Q: What's the correct order to build a Facebook/Instagram shop catalog from scratch?

Q: What's the correct order to build a Facebook/Instagram shop catalog from scratch?

A: Catalog mistakes are painful to undo, so build in this order:
— Create the catalog in Commerce Manager before touching products — pick 'Ecommerce' as the type.
— Decide your data source now: manual upload for under 50 items, a data feed (spreadsheet/URL) for more, or a platform sync (Shopify/WooCommerce).
— Set required fields: title, price, condition, availability, image, and a unique ID per item. Missing IDs cause duplicate listings.
— Add product variants (size/color) as separate items with the same item_group_id so they cluster correctly.
— Run the diagnostics tab and clear every error before connecting the catalog to your shop.

Get the unique IDs right on day one — fixing duplicates later is the worst cleanup job.

Also worth knowing: a scheduled feed (auto-refreshing daily) keeps prices and stock accurate without manual edits.

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