Examples
Product feed filter examples
A product feed filter decides which products reach a channel without touching the store. Each rule is an attribute, an operator and a value, set to include or exclude. Here are eight filters from eight different catalogs, written as rules, followed by every operator with an example and a plan to set yours up today.
We connect your store, build the feed and keep it in sync. Updated 2026-10-27.
At a glance
- The rules most catalogs need first: exclude out of stock, exclude products under a price you cannot profit from, exclude items without the identifiers a channel requires.
- Lists that change belong in a Google Sheet: an "is in google sheet list" rule reads the sheet on every rebuild, so a marketer can edit the brand list without touching the feed.
- Regex rules catch what plain text rules miss: samples, swatches, bundles and test products named inconsistently.
- Filter per channel, not in the store: the same product can be right for Google Shopping and wrong for Amazon or Idealo.
Eight product feed filter examples at a glance
| Situation | Rule | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion · Google Shopping | exclude if availability is equal to out_of_stock | Stop paying for clicks on sizes you cannot ship |
| Electronics accessories · Google Shopping | exclude if price is less than 10 | Cables under $10 rarely cover the click cost |
| Sports retailer · Idealo (custom feed) | include if brand is in google sheet list | Only brands with price-competitive stock |
| Furniture · Meta catalog | exclude if title matches regexp (?i)\b(sample|swatch)\b | Fabric swatches are not products to advertise |
| Toys · Amazon | exclude if gtin is blank | Listings without an identifier are refused |
| Jewelry · high-value Google feed | include if price is between 200 and 2000 | A separate campaign for considered purchases |
| B2B supplier · eBay | exclude if sku starts with DS- | Drop-shipped lines are not allowed on that account |
| Gift shop · Pinterest catalog | exclude if product_type is in list Gift Card, Bundle | No single physical product to pin |
Filters run on the source row, before mapping, so attribute names are your source columns; your export may call availability "stock status", price "regular price" or gtin "ean".
Every filter operator, with an example
Textfinity has 26 filter operators. Each rule can be used as include or exclude, with "if" or "if not", and one rule can combine several conditions with AND or OR. Text operators compare the attribute as text and are case-sensitive. Numeric operators read the first number in the value, so 9.99 USD compares as 9.99 and 1,299.00 as 1299; a value with no number in it never matches a numeric rule. Regex operators find the pattern anywhere in the value unless you anchor it with ^ and $.
| Operator family | Operators | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text match | includes, does not include, is equal to, is not equal to | title includes refurbished |
| Lists | is in list, is not in list, is in list (regexp), is not in list (regexp), is in google sheet list | brand is in list Acme, Borealis, Corvid |
| Numbers | is more than, is greater or equal to, is less than, is less or equal to, is between, is not between | inventory is less or equal to 2 |
| Empty values | is empty, is blank, is not blank | image is blank |
| Start and end | starts with, does not start with, ends with, does not end with | link ends with .html |
| Length | is longer than, is shorter than | title is shorter than 25 |
| Regex | matches regexp, does not match regexp | gtin does not match regexp ^\d{8,14}$ |
Filter or fix: when not to filter a product out
A filter is the fastest way to stop a disapproval, and also the fastest way to lose sales quietly. Before excluding products for a missing field, check whether the value exists somewhere else. Missing GTINs often sit in a supplier spreadsheet that can be joined as a merged source; missing brands can be a static value for a single-brand store; empty descriptions can be generated by an AI config.
Keep exclusions for products that should genuinely never be on the channel: samples, gift cards, discontinued lines, items you cannot ship to that market. Review the excluded count after each change in the product explorer, because a typo in a regex can remove half a catalog.
Examples
Worked examples, by situation
Each example is a different catalog with a different problem. The rule is written as you would enter it; the before and after show what reaches the channel.
Exclude sold-out sizes but keep pre-orders
Before
Rows sent: 4,000 Includes 610 variants with availability out_of_stock and 40 preorder
After
Rows sent: 3,390 All preorder variants kept
How we set it up
We add an exclude filter: availability is equal to out_of_stock. Using "is equal to" rather than "does not include in_stock" keeps preorder and backorder items in the feed.
A price floor for low-value items
Filter rule
exclude if [price] is less than 10
# 1,140 cables and adapters removed
# chargers and hubs above $10 stayHow we set it up
We add an exclude filter on price with the operator is less than and the value 10. Numeric operators read the first number in the value, so a source price written as 9.99 USD still compares correctly; we check that sale prices are not in the same column.
Brand whitelist that the buying team edits
Google Sheet: idealo_brands
brand
Asics
Hoka
Salomon
# include if [brand] is in google sheet list idealo_brandsHow we set it up
We build a custom feed with Idealo's columns and add an include filter: brand is in google sheet list, pointing at the sheet; Textfinity reads column A of its first tab, here the brand list. The sheet is read on every rebuild, so adding a row adds the brand on the next sync.
