Find the rows the checker lists and give each variant a different combination of option values, or delete the repeated row. If two different products share a URL handle, change one of the handles. For products with no options, only one row should have Option1 value "Default Title".

Shopify import error: "Validation failed: options are not unique"

What it means: Two rows of the same product have exactly the same option values, for example two rows that are both Size S. Shopify cannot tell those variants apart, so it rejects the product. It also happens when the same URL handle is used again further down the file for what you meant as a different product: Shopify treats the rows as one product.

Find the rows in your file

Shopify product import

Choose file

The product CSV you are about to import into Shopify, or the one Shopify just rejected.

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It is read and converted by this page, inside your browser. Nothing from the file is uploaded, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

No file handy? or download the sample to look at it first.

The products in the sample are invented. It is checked on this device, the same way your own file would be.

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How to fix it

Find the rows the checker lists and give each variant a different combination of option values, or delete the repeated row.
If two different products share a URL handle, change one of the handles.
For products with no options, only one row should have Option1 value "Default Title".

Example

A file with this problem

Title,URL handle,Status,Option1 name,Option1 value,Price,Inventory tracker,Inventory quantity,Continue selling when out of stock,Fulfillm...
Cotton Tee,cotton-tee,active,Size,S,20.00,shopify,5,deny,manual,https://cdn.example.com/tee.jpg
,cotton-tee,,,S,20.00,shopify,3,deny,manual,

What the checker says about it

Line 3: "cotton-tee" already has a variant with S (line 2). Shopify rejects this with "Validation failed: options are not unique".

Once the listed rows are fixed, check the file again; the checker also looks for every other problem Shopify documents, so you do not trade one error for the next.

Questions

What does "Validation failed: options are not unique" mean in Shopify?: Two rows of the same product have exactly the same option values, for example two rows that are both Size S. Shopify cannot tell those variants apart, so it rejects the product. It also happens when the same URL handle is used again further down the file for what you meant as a different product: Shopify treats the rows as one product.
How do I fix it?: Find the rows the checker lists and give each variant a different combination of option values, or delete the repeated row. If two different products share a URL handle, change one of the handles. For products with no options, only one row should have Option1 value "Default Title".

Other Shopify import errors

Sources

Shopify Help Center: Solutions to common product CSV import problems: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/common-import-issues

Based on Shopify's help pages for product CSV import. Not tested on a live store.