop policies that only apply on one platform, a size chart you keep in Shopify, or lists and tables that need reformatting for Etsy. Shuttle's description settings let you trim, replace and add text as products move between your stores. You set them up once, and Shuttle applies them every time it transfers a product or updates its description.
Where to Find the Description Settings
Shuttle has a separate set of description settings for each direction:
For Etsy to Shopify, go to Settings > Products > Etsy → Shopify and find the Product Description section.
For Shopify to Etsy, go to Settings > Products > Shopify → Etsy and find the Product Description section.
Some description options only exist in one direction, and each option's section says which direction it applies to. Click Save when you are done.
Include or Exclude Product Descriptions
The Include product description checkbox controls whether the original description is sent at all. It is available in both directions.
From Etsy to Shopify, turning Include product description off means Shuttle does not send the Etsy description and leaves the Shopify description as it is. Most of the other description options are hidden while it is off. Remove paragraphs that contain Etsy links stays visible but does nothing.
From Shopify to Etsy, turning Include product description off means the Shopify description is not sent. Shuttle still adds any text you set under Batch add content and any content from metafields or pages. If there is nothing at all to send, Shuttle sets the Etsy description to "Product Description".
Batch Remove or Update Content (Find & Replace)
Find & replace finds specific text in your descriptions and replaces it with something else, or removes it. It is available in both directions.
Under Find & replace, click Add find & replace.
In Find in description, enter the exact text to look for.
In Replace with, enter the new text. Leave it empty to remove the text.
Find & replace only works on an exact match. Replacements also match capitals exactly. Removals ignore capitals, so when Replace with is empty, Shuttle also removes the same text written with different capitals.
If the text you want to change runs over several paragraphs, add one Find & replace rule for each paragraph. Don't paste it all into one box.
You might use Find & replace to:
Replace Etsy-specific wording with wording that suits your Shopify store.
Remove shipping or policy text that doesn't apply to your other store.
Batch Add Content (Above or Below the Description)
Batch add content adds the same text to every description. It is available in both directions and has two boxes:
Add above description: this text appears before the product description.
Add below description: this text appears after the product description.
Text above the description works well for an intro message, a disclaimer or a promotion. Text below it suits terms, policies, care instructions or shop announcements.
Trim Descriptions by Paragraphs
Paragraph trimming cuts whole paragraphs from the start or end of each description. It is available in both directions. This helps because many Etsy descriptions start with product details and end with general shop or shipping information that you may not need on the other platform.
Under Paragraph trimming, choose one rule:
Keep only the first paragraph, or the first 2 to 6 paragraphs.
Remove only the last paragraph, or the last 2 to 4 paragraphs.
Remove only the first paragraph, or the first 2 paragraphs.
Choose Don't truncate to keep the full description. Paragraph trimming only affects the product description. It does not affect text you add above or below it.
Remove All Content From a Specific Text
Cut from a specific string removes a block of text that your Etsy descriptions all end with, such as a footer or a shipping policy. It is only available for Etsy to Shopify.
Under Cut from a specific string, enter the text in Remove everything after. Shuttle removes that text and everything after it, starting where the text first appears.
The text in Remove everything after must match exactly. To turn Cut from a specific string off, leave the box empty.
Remove Paragraphs Containing Etsy Links
Remove paragraphs that contain Etsy links keeps links to other Etsy listings or shop sections out of your Shopify store. It is only available for Etsy to Shopify, and it is off by default.
To turn on Remove paragraphs that contain Etsy links, tick it under Etsy links. Shuttle then removes every paragraph with a link to etsy.com or etsy.me. It removes the whole paragraph, not just the link.
Remove All Shortcodes (Bracket Tags)
Remove all shortcodes (bracket tags) clears bracketed tags like [tag] or [/tag] out of your descriptions before they reach Etsy. It is only available for Shopify to Etsy. Shopify apps and themes often add these tags, but they mean nothing on Etsy and clutter your listing.
Tick Remove all shortcodes (bracket tags) to remove them before the transfer. This removes any text inside square brackets, so don't use square brackets around words you want to keep.
Add Content From Shopify Metafields & Pages
Content from metafields adds content from a product's Shopify metafields, or from one of your Shopify pages, to its Etsy description. It is only available for Shopify to Etsy. This works well for size charts, shipping information or care instructions that you keep up to date in Shopify.
Under Content from metafields, click Add metafield source.
In Source type, choose Metafield or Shopify Page.
For a metafield, pick it from the list. Only text, rich text and page reference metafields can be used. A page reference metafield adds the content of the page it points to.
For a page, enter the page title exactly as it appears in Shopify.
Optionally, enter a Section title (optional). It shows as a heading above the added content on Etsy.
In Position, choose Prepend (before description) or Append (after description).
If a product has no value in the chosen metafield, Shuttle skips that metafield for that product. Your Find & replace rules also apply to content from metafields and pages.
Style List Items for Etsy
List styling keeps bullet and numbered lists from Shopify easy to read on Etsy. It is only available for Shopify to Etsy. Etsy descriptions are plain text, so lists don't show as lists, which is why Shuttle puts a character in front of each list item.
Under List styling, choose one of these:
Dash (- item). This is the default.
Arrow (→ item)
Checkmark (✓ item)
Custom character, then enter your own character.
No bullet character
Include Tables in Etsy Descriptions
Include HTML tables as formatted text keeps the text from your Shopify tables in the Etsy description. It is only available for Shopify to Etsy. By default, Shuttle leaves tables and everything inside them out of the Etsy description.
Tick Include HTML tables as formatted text if your tables hold important details, such as sizes or specifications. Etsy shows the table text as plain text without the table layout, so check a listing after the transfer to make sure it reads well.
When Description Settings Apply
Shuttle uses the description settings every time it writes a description: when it transfers a product, and when an update includes the description. Changing a setting does not change products you have already transferred.
To apply a changed setting to products you have already transferred, update their descriptions.