Unable to switch product & services to new categories :: You can't merge [Product Name] because [Product Name] already exists.

Let's get rid of the error so you can change the category of an item in QuickBooks, Hanson.

There's a possibility that the item already exists. However, it's inactive in the system. 

Let's activate your inventory list on the Product and Services page. Here's how: 

1. Go to the Sales menu on the left panel. 
2. Select the Product and Services tab. 
3. Choose the Inactive on the Funnel icon drop-down list. 
4. Click the Apply button. 
    

Once done, all your inactive inventory will display. Locate the ones that you want to make inactivate.

You can either make it active. If you want to leave it inactive, consider changing the product name. This way, the system won't detect a duplicate entry when updating the category of the other item.

Also, the system only allows you to merge a service item.

I'm adding these links for future guide:
 

• Change product and service item types in QuickBooks Online
• Remove or merge a product or service.
   

Stay in touch with me if you need anything else aside from changing the category of an item. I'll be right here to help you.

Thank you Mary,

Unfortunately it did not work. This is what I have tried:

• I tried changing the name into something completely unique "Branding Services 12212082" yet I still get the same message.

• I have also made sure that the product type is set to service
• I read through the two links and it seems I am following the instructions correctly

See screenshot attached.

Thank you,

Hanson

Thank you Mary,

Unfortunately it did not work. This is what I have tried:

• I tried changing the name of the service to something completely unique "Branding Services 12212082"
• I made sure that the product type is set to service (see screenshot)
• I read through both articles and it seems I have been following the instructions correctly

Thank you again, I hope we can find a solution.

Hanson

Hello, Hanson. 

Thanks for getting back to us with the update and the screenshot. I'm here with the solution to help you fix the error message for your categories and items. 

Unusual behaviors in QuickBooks Online are caused by cache-related issues in the webpage. You can rule this out by using an incognito or private window: 

• Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
• Safari (new versions): Command + Shift + N

From there, categorize those items again. If you're able to do so, go back to the regular browser and clear the cache.

This removes the webpage data that's causing the error message. Close out any browser instances after clearing the cache to complete the process. 

Another solution is to use other supported browsers. 

If you're still experiencing the same error message, I would recommend contacting our support agents. They'll be able to dig deeper into the system and check what's causing the issue. Here's how to reach them: 

1. Click the Help menu.
2. On the chat box, select the Talk to a human option (type it in the chat box if prompted again). 
3. Select I still need a human.
4. Click the Get help from a human link, then choose how you want to reach us. 

After fixing the issue, do you want to start invoicing your customers? This article can help you with the process: Create invoices in QuickBooks Online.

I'm up and ready to help you out again if you have more questions about your inventory items. I can also help you with any other processes in QuickBooks. 

Was any solution found for this? We're experiencing the same issue trying to convert to categories. I've found you can change the parent product from "ABC Products" to "XZY ABC Products" and it will accept it, but stops at the next parent product. I'm not wanting to go through all the parent products we have, and I'm afraid of the future issues renaming everything would have. 

Same thing from incognito and different PC's 

Thanks for visiting the Community, kevinAVS.

I'd like to verify some information about the issue. 

Could you share more details about " but stops at the next parent product"? Are you trying to change all the parent products into one? Also, you can attach a screenshot so I can give you a timely solution. Make sure to cover any sensitive information.

I'll keep an eye on your response. Thanks for dropping by, and have a good one.

I'm trying to convert to categories from product/sub-products.

It errors at the first product that has sub products alphabetically.  (See AIPhone picture). If I change "AIPhone" to "SOMETHING AIPhone" it just errors out at the next product that has sub-products alphabetically. 

Kevin D.

First error.

Second error and so forth. I can't change the name of every main product!

Hello, kevinAVS. 

I appreciate the screenshots you've provided us. This helps me identify the exact solution to fix the error you've encountered.  

The possible reason why you encountered the error message is there's a possibility that the name already exists in the system. You can go to the Products and Services list to modify the name.    

However, after changes are made, yet errors persist. I suggest reaching out to our customer support team. They use specific tools to pull up your account in a safe environment and help you identify what causes the error you've encountered.  

For your reference, please visit this article: Change product and service item types in QuickBooks Online.  

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I'll be right here to assist you further. Have a lovely day and stay safe!

I'm having the exact same problem after migrating a client's data from desktop to QBO. I've contacted support but I'm not sure they even read what I write. I'd be really happy to find a solution to this problem.

Same.

Experiencing the same thing. I did go through the entire process of renaming and then it started back at the beginning with the new random name I gave the item. It's very frustrating indeed. Love to know if there is a fix. 

AileneA - even if I provide a random name pulled from a hat with absolutely no chance of it being a duplicate, I still get the error. I've used QBO since 2013 and I know how to modify an item name. Go back and re-read the threads to full understand what the problem is that we are experiencing. And I really wish support would get back to me with something other that clearing cash and going incognito and contacting support. I would not be here commenting on this thread if support had resolved my issue. Clearly, there is a programming issue of some sort that needs to be fixed. Please let me know if this gets fixed. Thanks!

Allow me to provide you some information about changing the name of the main product and guide you on what to do, Mandac.

I know the importance of being able to change the name of every main product. Since you have already contacted our support team about this, this should already be brought to their attention, and have already taken note of this. You'll want to reach out to them again for updates. This will also be the best way for your current call to be tracked concerning this issue. Here's how to reach them:

1. Click the (?) Help icon and enter Talk to a human (then type it again when prompted).
2. When asked by the bot, enter your concern.
3. Select I still need a human, then proceed with Contact us or Get help from a human.
4. Choose either Chat or Callback.

