Product Variants and associated quantities for inventory

Topic summary

Issue: Variant-level inventory inflates stock. The product has variants for Size, Chain type, and Chain length. Only pendants (Small/Large) are limited (20 each); chain is plentiful and custom-cut. Shopify requires quantities per variant, multiplying inventory across chain options and showing an incorrect total (e.g., 240).

Key need: Track inventory only by pendant Size, while letting customers choose chain type/length without affecting stock.

Proposed solutions:

  • Theme customization: Remove chain options as variants and add a custom field (e.g., dropdown) for chain selection in the product form. Create a dedicated product template for pendants and place the input inside the product form in the Dawn theme.
  • Inventory app (materials/BOM): Use an app (e.g., Fusion Inventory) to define materials (Small Pendant, Large Pendant) and a bill of materials (BOM) per variant, then enable inventory sync so variants draw from shared pendant stock. Pricing note: lowest tier planned at $14.99.
  • Product options app: Use an options app (e.g., Easify Product Options) to handle chain type/length selections without impacting inventory; keep Size as the only inventory-tracked variant.

Status: Guidance given; placement in Dawn identified as “inside the product form,” but exact steps not finalized. Screenshots provided for context.

Summarized with AI on January 1. AI used: gpt-5.

I’m having trouble reconciling the product variants quantities to actual inventory stock. So on this product page you’ll see I have three variants - Size, Chain, and Chain length - https://29and11.com/products/the-riyan-pendant-1-corinthians-13-4-7?variant=48392566866201

Let’s say I have 20 small pendants and 20 large pendants in stock. I have chain that I custom cut at purchase to the desired length which essentially means I have a very large stock of chain which I’m not worried about selling out.

BUT - Shopify requires me to assign a quantity available to each variant. So, while I might only have 20 large pendants and 20 small pendants, I can’t list a quantity of 20 for each style of chain and size of chain because it tells me that there is a total of 240 pendants available (Size large and small with the different variants accounted for) which is a false number.

It’s like I need to remove the quantity associated with the variants “Chain” and “Chain length”. Can I do this? Or how do I work around Shopify’s requirement to list a quantity for the chain style and length because I know I don’t need to worry about the quantity on those? I just want the quantity of the base pendant to adjust and not have to factor in chain style or length for quantity available.

Can anyone help? I’m wiped trying to figure this out!! Picture of the issue attached.

Hello @hnaegele

The solution to this I am thinking will be as follow:

It needs to add a custom field for chain size selection on product page.

Eg: “Select chain size” and a dropdown with sizes.

We don’t need to add the chain size as a variant option in this case.

I assume there will be some sort of standard chain sizes (16,18,20) that we can add as a select box on product page and other options can be added as variant.

So you can simply add the available quantity to the pendent only chain size will not be attached as variant with product.

to add custom field add this code in your “product template” inside the “product form”.

Eg:


You can create a new product template for pendants and add this code into it for this product only.

Let me know if you need any other help.

Thank you
From: Blinknbuild Systems

So can you tell me where this would go within the main.product.liquid section? I’ve been unsuccessful with other discussions on where to find the specific location to place the code.

It should go in product form.

It can be like this: {% form ‘cart’, cart %} or

Depends on the theme.

I am using the Dawn theme.

Hi @hnaegele ,

Our recently released app can help you with this. It’s called Fusion Inventory.

You would need to create materials in the app called “Large Pendant” and “Small Pendant”. Then you create a “bill of materials” for each variant. The bill of materials defines which materials and how much of each is required to make the variant. In your case each variant uses either a large pendant or small pendant.

After you complete the set up, you just need to enable inventory sync. The app will then take care of keeping the variants in sync with each other and with their underlying materials.

Just keep in mind that I’ll soon be lowering the pricing of the app to $14.99 for the lowest tier. You might want to wait until after I’ve done that to activate a subscription. :slightly_smiling_face: Feel free to install it however.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Hi @hnaegele ,

To address your issue, here’s a simple solution: you’ll maintain your current (pendant) Size options for setting exact quantities. However, for Chain type and Chain length - which don’t impact your inventory - you can separate them from your current product setup. Instead, you can utilize the Easify Product Options app to allow customers to choose from various chain styles and lengths. This way, your inventory remains unaffected, yet customers still have the freedom to select their preferred options :hugs: .

There are several ways to configure chain style and length within the app. If you provide me with your specific requirements, I can tailor the setup accordingly.

Here’s an illustrative example:

  • Storefront:

  • Simple app settings: