1. Upload the vendor packing slip
Upload the vendor file as-is. Catalog Intake supports packing slips, invoices, order sheets, photos, PDFs, CSVs, and Excel .xlsx files.
Packing slip import
Import packing slips to Shopify in minutes
Turn vendor packing slips, invoices, shipment photos, PDFs, CSVs, and Excel .xlsx files into reviewed Shopify product and inventory rows. Catalog Intake extracts identifiers, variants, quantities, pricing signals, and Shopify Files image matches so merchants can approve the right Shopify action before anything is pushed.
Before, review, result
From packing slip to Shopify products and inventory updates
Follow one shipment from upload through row review, active-product creation, barcode inventory updates, and final Shopify confirmation.
2. Extract product details from the slip
The source packing slip includes product names, variants, SKUs, barcodes, received quantities, and cost values, but not retail prices.
3. Flag missing retail prices
Because the packing slip only showed cost, Catalog Intake flags each row for review instead of letting missing prices slip into Shopify.
4. Bulk edit the missing price
Use the group bulk editor to set the retail price once across matching rows before approval.
5. Review grouped variants and image matches
Catalog Intake groups variants, shows the active-product action, totals units, and suggests Shopify Files images using product title, SKU, and colorway criteria.
6. Review the full push plan
Before anything is sent to Shopify, Catalog Intake shows new products, matched existing products, inventory updates, variants, images, and the selected sales channel destination.
7. Update inventory for matched products
Rows that match existing Shopify variants by barcode update inventory instead of creating duplicate products, with current, received, and resulting stock shown before push.
8. Confirm active products in Shopify
After the push, Shopify shows the newly active product and matched existing products with updated inventory, product details, channels, and imagery.
Final storefront result
Matched images and complete product details
In this example, related product images were already loaded into Shopify Files. Catalog Intake suggested likely image matches during review, and the approved product launched with the correct media attached.
Chesapeake Blue Vinyl product page
Black Vinyl product page
Why review matters
Vendor files can be useful without being perfect
A shipment document may have the product name, vendor, SKU, barcode, color, size, and received quantity. It may still miss descriptions, exact categories, retail prices, or clean variant structure. Catalog Intake handles the extraction and grouping work, then calls out the rows that need human review before anything is pushed.
Works best when slips include
- Vendor or brand name plus a readable product or style name
- SKU, style number, barcode, UPC, or another stable identifier
- Color and size information for variant grouping
- Received quantities at the row or size-cell level
- Enough context to decide whether the row creates a product or updates inventory
Real vendor paperwork
Many stores never get a clean product feed
Retailers often receive only the paperwork that came with the shipment: a packing slip in the box, an invoice by email, a PDF order confirmation, an Excel .xlsx file, a printed pick sheet, or a vendor portal export that was never designed for Shopify.
Catalog Intake is built for that reality. If the paperwork has enough identifiers, the app prepares review-ready product or inventory rows. If the source is incomplete, it keeps the usable details and flags the missing fields before anything is pushed.
FAQ
Packing slip import questions
Can Catalog Intake read photos of packing slips?
Yes. Merchants can upload packing slip photos or scans when the table text, SKU, barcode, quantity, and price information is readable.
Can a packing slip create Shopify products?
Sometimes. A packing slip can create review-ready product candidates when it includes enough product data, such as vendor, product name, SKU or style number, barcode, color, size, and received quantity. If important fields are missing, Catalog Intake flags the row for review instead of treating the slip as perfect product data.
What happens when the packing slip is incomplete?
Catalog Intake still extracts what it can, then marks rows that need attention, such as missing barcodes, missing SKUs, unclear sizes, missing color, ambiguous prices, or rows that should update inventory instead of creating a new product.
Does the app create products immediately?
No. Packing slip rows go to a review queue first. Merchants approve the rows they want to send to Shopify before products or inventory updates are pushed.
Can it update inventory instead of creating duplicates?
Yes. When an extracted row matches an existing Shopify variant by barcode, Catalog Intake can update inventory instead of creating a new product.
Can products publish to sales channels?
Yes. Store settings control whether products are created as drafts or active products. When active publishing is enabled, merchants can select Shopify sales channels before pushing.
Upload packing slips without rebuilding every product by hand.
Install Catalog Intake from Shopify, upload a packing slip, review the extracted rows, and push approved products or inventory updates when the batch is ready.