How to name Shopify product images for Amazon’s bulk upload

Amazon’s bulk image upload doesn’t look at folders or product names. It reads each file name, and the name has to say which product the photo belongs to and where it goes in the gallery. Shopify’s image files have neither, so they need renaming before they go to Amazon.

Before you start

Your Shopify products have barcodes (UPC, EAN or GTIN) in the Barcode field, the same codes as on Amazon.
You have the ASIN ready for any product without a barcode: those photos need renaming before upload.
You can use Image Manager in Seller Central to upload a ZIP.
You’ll check Amazon’s current image rules for your category; some categories ask for more.

Export from ShopifyProducts → Export, with barcodes
Amazon image packFilename: Amazon (Seller Central)
Read amazon-check.csvFix formats, sizes and missing barcodes
Seller CentralImage Manager → bulk upload the ZIP

From a Shopify export to a ZIP Amazon’s bulk upload can match.

How Amazon wants the files named

Product identifier first: the ASIN, or the product’s UPC, EAN or GTIN barcode, with no dashes or spaces.
Then the slot: MAIN for the main photo, PT01, PT02 and so on (up to PT99) for the others.
Then the extension: for example 012345678905.MAIN.jpg and 012345678905.PT01.jpg.

Amazon accepts JPEG, PNG, TIFF and still GIF images, at least 500 px on the longest side. 1,000 px or more lets shoppers zoom. A seller SKU in the file name isn’t matched by the bulk upload.

Amazon’s image sizes, longest side

500 pxsmallest Amazon accepts
1,000 px +lets shoppers zoom
10,000 pxlargest Amazon accepts
100photos per product (MAIN, PT01–PT99)

From Amazon’s product image requirements (Seller Central help G1881). Rules can change; check yours in Seller Central.

Where the barcode comes from

products_export.csv

Handle	Variant SKU	Variant Barcodes1	Image Src2	Image Position3
trail-mug	MUG-01	upc:012345678905	https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/mug-1.jpg?v=…	1
trail-mug			https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/mug-2.jpg?v=…	2
tea-towel	TT-02		https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/…/towel-1.webp?v=…	1

Columns without a note are left out here; your file has them too.

Variant Barcodes (older exports: Variant Barcode) holds the code. A label such as upc: isn’t part of the file name, so the mug’s photos become 012345678905.MAIN.jpg and 012345678905.PT01.jpg.
The tea towel has no barcode, so its photo goes to _needs-id/ named by SKU, and it is a WebP file Amazon won’t accept: both show up in amazon-check.csv.
Image Position sets the slot: the first photo is MAIN, the next ones PT01, PT02 and so on.

The free manual method

In Shopify admin, go to Products, click Export, and export your products as a CSV.
Open the CSV. For each product, note the barcode in the Variant Barcodes column (older exports call it Variant Barcode; a code may start with its type, such as upc:, which isn’t part of the file name) and the photo links in Image Src.
Download each photo and rename it: barcode, then .MAIN for the first photo and .PT01, .PT02 and so on for the rest.
Check every file is a JPEG or PNG of at least 500 px. Shopify can serve WebP images, which Amazon doesn’t accept, so convert those.
Zip the files and upload them in Seller Central with Image Manager’s bulk upload.

This is fine for a few products. For a whole catalog it is slow, and one wrong digit puts a photo on the wrong listing.

Free method

Downloads/

mug-1.jpg
mug-2.jpg
towel-1.webp
…

No barcode or slot in any name, so Amazon’s bulk upload can’t match a single file.

Parcel

parcel-1a2b3c4d.zip

_needs-id/
- TT-02.MAIN.webp
012345678905.MAIN.jpg
012345678905.PT01.jpg
amazon-check.csv

Matched photos at the top level, ready to upload. Products without a usable barcode wait in _needs-id/ for their ASIN.

The faster way: Parcel’s Amazon image pack

Upload the same Shopify CSV to Parcel and choose “Amazon (Seller Central)” as the filename style. You get one ZIP with:

Every product’s photos named BARCODE.MAIN and BARCODE.PT01, PT02 and so on, in Shopify’s image order
A _needs-id folder for products without a valid barcode, named by SKU so you can rename them to the ASIN
amazon-check.csv, listing anything Amazon may refuse, such as WebP files or images under 500 px

Under Name files by, keep Barcode (UPC, EAN or GTIN), or SKU if missing. Choosing SKU names everything by SKU, which Amazon’s bulk upload doesn’t match by file name, so you would assign those photos to listings yourself in Image Manager. Problems Parcel can see in the CSV, such as missing barcodes, are listed on screen before you pay.

Parcel never asks for your Shopify or Amazon login, and it doesn’t upload anything to Amazon.

What it costs

Up to 25 products is free; larger catalogs are a one-time $9, $19, or $39 depending on size. No subscription.

One payment per export, no subscription. A free export can carry up to 300 MB of images; a paid one up to 1 GB.

Before you upload

Open amazon-check.csv first and fix what it lists. Amazon’s image rules can change and some categories ask for more, so check the current requirements in Seller Central for your category.

If something goes wrong

Photos are in _needs-id/: Those products have no barcode, or one that isn’t a valid UPC, EAN or GTIN (wrong length or check digit). Rename each file’s SKU part to the product’s ASIN, or fix the barcode in Shopify and export again.
Two products share a barcode: Neither is named by it, so one product’s photos can’t land on the other’s listing. amazon-check.csv lists them; fix the duplicate barcode in Shopify.
amazon-check.csv says an image is WebP or too small: Amazon refuses WebP and images under 500 px on the longest side. Convert WebP files to JPEG, and replace small images with larger originals before uploading.
Only one variant’s barcode was used: A product’s photos are named for one barcode: the first one listed among its variants. Add photos for the other variants in Image Manager; amazon-check.csv lists the products this applies to.
Some photos are in _extras/: Amazon’s names stop at PT99, 100 photos per product. Photos past that are kept in _extras/ so nothing is lost.

Questions

Can Amazon match photos by SKU?

Not from the file name: the bulk image upload matches names by ASIN or barcode (UPC, EAN or GTIN). Photos named by SKU are assigned to their listings in Seller Central’s Image Manager instead.

Does Parcel convert WebP images to JPEG?

No. Parcel saves every image exactly as Shopify serves it and lists any format Amazon won’t accept in amazon-check.csv, so you can convert those files yourself.

Which photo becomes MAIN?

The first photo in the product’s Shopify image order. The rest follow as PT01, PT02 and so on.

Does Parcel upload to Seller Central?

No. Parcel never connects to Amazon or Shopify. You upload the ZIP yourself with Image Manager’s bulk upload.

What does a barcode label like upc: mean?

Shopify’s newer exports can put the code’s type in front of it. It isn’t part of the barcode, so Parcel leaves it out of the file name.

Upload Shopify CSV

Parcel is an independent tool, not affiliated with Amazon.