Photos on variations randomly disappearing

[DJCBoutique]

I have had this happen several times now.  I tag the colour or type then for whatever reason days, weeks later they disappear again.

Anyone else?  Doesn't really help with customer sales, customer decisions, ensuring they pick the correct items. 

[FashionPameche]

The same here,, variations all attached and working then after 24-48 hours every single variation on all my products vanish. I re-do them (time consuming) then the circle repeats. I got into a chat with Etsy about it, got a ticket ref for the issue, then,, , heard nothing. I see posts about this Etsy glitch going back to 2019 for some people and here we are over 3 years later and no fix. When my customers choose a certain colour or size in my shop they become nervous about purchasing as they are somehow not confidant they are purchasing their option which is a loss in sales for me and clearly Etsy. Not good at all

[ImmyLouBaby]

I have had similar issues, more so recently. Clear pattern variations, linked photos, etc. but only one photo is being shown despite a number of options. Deleted listings, tried to do it again, but it still happens. I almost sent a customer the same pattern when they had asked for 2 variations. Luckily I checked first.

[RubyWishesMilestones]

This happens to me if I do a bulk edit of listings to change pricing or anything else.  As painstaking as it can be, editing listings one at a time saves me time in the long run, as going into each individual listing and then re-associating each photo with each variation is a nightmare.

[BigBootyBargains]

Yes, this is an issue that has persisted since I started selling on Etsy ( 3 years ago ). Today I finally got fed up and started doing some research / reporting. It's disgusting that this issue has been going on for so long and Etsy still hasn't fixed it. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@DJCBoutique: There have been a number of threads about this including https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Photos-on-variations-randomly-disappearing/m-p/139078... and https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Variations-Linked-Photos-keep-disappearing/m-p/139644...  Perhaps you can find some help or at least solace there.

[lindenCjewellery]

Exactly the same issue. Am new to the platform, so I assumed it was something I was doing that was wrong. Rectified, then return to find the linked photos have disappeared again. Really annoying.

[Amaradorn]

@lindenCjewellery as you can see, this is a known bug which Etsy is turning a 'blind eye' to. 

Please, if you get time, please report it to Etsy support, if possible with screen shots and links etc.

The work around is to use a key (numbers or letters) on both the images and the variation options.

[KariCeramics]

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, I am experiencing the same issues. With 166 listings and each about 9 variations this is a time consuming nightmare that affects my sales... Obviously communicated back and forth with Etsy about this and checked all threads without result. The 'blind eye' is so frustrating!! @Amaradorn could you please elaborate, what do you mean by using a key on the image variation?? Any workaround would be so helpful... 

[Amaradorn]

@KariCeramics By 'key' I mean you need to use a number or letter to denote the variation in the dropdown list and then add this same number/letter to the corresponding photos. Sorry, I know it's ridiculous but this is the only work-around I can think of until they get it fixed.

[PepMelon]

same issue with newly added variations. happening since this summer, selling on Etsy already since 2020. now technical team will check it, as I've provided screenshots about the added variants, and links to the products where these are disappeared again third time. (at another product after saving 4 times, it saved finally for a long run not just for a week). 

[DottyDanglers]

I'm relatively new to this so I thought it was something I was doing wrong. Bit shocking to discover its a known glitch and Etsy are not bothering to fix it (my experience of their customer service has been poor so far, with a customers sale record going missing and them unable to review my product at a result). Linking images to basket items seems quite critical to the customers experience, since it offers reassurance that they are adding the right variation to the basket. I myself have abandoned carts because I wasn't sure if I as adding the right thing, so Etsy and Sellers are both missing out financially.

[DustinMarkJohnston]

Same issue here, hard to believe Etsy hasn't come up with a fix for this yet. It seems I have to re-attach product photos on a weekly basis on all my listings to make sure people are seeing the right image with their product selection. I have had several messages from confused customers wondering where the right images are for the product they selected, really annoying that etsy isn't doing anything about this. The longer I'm on this platform the more I'm realizing they are primarily out for profit and not supporting the local creatives and real artists on the platform. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though.

[DustinMarkJohnston]

I think I figured out what makes the images disappear. 

I've discovered that when I alter the inventory amounts on a listing from my mobile the variation images instantly vanish. It doesn't happen when I alter inventory or anything else from my desktop computer. Only from mobile. 

I haven't found anything else that triggers it, so as long as you don't alter any inventory amounts from your mobile it shouldn't happen. 

[ArenaBoom]

Same issue for me. I think it does have something to do with bulk editing (like changing the price of every item at the same time). I still need to look into it further but I think this is what causes every item to lose the linked colours to images. Very very annoying that Etsy still haven't fixed this huge issue. 

[DustinMarkJohnston]

It’s definitely a mobile related issue. I’ve tested it multiple times. As long as you’re editing from a laptop it won’t happen. Only happens from mobile edits. To my knowledge anyway. 

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

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