Product variants. Sizes, colors, options

A "T-shirt" isn't a product. A "T-shirt in size M, navy blue" is. SellStein handles this with variants.

Add options first

On a product, scroll to Options. Add each option type (Size, Color, Material). For each option, list the values (Size: S, M, L, XL; Color: Black, Navy, White). Saving generates the cartesian product as variants. One variant per combination.

Three options × four sizes × three colors = 36 variants. The variant grid handles up to 100 per product. If you need more, split into separate products (a different way to model the same SKU lineup, often cleaner anyway).

Per-variant fields

Each variant has its own:

• Price (overrides the parent product price; blank = use parent)
• SKU (auto-generated from the parent SKU + option codes; editable)
• Inventory count
• Weight, dimensions
• Barcode (UPC/EAN/ISBN)
• Image (overrides parent image; usually a swatch or dressed model)

Hide unavailable combinations

Some combinations don't exist in the real world (a "size XS, color: oversized fit" doesn't make sense). Variants → click any row → Unavailable. The customer sees the combination greyed out at checkout instead of selectable.

Variant images

Two patterns:

• Swatch images. Small color chip; the same product photo stays for all variants. Good for accessory colorways
• Per-variant photo. Full product shot per color. Looks more premium, more uploads to manage

Settings → Storefront → Variant images → Behavior: pick "Auto-swap on selection" so the main product image updates when the customer picks a color.

SKU patterns that work

``` TSHIRT-NAVY-M TSHIRT-NAVY-L TSHIRT-WHITE-M ```

Easy to grep in fulfilment lists and barcode scanners. Avoid embedded slashes or spaces. They break some 3PL APIs.

Bulk edit

Variants tab → checkbox header to select all → Bulk edit. Update prices, inventory, weights across many variants at once. Saves typing for catalogues with hundreds of variants.

What to avoid

• Mixing options that should be separate products (Hat S and Hat L, fine; Hat and Scarf, separate products)
• Free-form "Notes" options that change manufacturing. Those need a different system (Custom Options app, not built-in variants)
• More than ~50 variants per product. UX gets unwieldy at checkout