In case you're changing an income account and it's not updating, check out this article: Change The Account For A Product/Service Item. For your reference, you'll want to get the information you need, you can run the Sales by Products and Services Details report. I've added this article for your guide: Run Reports in QuickBooks Online.

Please get back to us if there's anything else you need. Remember, we're always here to make sure that everything is taken care of. 

Anyone find a solution to this? None of these suggestions resolve it. I would assume QBO support could have resolved it after a month. Thanks in advance.

P.S. Tech support, would have saved me a lot of time if you delete or mark inaccurate on all the posts in here. I appreciate willingness to help but unless you actually know the answer it's just a rabbit hole of wasted time.

Hi all. Encountered this problem tonight and was able to work through it as follows:

The first item that complained was LABOUR, which had about 20 sub-items. I created a new item called TEST and proceeded to move all 20 sub-items over by reassigning them from LABOUR to TEST. Once this was done, the merge continued.

After that, I hit a couple snags with smaller item lists. For those, I decided to try something different and just appended the item name to the front of the sub-item (e.g. the sub-item "Consumables" under "PARTS" got renamed to "PARTS - Consumables"), and then I unchecked the sub-item box - so essentially I moved all these items up a level in the tree, using a prefix to help me reclaim them later. I repeated this 2 or 3 times and eventually got the message "Excellent! You successfully switched from sub-items to Categories."

After the merge completed, I went to rename the category "TEST" to "LABOUR" and was told I couldn't because LABOUR already existed (it still did, as an item). So I found the LABOUR item, changed it's name to "LABOUR- OLD" set it to inactive then was able rename TEST to LABOUR without issue.

FWIW, QBO seems to work through the Products and Services list alphabetically. For some reason, even though I had items from B-K in my list, I didn't hit any problems until L (i.e. LABOUR). After that, it hit a problem with M, P and S (essentially any letter in my list that had an item with sub-items), so as I progressed, I was able to scan ahead and see how much work lay ahead. Again, after the merge, I went back - renamed the problem items to "M/P/S - OLD" and made them inactive.

Hope this helps! TBH, I'm pretty new to QBO, so I don't pretend to know why some items were problematic and others weren't, but getting results was more important than knowing why. Looking at a recent estimate (which has items from several of the affected categories), everything appears to be unaffected, so it seems my hackery didn't break anything :)

I had the same issue and after hours on the phone with customer support and no help at all I figured it out. I was getting an error that stated I could not convert bundles into categories. I had no "active" bundles. I changed all the names of the inactive bundles and that doesn't work. You have to go into each bundle, reactivate them along with their sub items. Edit the sub items so that they are not associated with the bundle then inactivate all of them again including the bundle. Super annoying that the system recognizes the inactive bundles and it's associated sub items, but it does and nobody will fix it.

I tried the conversion and ran into the same issue.  I do not have any bundles active or inactive, so that solution doesn't help.  I renamed the parent product to a unique name "2 Consulting", and the same error comes back.

You can't merge 2 Consulting because 2 Consulting already exists. To make this change, you'll need to give 2 Consulting a new, unique name or go to the Products and Services list to give the other 2 Consulting a different name

Hello there, lschult2.

I've got some information to share about merging an item in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

This time, the systems only allow you to merge a service item. That said, being able to combine the inventory, non-inventory, and bundle items aren't available.

I know the importance of merging inventories in QBO. I recommend contacting our Customer Support Team. They have available tools to take a look into your concern and to further investigate your concern.

Here's how to contact them:

1. Go to Help at the top right.
2. Choose Contact Us.
3. Enter " can't merge inventory items " as your concern.
4. Tap Let's talk.
5. Hit the best support option for you.

For future reference, you can check these articles that'll help you when doing inventory adjustments:

• Adjust inventory quantity on hand in QuickBooks Online
• Change product and service item types in QuickBooks Online

Feel free to leave your comments below if you have other questions about merging inventories. I'm always here to help.

I'm just trying to switch to the new Categories.  All my products are Service items.  I have no inventory, and am not trying to "merge items".

I am not trying to merge items.  All my products (active and inactive) are Service items.  I have no inventory, non-inventory, nor bundle items.  All I'm trying to do is switch to the new Categories.

Thanks for coming back, lschult2. 

For uncategorized items, we can add them to a category. Just follow the steps below: 

1. Go to the Sales menu.
2. Select Products and services.
3. Find the product or service you want to categorize.
4. Tap Edit from the Action column.
5. Select the Category dropdown, then select one that fits this item. Or select + Add new to create a new one.
6. Press Save and close.

To edit or remove a category, just follow these steps: 

1. Go to the Sales menu, then select Products and services.
2. Select the dropdown More, then Manage categories.
3. Select Edit from the Action column.
4. Make the changes you want and select Save. Or select Remove,
5. Press OK.

Here's an article you can refer to for more details about grouping your products and services into different categories. Feel free to visit our Inventory reports page for more insights about creating and running inventory reports.

Drop a comment below if you have follow-up questions or concerns about customizing reports. I'm more than happy to assist you. Take care and have a wonderful day ahead.

You are answering a different question.  There is no category drop down when I edit a product.  That's because Categories has not been successfully turned on.