Drop swatches and samples named every which way
Before
Fabric Sample – Velvet Rust SWATCH: oak finish Sample cushion cover
After
(all three excluded) Oak Dining Table 180 cm (kept)
How we set it up
We add an exclude filter: title matches regexp (?i)\b(sample|swatch)\b. The word boundaries keep products such as "Samplers Shelf" in the feed.
Hold back products without a barcode
Before
gtin: (empty) on 72 products gtin: 0 on 9 products
After
81 products held back and listed for the buyer to source barcodes
How we set it up
We add an exclude filter: gtin does not match regexp ^\d{8,14}$. It catches both empty values and placeholders such as 0 that "is blank" alone would let through.
A second feed for one price band
Feed 2 filters
include if [price] is between 200 and 2000
exclude if [product_type] includes Gift BoxHow we set it up
We build a second Google Shopping feed from the same shop with an include filter: price is between 200 and 2000. Every extra feed is one more to maintain, so custom labels are simpler when one feed can carry the split.
Keep drop-shipped lines off one channel
Before
SKU: DS-44102 (drop-shipped) SKU: WH-10087 (warehouse)
After
eBay feed: WH-10087 only Google feed: both
How we set it up
On the eBay feed only, we add an exclude filter: sku starts with DS-. The Google feed has no such rule, which is the point of filtering per channel instead of in the store.
No gift cards or bundles in a shoppable catalog
Before
product_type: Gift Card product_type: Bundle product_type: Candles
After
Only Candles and other physical single items remain
How we set it up
We add an exclude filter: product_type is in list Gift Card, Bundle. "is in list (regexp)" is the choice when the types vary, for example ^Gift.* to catch Gift Card and Gift Voucher.
Copy this plan
Plan: set up the filters your feed needs
Start with three rules, check the counts, then add the channel-specific ones.
01
Profile the catalog
Look at completeness and value consistency before writing rules: a filter on "Out of Stock" misses rows that say "out of stock " with a trailing space.
What we set up: We run feed hygiene on the catalog before writing any rule.02
Add the three baseline exclusions
Out of stock, below your price floor, and missing the identifier the channel requires.
What we set up: We add exclude filters with is equal to, is less than and is blank on your source columns.03
Move changing lists to a Google Sheet
Brands, excluded SKUs or seasonal collections that the team edits weekly belong in a sheet, not in the rule.
What we set up: We point an is in google sheet list filter at the sheet your team edits.04
Add channel-specific rules
Amazon asks for product identifiers, a Pinterest catalog has no use for gift cards, an Idealo feed should carry only brands you can price competitively. Put each rule only on the feed that needs it.
What we set up: We add each channel's rules to that channel's feed only.05
Check what was removed
Spot-check a few products you expect to be excluded and a few you expect to stay. Compare the row count before and after each new rule.
What we set up: We search the product explorer and compare the per-product feed output with you.
Customization tips
Make it yours
Exact match beats "does not include"
"exclude if availability is equal to out_of_stock" is narrower and safer than "include if availability includes in_stock", which drops preorder and backorder items. The trade-off: exact matches break when the source spelling changes, so pair them with a value-consistency check.
Regex for messy names, lists for clean codes
Product types and SKUs are usually clean, so "is in list" or "starts with" is enough and easier to read. Titles written by people need a regex with word boundaries and case-insensitivity.
One feed with labels before a second feed
A price-band filter on a second feed doubles maintenance. A custom label computed per product lets one feed drive several campaigns. Use a second feed only when the channel or market itself differs.
Low stock is a business choice
Excluding items with two or fewer in stock avoids ads for products that sell out before the next sync, at the cost of visibility on slow sellers. Pick the threshold from your sync interval, not a rule of thumb.
FAQ
Questions about product feed filter examples
What is a product feed filter?
A rule that includes or excludes products from one channel feed based on an attribute, such as availability, price, brand or SKU. It changes what the channel receives without changing the store catalog.
How do I exclude out-of-stock products from Google Shopping?
Add an exclude rule on availability with the operator "is equal to" and the value out_of_stock, or on inventory quantity with "is less or equal to" 0. Exact matching keeps preorder and backorder items in the feed.
Should I filter products in the feed or in Merchant Center?
Filtering in the feed keeps the logic in one place for every channel and lets you use regex, Google Sheet lists and numeric ranges. Merchant Center feed rules only affect Google, so they are fine for a Google-only exception.
Can a filter use a list that someone else maintains?
Yes. An "is in google sheet list" rule reads column A of a Google Sheet's first tab on each rebuild, so a buyer or marketer can add brands or SKUs to the sheet and the feed follows on the next sync.
Set up for you
Have the right products, and only those, reach each channel.
Send us your store and the channels you sell on. We add the out-of-stock, price-floor and identifier rules, move changing lists to a Google Sheet your team edits, and show you the counts.
Tell us your store and channels. We reply within 24 hours.