Error: An Item in This Transaction Is Set Up as a Category Instead of a Product or Service

Overview:

When syncing Shopify orders to QuickBooks Online, you may receive the following error:

“An item in this transaction is set up as a category instead of a product or service.”

This error occurs when a Shopify product has the same name as an existing Category in QuickBooks Online.

QuickBooks Online does not allow a product or service to have the same name as an existing category. As a result, QuickBooks prevents the product from being created and used in the transaction, and the Shopify order cannot be synced.

Detailed Information:

How to Resolve the Error

1. Identify the Product Causing the Error

For example, you may receive an error such as:

“You can't use WIRES because WIRES already exist. To make this change, you'll need to give WIRES a new, unique name or go to the Categories list to give the other WIRES a different name.”

In this example, WIRES exists as a QuickBooks category.

2. Find the Category in QuickBooks Online

Log in to QuickBooks Online and search for the item name mentioned in the error.

Locate the item with the type Category.

3. Rename the Category

Rename the QuickBooks category to a different, unique name.

For example, if the category is named WIRES, you can change it to another unique name that does not duplicates with the Shopify product.

Once the category has been renamed, QuickBooks will allow the product with the original name to be created or used.

4. Resync the Shopify Order

After renaming the category, you can resync the affected order from the Parex Bridge QBO app.

Navigate to:

Shopify → Apps → Parex Bridge QBO → Orders List → Unsynced Orders

Find the affected order and click Resync.