Custom Metafields (or Custom Attributes) allow you to store structured product data in your catalog and reuse it when publishing products to your connected channels.
They are especially useful for handling item specifics—standardized product attributes used by marketplaces like eBay.
What Are Item Specifics?
Item specifics are structured product attributes used by marketplaces like eBay to describe items in a standardized way. These include fields such as:
Brand
Size
Color
Model
Type
They are critical for search visibility, filtering, and product categorization.
Role in Product Listings
Item specifics play a major role in how products appear in search results. They allow buyers to filter listings and quickly find relevant products.
In short, item specifics act as the bridge between your product data and the buyer’s search intent.
What Are Custom Attributes (Metafields)?
In 3Dsellers, product-specific data is stored as Custom Attributes inside the Catalog.
These attributes can come from:
Imported marketplace data (e.g., eBay item specifics)
Your connected store (Shopify/WooCommerce)
Manually added attributes
They are used to store structured values such as:
Brand
Color
Size
Condition
Material
🌟 Benefits of Using Custom Metafields
Improved Product Organization
Custom attributes allow you to structure and standardize your product data, making it easier to manage large inventories.
Enhanced Filtering and Search
Structured attributes improve filtering both on marketplaces and storefronts, helping buyers find products faster.
Automation of Item Specifics
Custom attributes can be reused across channels, reducing manual work and ensuring consistency.
🛍️ Common Use Cases
Fashion Products
Attributes like size, color, material, and department help shoppers filter products easily.
Electronics
Fields such as model, compatibility, storage, and brand improve product clarity and search relevance.
General Retail
Attributes like condition, type, and package details help standardize listings across channels.
How It Works in 3Dsellers
The entire process starts in the Catalog.
When products are imported or created:
Item specifics (e.g., from eBay) are saved as Custom Attributes
These attributes are stored at the product level
They can then be reused when publishing to other channels
Importing eBay Item Specifics into the Catalog
When you import a product from eBay:
All eBay item specifics are automatically converted into Custom Attributes
These values are stored in the product under Custom Attributes
Example:
An imported product may include:
Condition → New without tags
Brand → 32 Degrees
Color → Blue
Size → M
Department → Teens
These values are now reusable when publishing to other channels.
Publishing Custom Attributes to WooCommerce
WooCommerce allows you to automatically push all custom attributes during publishing.
How to publish
Import or create a product in the Catalog
Ensure the product has values under Custom Attributes inside the Product Editor
Click Publish to Channel
Select your WooCommerce channel
Open Advanced Settings
Enable Publish all custom attributes to the channel
Publish the product
What happens
All custom attributes are sent to WooCommerce as product attributes
They appear in the Additional Information section of the product
Mapping entries are created automatically for future use
This is the fastest way to transfer item specifics from your catalog to WooCommerce.
Publishing Custom Metafields to Shopify
Shopify requires a mapping setup using channel templates.
How to set it up
Go to your Shopify channel template
Open Custom Metafields
Click Add New Metafield
Create a metafield (e.g., Condition)
Choose:
Field type (e.g., Single line text)
Namespace (e.g.,
custom)
Map the metafield to a catalog value:
Product Property, or
Custom Attribute (recommended when using imported data)
Save the changes to the template
Publishing the product
Go to the Catalog
Select your product
Click Publish to Channel (Shopify)
Publish using the configured template
What happens
The mapped value is sent to Shopify as a metafield
If the metafield does not exist, it can be created automatically
The value will appear in the Shopify product
⚠️ Important note
Whether the metafield appears on your product page (or in the listing preview) depends on your Shopify theme settings.
Some themes do not display metafields by default
You may need to customize your theme or use Shopify’s theme editor to display metafields
If the metafield does not appear, it does not mean it was not created—it may simply not be configured to show in your theme
Example
Shopify Example
Custom Attribute in Catalog:
Condition → New without tagsShopify metafield created:
ConditionMapping:
Custom Attribute → Condition
Result:
When published, Shopify receives:
Condition = New without tags
WooCommerce Example
Product imported from eBay
Custom Attributes include:
Brand → 32 Degrees
Size → M
Color → Blue
Publish with:
Publish all custom attributes enabled
Result:
All attributes appear automatically in WooCommerce under Additional information section.
WooCommerce vs Shopify (Key Difference)
WooCommerce
One-click option to publish all custom attributes
No manual mapping required
Shopify
Requires creating metafields in the template
Requires mapping each metafield to a catalog value
Best Practices
Use consistent attribute names (e.g., “Color” vs “Colour”)
Ensure attributes have values before publishing
Use custom attributes for structured data only
Reuse mapping templates for consistency
Prefer using imported attributes (e.g., from eBay) when available
Why This Matters
Using custom attributes and metafields:
Improves product visibility on marketplaces
Enables better filtering and search
Keeps product data consistent across channels
Saves time by automating attribute handling
Reduces manual errors in listing creation