Is there any way to add options to a product with out having to add inventory to each product? I sell t-shirts and I want to put the design up and have the option for size and color but I only have a certain amount of designs at a time. If I did a design for each size and color people can order more than I have of the actual design in stock at the time.
Topic summary
A merchant selling t-shirts wants to offer multiple design, size, and color options without managing separate inventory for each combination. They only stock a limited number of each design at a time and need to prevent overselling.
Two main solutions proposed:
Inventory-linked approach (BundleSync):
- Use the Bundleup app to link component SKUs (design + size + color)
- Set inventory only for the design SKU; the app calculates available stock for each variant
- Includes post-purchase order fulfillment that automatically reduces design inventory
- When one design reaches zero stock, all linked product variants update to zero
- Offers bulk CSV upload for faster variant mapping
Custom options approach (EasifyApps):
- Use the free Easify Product Options app to create unlimited custom options without inventory tracking
- Set up three option types: Designs (image swatches), Color (color swatches), and Size (buttons)
- Assign the option set to the master product
- Allows offering wide design range without managing individual inventory counts
- Includes additional features like tiered wholesale pricing and quantity discounts
Both solutions avoid creating separate inventory entries for each design/size/color combination while maintaining a single master product.
1 Like
Hi
This is a common issue for our users where they have 1 design but it is on multiple products and once sells they want all linked products to become unavailable or a certain amount of stock for one design to sell. You would have your product set up like:
- Option 1 - Design
- Option 2 - Size
- Option 3 - Color
What you do is use a backend driven app like Bundleup to link all the component SKUs for each variation. So if your case you would have a unique SKU for your design that is then linked to each variation along with the size & color of the shirt SKU stock. You then only have to set the stock of your design and shirt SKUs as our app will calculate what stock should be set for the variation.
The app has 2 main features that would let you manage the design inventory levels.
1. Inventory Management
Bundleup lets you connect up your products to components and it then updates the inventory based on the component stock level. So when one design stock goes to zero the other linked products will also update to zero.
2. Order Fulfilment
When you sell one of these products the stock level won’t reduce automatically. What Bundleup does is update the order post purchase by replacing the order line with the component SKUs as order lines which then reduces their stock. This then feeds into point 1 above where it updates all linked products.
We also offer a bulk csv file upload option so it is quicker to map all variants rather than doing them one by one in admin.
If you need help in setting up and testing please get in touch. You can also find our guide here:
https://help.channelup.com.au/hc/en-us/articles/900004620086
Regards
Tom
Hi @Caseybfields ,
Absolutely! You can easily add design options to your product without the need to add inventory for each design. I have a solution for you that involves using the free Easify Product Options app 
. Let me walk you through the process:
1. Create your custom options
You can create 3 custom options: Designs (using the Image Swatches option type), Color (using Color Swatches), and Size (using Buttons).
2. Assign your option set to your relevant product
In this step, you will assign the option set you created to your master product on Shopify. This allows you to have a single master product without the need to specify quantities for each design.
By utilizing the Easify Product Options app, you can create unlimited options, whether you want to manage inventory or not. This allows you to offer a wide range of designs to your customers without the need to handle individual inventory counts.
Additionally, the app offers a wide range of option types to display your options and enhance the user experience. It also includes features like tiered wholesale pricing to boost sales through quantity discounts. You should give it a try 
!