How do I move my Shopify store’s product reviews and photos to a buyer?
Export the reviews and the photos as separate sets, each tied to the product it belongs to. Confirm who owns every image, then move both to the buyer’s setup and check that nothing is missing before the old store goes dark. Reviews carry shopper trust, so losing them hurts.
Reviews and photos look like one job but they are two. Reviews often sit inside a separate app, so ask which one holds them and whether it exports the reviewer’s name, rating, text, date and the product each belongs to. Check whether the new platform can import that file or whether the buyer must keep the same app.
For photos, start with ownership. Did the seller shoot them, hire someone, or take them from a supplier? Ask for written permission covering images that came from other people, and keep copies of those permissions. Original full-size files matter more than the web versions, because the buyer will need them for new layouts.
Plan the move in a test copy first. Compare product by product: review count, star ratings, image order, and alt text. Keep the old store live until the new one matches. Photos from customers attached to reviews are the most likely to be lost, so check those on their own. Your lawyer can advise on image rights. Tell the buyer which files are missing before closing, not after. Ask the buyer which reviews they want shown first, so featured items still look right after the move.
Key takeaways
- Treat reviews and photos as two separate exports.
- Get written permission for images the seller did not create.
- Compare product by product in a test copy before switching.
- Keep full-size originals, not only web copies.
Related reading
13 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
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Selling
Due diligence
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernment7 steps to increase your business’ value—before you sell it
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaIndustryHow to sell your business
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