Troubleshooting

Most issues fall into one of the patterns below. Find your symptom, try the fix, and if it still doesn't work, use Help → Email support at the bottom of the sidebar. Include a screenshot and we'll respond within one business day.

Is the whole app unavailable? Check the status page first to see whether the website, API, or database is having an issue.

A scrape finished but found no products (or very few)

The most common causes, in order:

• The store URL is wrong. Open the URL in your own browser and confirm it loads the storefront (not a holding page, region selector, or password page). VantageDash follows a store's own redirects when you add it, but it can't tell a holding page from a shop. Open the competitor, correct its Website URL, and save.
• The store requires a login or is wholesale-only. VantageDash only reads pricing that's visible to the public. If a store hides prices behind an account, there's nothing to fetch.
• The competitor changed platforms. Stores occasionally migrate their storefront. Run a new price check first, since each check looks at the store again. If it still finds nothing, email us the URL. Removing and re-adding the competitor also starts it fresh, but removing it deletes its matches and price history.
• The store sells from a separate shop address. Some brands run their shop on its own address, like a shop. or store. address. Use the address where the products are.
• Their prices are on an ordering page, not their website. A cafe or restaurant website often has no prices on it. A price check looks for a link to the ordering page by itself. If it does not find one, open the competitor, click Edit, and paste the address into Where their prices are listed.
• The store turns away automated visits. A few stores do. On a paid plan they are read another way, a few pages at each price check, so their prices can take several checks to fill in. On every plan the first read of such a store is free. After that, on the free plan, add the store's main products yourself with Add product on its page.

If the store is public, loads in your browser, and still returns nothing, send us the URL via Help → Email support and we will take a look.

Prices look wrong, are missing, or show $0

• Run a fresh scrape. Prices are a snapshot from the last fetch. If a competitor changed prices recently, scrape again to pull the current values.
• The product is sold in packs. Check the Products and Comparison pages: VantageDash shows both the listed price and the price per unit, so bulk and single listings compare fairly. If a competitor prints the price of one item next to a case size (for example "$0.15 each (1000/case)"), set that competitor's Pricing to Price is per unit on the Competitors page, so the price isn't divided again.
• The listing uses "From $X" or a price range. For variable-price listings VantageDash captures the starting price. Open the competitor's product to confirm which variant you're comparing against.
• A handful of products are missing prices. Some storefronts load prices in a way that can't always be read. As long as the bulk of the catalog has prices, this is expected; flag a specific product if it matters and we'll check it.

No matches after a matching run

• The competitor sells in a different category. Matching only pairs comparable products. A competitor with little catalog overlap will produce few or no matches. That's correct behavior, not a bug.
• Your matching profile is too narrow. Open Settings → Matching Profile and broaden the category list or search terms, then run matching again.
• The competitor uses brand-specific product names. Some brands name products in ways that share no standard words with your catalog. Use Manual Match on the Comparison page to pair a few products by hand. Manual matches are kept across future matching runs.
• You're on a plan without AI matching. The free Scout plan includes matching by name only. AI matching starts on Basecamp; see Plans and billing.

Importing your own products found nothing

Sync from URL reads your products from your store's web address. If it ends with "We couldn't find any prices at your store's address":

• Your prices are listed somewhere else. A website with no prices on it (common for cafes and restaurants, where the menu is on an online ordering page) has nothing to import. VantageDash looks for a link to your ordering page by itself; if it does not find one, paste the address where your prices are listed into the box on the Products page and click Read prices from this address.
• You pasted a page of your own website. That is the same site, so nothing changes. Paste the address of the other service or store instead.
• It picked the wrong location. With several locations, the first one found is used. Click Change next to "Prices are read from" on the Products page and paste the address of the location you want.
• Your website did not let us read it. Some sites turn away automated visits. Your own store is read a limited number of times a month on every plan, the free plan included. Try again in a few minutes, or add products by hand with Add Product.

A competitor's data looks out of date

Prices and products only update when a price check runs. Either click Check Prices on the Competitors page, or set up automatic price checks under Settings → Scheduling so it happens on a schedule without you.

Shopify: connecting, syncing, or disconnecting

• A Shopify connection begins in Shopify. For security reasons it can't be started by typing a store address into the dashboard. A workspace made on our website imports its products with Sync from URL on the Products page. See VantageDash for Shopify.
• Products didn't sync after connecting. Open Settings → Shopify and click Sync products. The first sync can take a moment for large catalogs.
• To disconnect, use Settings → Shopify → Disconnect. Your existing data stays in your account; new product updates simply stop flowing in. If you are on a paid plan billed through Shopify, disconnecting also cancels it.
• To reconnect, click Reconnect Shopify on the same card, or open VantageDash from the Apps list in your Shopify admin. Shopify asks you to approve access and your products start syncing again.
• The plan buttons say "Reconnect store first". Plans are billed through Shopify, so while your store is disconnected no plan can be chosen. Settings → Billing says so at the top and has a Reconnect Shopify button; once the store is connected again the plan buttons work as before.
• "This store already has a VantageDash account." A store is linked to the account that first connected it. Sign in with that account to open the store's dashboard. If a teammate owns it, ask them to invite you from Settings → Team. If you are not sure which account it is, email us and we will help.
• "Sign in to open your dashboard" after installing again. You installed the app on a store that already has a VantageDash account, and you were signed out. Sign in with the account that connected the store and everything is as you left it. A new account cannot be made for a store that has one; a teammate joins by an invitation from Settings → Team.

Price alerts aren't arriving

• You need at least one alert rule. Open Alerts and set a global threshold (or a per-product rule). With no rules, nothing can trigger.
• Alerts compare two scrapes. A change is only detected between a previous scrape and a newer one, so you need at least two scrapes for a competitor before alerts can fire.
• Check your notification channel. Email alerts go to the address on the rule; Slack/Discord/webhook alerts need a valid URL. Re-paste the webhook URL and save if you're unsure.
• Look in the bell. Every triggered alert also appears in the notification bell in the header, regardless of channel. That's a good way to confirm alerts are working even if an external channel is misconfigured.

I can't upgrade, or my plan shows "Pending"

• Pending means a checkout was started but not finished. Open Settings → Billing. If you see a pending state, use Continue approval to finish, or Discard to clear it and start over.
• A store that installed through Shopify is billed by Shopify. You choose a plan under Settings → Billing and approve it on Shopify's screen; the store has to be connected under Settings → Shopify for that. Paid plans for accounts made on our website are not open yet.

I'm seeing the wrong brand or workspace

If you belong to more than one workspace, use the workspace switcher (top of the sidebar) to change which one you're viewing. The dashboard, products, and competitors all reflect the active workspace.

Exporting or deleting my data

• Export: the Products, Comparison, and Analytics pages each have an Export button (CSV and PDF). For a full copy of everything, email support@vantagedash.io.
• Deletion: email support@vantagedash.io and we'll delete your account and data.

Still stuck?

Use Help → Email support at the bottom of the sidebar (or the Feedback button below it) and include what you tried plus a screenshot. We read every message and reply within one business day.