Why can I only add multiple option values when I create a product?

[jamiealexander]

I am relatively new to Shopify and am trying to add color and size options.  I only seem to be able to do it when I am creating a new product.  As you can see below the dialog allows me to add multiple values to each option, separated by commas.  

When I go to edit the options for an existing product I can only delete values for options or add a new option with a single default value (see below).  When I try to add multiple values for an option I get the following error message: You can only add 1 variant at a time. Remove commas and try again.   My question is how do I add additional values to options for existing products.  How do I modify existing values for options?

[Hank]

Hi,

Hank here from Shopify. Really great question!

Essentially when you are creating a product, the system tries to make it easier for you by allowing you to add three options with commas to differentiate them. Once created, they turn into what's known as a Variant.

So as the product has been created, it changes how you create the options, as they are now known as variants. So you would click on the option to add variant.

I have a great guide here about adding variants to an existing product.

Similarly enough there is a way to remove existing options or variants. I have another guide that goes through the steps here.

Let me know how you get on with this, or if you have any further questions for me!

All the best, Hank.

[jamiealexander]

Thanks Hank. I discovered this from a tutorial. Loving Shopify! What a
great product.

[B_R-25]

hello @Hank I have the same problem, 

After pushing a product from printful I need to Add the third option option to each variant, I already have color and size option but i need to add a third one with multiple variants, should i add manually one by one? or is not possible anyway?

If I try to add a variant I can only add variant that refer to the 2 option available:

while if I try to modify option I can add the third option but I cannot put Multiple styles fro that option. How is possible to solve this?

The product is connected to printful so I cannot create from zero a new product, I guess...

[Hank]

Hey, @B_R-25!

AS you mentioned you are using Printful for your products, then you would need to create the variant within Printful, and then re-sync the product into your admin.

As you mentioned, creating a new product within the Shopify admin would not work here as it is coming from Printful. Similarly, you would need to edit the product options from the source, in this instance, Printful. 

Access your Printful dashboard in your Shopify admin by going to Apps > Printful, and making the changes, and resyncing the product.

I hope this helps, be sure to let me know if you have any further questions!

Hank

[B_R-25]

Thank You!

I talked with printful and they suggest me to create the product on shopify first with all the option and variants and only after sync it with printful.

The only problem is that having 100 variants or more I should sync one by one each variant and it's not so handy for a single T-shirt, I tried. While from printful I cannot change it. I hope Shopify will allow in the future to add a third option field with multiple variants from an existing product and not only when you create the product the first time.

[Gabking]

Hello!

Im trying to add 3 variant options to my third option. I have 4 different sizes, 3 different color options and need to add 3 different color hanging cords, but its only allowing me to add 2. is there any way around this?

[AfterDarkGrafx]

@Gabking don't know if you solved this but you have to remove all of the product options and variants then re-add them like you did when you created the product.  This is really stupid as other shopping carts easily allow you to do this.

Shopify would be nice to fix this feature as some users have a lot of variants they need to re-add.

[Gabking]

It wasn’t solved I ended up just removing one of my options to make it work. But I’ll look into what you said, thanks!

[AfterDarkGrafx]

@Gabking You can do that if you don't have that many options or you can use an app (ie: hulkapps has a free plan - not affiliated, and some others)  they allow you to add more options beyond the 3 (100) limit.

[dubsfan]

this does not answer the initial question at all. I'm having the same issue as the initial poster, and the answer given is about adding variants to a product already created without any variants, whereas the questions was about a product that was created with an initial set of variants, and then how to add another set of variants.  The link about adding a variant does not answer it either, and does not even contain a video as claimed.

[Shay]

Hi @dubsfan 

Thank you for reaching out for assistance in adding new variants to your existing products. It is a bit of a process to add variants once a product has been created and saved and the steps can be hard to find. I went through step by step and have written instructions and screenshots to help you out!

Step 1: 

Open the product you wish to edit in your store admin under Products. Ensure that this product has been saved at least once and is not a brand new product you are creating. Near the bottom of the page you will see the VARIANTS section which will show any existing variants you currently have. Click MORE OPTIONS > EDIT OPTIONS to add a new variant option to the product. Please see image below:

Step 2: In the Edit Options pop up window, add a new variant option and fill in ONE style for this variant option. This is used to create the baseline for the new variant option. Click DONE once completed. Please see image below:

The reason you cannot create more than one option is because the system cannot tell from here if all existing variant options are included in the new variant option. An example of this is if you have a range of sizes and add a color option. Do all the sizes (sm, med, lg, xl) also have that color? They may not, which is why the system can only allow you to make the one new variant option. 

Step 3: Save Changes. This step is important! You will not be able to add any additional new variant options until the product is saved at this point.

Step 4: To continue adding options for the new variant (Variant: Color in our example here), select all product options that will include the next variant option we are creating or select all products if all products will include it. Then click on MORE ACTIONS > Duplicate Variants ... In Another <Variant Name>. Please see image below:

Step 5: In the Create Duplicate Variants pop-up window, fill in the name of the new variant option (Color: Pink in our example), choose if you are duplicating any of the content for the product and then click the Duplicate button. You can leave the duplication section unchecked if you are unsure as most of these options can easily be filled in using the bulk editor later. Please see image below:

Step 6: Review the new variant option in the list and ensure that it looks correct. Once complete, make sure to save! 

 Please let me know if you are stuck anywhere or have any issues replicating this in your store admin!

-Shay