inventory variant combine (app?)

[ZackH]

Hi! Have an inventory control issue I'm trying to address.

Specifically, I have multiple SKU variants with varying stock levels, but they are functionally the same product.
ie VB001A, VB001B, and VB001C are all suitable to be sold as VB001.

Unfortunately we cannot handle this at the product variant level in basic shopify, due to some internal reasons.

For sales purposes I want all of the different quantities to be bundled into a single available number, and then, when something is purchased, I want it to just subtract from the total quantity of all the skus by 1, but not remove 1 count from EACH sku. 
Does that make sense?

So, for example-
My inventory contains VB001A, VB001B, and VB001C. There are 5 units of each in stock.
These inventory numbers are automatically imported from another software.

From the buyer's perspective, I'd like to show the there is 15 of item VB001.
When one is bought, I would like there to be now 14 of VB001 still available for sale to buyers.

On the backend/individual SKU side, we'd see that 1 sold unit subtracted from whichever of the 3 sku variants was shipped, so remaining stock could be:
VB001A - 5
VB001B - 4
VB001C - 5

How can this be accomplished? 
Thx,

[Kudosi-Tracy]

Hello @ZackH, 

Since Shopify doesn’t natively support shared inventory across multiple SKUs, here are a few ways to do it:

Option 1: Use a Bundling App

Apps like Connected Inventory, Bundler, or Trunk let you sync inventory across multiple SKUs. They’ll pool VB001A, VB001B, and VB001C into a single "VB001" stock count and adjust the right SKU when a sale happens.

Option 2: Shopify Functions (Advanced Setup)

If you're on Shopify Plus, you could use Shopify Functions or a custom app that intercepts orders, adjusts stock dynamically, and updates the available inventory count across SKUs. This requires a developer to set up.

Option 3: Custom Order & Inventory Automation

With Shopify Flow (if on Advanced/Plus) or Zapier, you could create an automation where:

• The total stock is displayed as a metafield or a custom storefront label.
• When an order is placed, stock is deducted from a specific SKU rather than the whole group.

Best Quick Fix?

If you need something now, a bundling app is the easiest way to sync inventory across variants without manual updates.

Let me know if you need help picking the best tool!

Best,
Tracy from Kudosi Reviews