We currently sell a product that has a number of variants (e.g. switch type and cable length) but they actually comprise and are stocked as individual switches and cables.
The issue with a single product listing is that it can not track stock of the cables or switches so presumably the solution is to add a listing for the switch and a seperate listing for the cable, then “combine” the listing. If you search for this feature you find this - https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/combined-listings/create-combined-listing however it seems out of date as the app does not work anymore
So my question, what is the correct way to achieve this now?
Shopify removed the Combined Listings app, so the method from that help article is outdated. But you can still achieve this using bundling apps or Shopify Functions
Use a Bundling App
Custom Line Item Properties – If you don’t want an app, you can modify your theme to let customers choose the switch and cable as options, then add them as separate line items in the cart while still making it feel like one product.
Duplicate Listings + Cart Automation – Another option is to list switches and cables as separate products but use Shopify Flow (if you have Shopify Plus) or a simple custom script to ensure both get added to the cart together when a customer picks a switch.
Big chance that our app Variant Robot can automatically link your seperate listed products, that are presented as variants on your shop, without having to insert any code: https://apps.shopify.com/variant-robot
Variant Robot can automatically link seperate products together, based on your product data.
The app also supports multiple display modes such as: Images, blocks, dropdowns, or auto-color swatches.
No need for any manual mapping, this is an automated solution that only requires one-time setup.
Appreciate the offer but I’m not really interested in adding any more subscriptions. Shopify is already costing me a lot more than it should to the point where I am already considering going an alternative route.
It sounds like the main challenge isn’t combining the options on the storefront, but keeping inventory accurate when multiple configurations share the same underlying components.
In your example, several product combinations may use the same switch inventory or the same cable inventory. Shopify’s native variant inventory doesn’t handle that relationship automatically, which is why overselling can become a problem.
One approach is to keep the existing product with its switch and cable variants, then use Easify Inventory Sync to synchronize inventory between the variants and the underlying switch/cable products. That way, when a shared component is purchased through one configuration, the inventory can be updated across all related configurations automatically.
This usually works well for component-based products where multiple variants rely on the same stock pool, without needing to completely restructure the product setup.
If your switches and cables are stocked as separate items, it’s generally better to keep them as individual Shopify products so each component has its own inventory.
You can then create a bundle that combines the switch and cable into a single product experience for customers. This way, customers can choose the switch type and cable length, while inventory continues to be tracked and deducted from the individual components.
An app like Profit Bundles can support this type of setup by letting you build bundles from individual Shopify products while maintaining component-level inventory tracking. This works well when the final product is simply a combination of separately stocked items.
There are also other bundle apps that offer similar functionality, so it’s worth comparing them based on the flexibility and workflow you need.
This approach is typically more reliable than trying to manage inventory through a single variant product when the components are stocked independently.
