Meta product catalogues for UK retailers: common feed errors

What to take away

Most catalogue errors are item-level rejections, not account bans. A blank barcode, a price mismatch or a logo on a photo blocks one product, not your shop.
UK faults cluster around VAT-inclusive pricing, British spelling and delivery copy written for pre-2021 EU shipping.
Fix the source file. Manual edits in Commerce Manager are overwritten at the next scheduled fetch.
Log each error code with the date it first appeared, so a one-off blip is not read as a persistent fault.
Escalate to Meta only after two consecutive fetches return the same error on the same items.

Why generic Meta advice misfits British catalogues

Meta help pages are written for a global audience and assume a US selling model. Tax, prices and shipping work differently here. A UK business quotes VAT-inclusive prices to consumers, spells words in British English, and sends parcels to the EU under post-Brexit customs rules. The standard error text mentions none of that.

Commerce Manager is the shared product database behind Facebook and Instagram shopping surfaces, and it belongs to Meta Platforms. Its validation rules apply worldwide, so the local detail is your job.

The errors that appear most often

Error shown	Usual cause	Fix for a UK store
Item rejected: missing GTIN	Barcode column empty or exported as a number	Export the barcode as text and fill gaps with the manufacturer code
Price mismatch	Feed price excludes VAT while the page shows it	Send the VAT-inclusive figure
Image rejected	Text, badges or borders overlaid on the shot	Use the plain image and move claims into the title
Domain not verified	Verification tag lost in a site rebuild	Re-add the tag or verify by DNS
Delivery estimate missing	No shipping rule for GB	Add a GB rule with a VAT-inclusive cost
Description rejected	US spellings or claims the ASA would question	Rewrite in British English and check the Advertising Codes

A blank barcode field is the most frequent single fault. Meta expects a GTIN on branded goods, and the error message rarely names the column at fault.

Common Meta catalogue errors

Error shown

Missing GTIN: Barcode empty or numeric
Price mismatch: Feed excludes VAT
Image rejected: Text or borders overlaid
Domain not verified: Tag lost in rebuild
Delivery estimate missing: No GB shipping rule
Description rejected: US spellings or claims

Usual cause

Missing GTIN: Export as text, fill gaps
Price mismatch: Send VAT-inclusive figure
Image rejected: Use plain image
Domain not verified: Re-add tag or DNS
Delivery estimate missing: Add GB VAT-inclusive rule
Description rejected: Rewrite in British English

Fix for a UK store

Missing GTIN
Price mismatch
Image rejected
Domain not verified
Delivery estimate missing
Description rejected

Price mismatches come next. If the product page shows £24.99 and the feed sends 20.83, that item is disapproved and its ads stop. Keep one price field in the source system and let the feed inherit it.

When one catalogue serves several channels, a value Meta accepts can fail elsewhere. Comparing the multichannel order sync options for eBay and Amazon shows how far the field rules diverge.

VAT display and the landing page

Every price in a UK consumer catalogue should be the figure the shopper pays. The Advertising Codes require quoted prices to be clear and not misleading, so a VAT-exclusive number in a shopping ad fails that test. Check the ASA and CAP codes before approving a promotional price.

Meta also compares the feed price with the landing page at crawl time. A promotion that ends mid-week while the feed still advertises the old figure triggers a mismatch within days.

Post-Brexit shipping messages

Delivery copy is the quiet culprit. Many UK stores still promise two to three day EU delivery, a claim that no longer holds once customs clearance applies.

Set separate shipping rules for Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the EU and the rest of the world. Say who handles customs duty in the description rather than the shipping field. Northern Ireland needs its own rule because the Windsor Framework arrangements differ from Great Britain.

Matching customers into the catalogue

Uploading customer email lists to build audiences from catalogue data falls under UK data protection law. The ICO guidance for organisations sets out the lawful basis, consent and retention rules you need before that list leaves your system.

Keep the mapping tested between checks

The plugin or middleware that builds the file decides which fields reach Meta. Re-test the mapping after every theme update or plugin release, because a renamed attribute empties a column silently. Our guide to WooCommerce product feed plugins covers tools that handle VAT-inclusive pricing and barcode mapping without manual edits.

A five-step check before you escalate

Download the published file and confirm it matches your last export. Stale files cause more errors than bad data.
Filter diagnostics by error code and count affected items. A handful of rejections usually points to one field.
Open one rejected product's landing page in a private window and compare price, stock and image with the feed row.
Confirm shipping rules exist for GB, Northern Ireland and the EU as separate entries.
Re-fetch once and wait a full cycle before changing anything else.

Common questions

Why does Meta keep rejecting my products for a missing GTIN?

Branded goods need a barcode. An empty column, or one exported as a number, fails validation, so export the field as text and keep leading zeros.

Should catalogue prices include VAT?

Yes, for UK consumers. Send the price they pay and keep the ex-VAT figure in your accounting system rather than the feed.

How often should I re-fetch the feed?

Daily suits most stores. Shorten the cycle around promotions, then check the new price reaches the landing page at the same time.

Can I fix errors directly in Commerce Manager?

You can, but the next fetch overwrites the change. Correct the source file and let it flow through.