If you've noticed that images in your Sellbrite listings aren't appearing correctly on your live Shopify store, this is most commonly caused by images being added or edited directly in Shopify rather than through Sellbrite. This article explains how Shopify image syncing works and what to do when images aren't displaying as expected.
How Shopify Image Syncing Works in Sellbrite
For image syncing to work correctly, all image changes should be made from within Sellbrite and then pushed to Shopify. Here's what to expect depending on what type of update you're making:
Adding new images (without removing or changing existing ones) — New images should appear on your Shopify listing shortly after publishing.
Updating or replacing existing images — Changes may take up to 6 hours to reflect on your live Shopify store after republishing.
NOTE: Images should always be managed from Sellbrite. If images are added or changed directly in Shopify, Sellbrite will not have a reference to those images and will be unable to update or overwrite them.
Why Images Added Directly in Shopify Cause Issues
When images are added directly in Shopify (outside of Sellbrite), Shopify assigns them new remote IDs that Sellbrite is not aware of. Because Sellbrite doesn't have a reference to those images, it cannot delete, replace, or overwrite them during a publish. This results in a mismatch between what appears in Sellbrite and what is live on your Shopify store.
How to Fix Image Sync Issues
If your Shopify listing images are out of sync, follow these steps to resolve the issue:
Run an import or sync the affected listing from Shopify. This allows Sellbrite to detect any images that were added directly in Shopify and update its references accordingly.
Update your images in Sellbrite. Once the import is complete, make any necessary image changes directly within Sellbrite. See How to Update Listing Images for detailed instructions.
Republish the listing. Navigate to the Listings Manager, select the affected listing(s), and publish. Sellbrite will overwrite the images on Shopify with the images currently in Sellbrite.
Allow up to 6 hours for the updated images to appear on your live Shopify store.
NOTE: Going forward, always make image changes from within Sellbrite to avoid sync issues. Changes made directly in Shopify may result in mismatches that require the steps above to correct.