Error Messages Guide

"Invalid Email or Password"

What it means: Your login credentials don't match our records.

Solutions:

• Check that Caps Lock is not on
• Verify you're using the correct email address
• If you forgot your password, click "Forgot Password"
• Make sure there are no extra spaces in your email or password
• Try a different browser

"Account Not Verified" / "Please Verify Your Email"

What it means: You haven't confirmed your email address yet.

Solutions:

1. Check your email inbox for a verification link
2. Check your spam/junk folder
3. Click the verification link to confirm your email
4. If you don't see the email, request a new one from the login page
5. Wait 5-10 minutes if you just signed up (emails can be slow)

"Session Expired" / "Please Log In Again"

What it means: Your login session has timed out for security reasons.

Solutions:

• This is normal for security - just log in again
• Sessions expire after 24 hours of inactivity
• Make sure you're not logged in on multiple devices
• Clear browser cookies and try again

"Social Login Failed"

What it means: Your Google/Facebook/TikTok login didn't connect properly.

Solutions:

• Make sure you're logged into the social account first
• Disable popup blockers in your browser
• Try incognito/private mode
• Check if you used a different social account to sign up
• Disable browser extensions temporarily and try again
• Use the email/password login instead

"Subdomain Already Taken"

What it means: Someone else already registered that subdomain.

Solutions:

• Try adding your location: myshop-abuja
• Add numbers: myshop2025, myshop01
• Use alternative names: theshop, shopname, mystore
• Use hyphens: my-shop, my-fashion-store
• Each subdomain must be unique and 3-30 characters

"Invalid Subdomain Format"

What it means: Your subdomain contains invalid characters or doesn't meet requirements.

Requirements:

• 3-30 characters only
• Lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens (-) only
• Must start with a letter (not a number)
• Cannot start or end with a hyphen
• Cannot contain spaces or special characters (@, #, !, etc.)

"Shop Not Found" or "404 Error"

What it means: The shop URL you're trying to access doesn't exist or has been taken down.

Causes & Solutions:

• Wrong URL - check the subdomain spelling
• Shop suspended - check your subscription status
• DNS propagation delay - wait 5 minutes and try again
• Clear browser cache and refresh
• Try accessing from incognito/private mode

"Subscription Required" / "Shop Suspended"

What it means: Your subscription has expired or is inactive.

Solutions:

1. Log into your ShopKatalog dashboard
2. Go to Subscriptions/Billing section
3. Check your subscription status
4. Renew or upgrade your subscription
5. Allow 5-15 minutes for activation after payment

"File Too Large" or "Image Exceeds Maximum Size"

What it means: Your image file is too big to upload.

Solutions:

• Maximum file size is 5MB per image
• Use free tools like TinyPNG, CompressJPEG, or Squoosh to reduce size
• Target around 2-3MB or less for fastest uploads
• Save images as JPG (smaller than PNG)
• Reduce image dimensions if needed (1500x1500px is plenty)

"Invalid File Format" or "Unsupported Image Type"

What it means: You're trying to upload a file type we don't support.

Supported formats:

• JPG / JPEG
• PNG
• We don't support: GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP, etc.
• Solution: Convert your image to JPG or PNG using free online converters

"Upload Failed" / "Error While Uploading"

What it means: Something went wrong during the upload process.

Solutions:

• Check your internet connection
• Try uploading one image at a time (not batch)
• Refresh the page and try again
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Try a different browser
• Check image file name has no special characters
• Try from a different WiFi or use mobile data

"Required Field Missing"

What it means: You haven't filled in all mandatory product information.

Required fields:

• Product name (required)
• Price (required)
• At least one product image (required)
• Description (recommended)
• Solution: Fill in all required fields marked with *

"Payment Declined" / "Card Was Declined"

What it means: Your card issuer rejected the payment.

Solutions:

• Check that you have sufficient funds
• Verify card number, expiry date, and CVV are correct
• Contact your bank - they may have blocked the transaction
• Ask your bank to allow international payments (if applicable)
• Try a different card or payment method
• Ensure card is enabled for online payments
• Try again after 24 hours

"Invalid Card Details"

What it means: The card information you entered doesn't match expected format.

Solutions:

• Re-enter your card number without spaces or dashes
• Double-check expiry date (MM/YY format)
• Verify CVV (3 digits on back of card)
• Make sure card hasn't expired
• Try copying and pasting information carefully

"Duplicate Transaction" / "Already Charged"

What it means: The payment was processed twice by mistake.

Solutions:

1. Check your bank statement for both charges
2. Note the transaction dates and amounts
3. Contact ShopKatalog support with evidence
4. We'll investigate and process a refund within 3-5 business days
5. Never double-click or refresh payment pages

"Transaction Timeout"

What it means: The payment took too long to process and timed out.

Solutions:

• Check your internet connection speed
• Try again with a stable connection
• Check your bank to see if charge went through
• If money was deducted, wait 5-10 minutes for activation
• Use a different browser or device

"Invalid Phone Number"

What it means: The WhatsApp or phone number format is incorrect.

Solutions:

• Include country code (e.g., +234 for Nigeria)
• Format: +[country code][area code][number]
• Example: +234 803 1234567
• Don't include spaces or dashes
• Make sure number has 10+ digits after country code

"Invalid Social Media Handle"

What it means: Your Instagram or Facebook username format is incorrect.

Solutions:

• Enter username WITHOUT @ symbol
• Example: If your Instagram is @myshop, enter "myshop"
• Only letters, numbers, periods, and underscores allowed
• No spaces or special characters
• Verify username exists and is correct

"Checkout Button Not Working"

What it means: The checkout button doesn't respond when clicked.

Solutions:

• Verify contact information is added in shop settings
• Check that at least one checkout method is enabled
• Refresh the page
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Try from a different browser
• Disable popup blockers and ad blockers

"500 Internal Server Error"

What it means: Something went wrong on our servers.

Solutions:

• This is temporary - wait a few minutes and try again
• Refresh the page
• Try a different browser
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• If error persists, check our status page at status.shopkatalog.com
• Contact support if it continues

"Connection Timeout" / "Cannot Reach Server"

What it means: Your browser can't connect to ShopKatalog's servers.

Solutions:

• Check your internet connection
• Restart your internet router
• Try using mobile data if WiFi is slow
• Disable VPN if you're using one
• Clear browser cache
• Try from a different device

"ERR_BLOCKED_BY_CLIENT" / "Request Blocked"

What it means: Your browser or a browser extension is blocking the request.

Solutions:

• Disable ad blockers and popup blockers
• Disable VPN extensions
• Disable content security extensions
• Try incognito/private mode (disables extensions)
• Whitelist shopkatalog.com in your blocker