Add products, variants and inventory

Before you start

A product is one item you sell. A variant is a version of it, such as a size or a color. Each product can have up to three options (for example Size, Color and Material) and up to 2,048 variants³.

• Some themes, apps and sales channels might not support more than 100 variants on one product. Check before you build a product with that many³.
• If your store has more than 50 locations, save the product first, then add inventory quantities¹.
• Gather photos, prices, weights and stock counts first. A hypothetical candle shop would need these for each scent and jar size.

Steps

1. Open the product page. From your Shopify admin, go to Products, then click Add product¹.
2. Enter the title and description. The title is the name customers see. Write the description in the rich text editor. If you resell, Shopify advises against copying the manufacturer's exact description².
3. Add media. In the Media section, add images, 3D models or video that show the product².
4. Pick a category. Choose a Category from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy. The category unlocks category metafields and helps with filtering, channel requirements and tax rates².
5. Set the price. Enter the Price. Add a Compare-at price if you want to show the original price after you lower it. Enter the Cost per item to see profit and margin for the product².
6. Add SKU and barcode. In the Inventory section, enter a unique SKU and, if you have one, a barcode in the Barcodes field. A product or variant can have up to 20 barcodes^1,2.
7. Fill in shipping details. In the Shipping section, turn on Physical product for items you ship, then enter the Weight. Shopify uses the weight to calculate shipping rates².
8. Add options and variants. In the Variants section, click + Add options like size or color. Enter an Option name, such as Size, and each value in Option values, such as Small, Medium and Large. Click + Add another option if you need Color or Material. Click Done, then Save³.
9. Turn on inventory tracking. If the product has variants, click a variant first. In the Inventory section, turn on Track quantity, enter the number in the Available field, and click Save. Repeat for each variant⁴.
10. Decide what happens at zero stock. To keep selling when stock runs out, click Sell when out of stock and select Continue selling when out of stock⁴.
11. Organize the product. In Product organization, set the product type, vendor, collections and tags. Each product can have up to 250 tags, and each tag up to 255 characters^1,2.
12. Set status and channels, then save. Set the Status to Active when the product is ready to sell, or leave it as Draft. In Publishing, click the Adjust icon, choose the sales channels, click Done, then click Save^1,2.

Check your work

• Go to Products > Inventory and confirm the quantities for each product and variant⁴.
• Open the product and read the Search engine listing preview. It shows the product title, its URL on your online store and part of the description².
• Check that the Status is Active and that the right channels appear under Publishing².

Common problems

• "I can't find the price field after adding sizes." Once a product has variants, the Price section is no longer shown on the product page. Open each variant to edit its price^2,3.
• "I need more than three options or 2,048 variants." Shopify's admin stops at those limits. Going past them needs an app or custom theme code³.
• "Customers can still buy an item with zero stock." Continue selling when out of stock is turned on for that product or variant. Turn it off in the Inventory section⁴.
• "Shopify POS sold an item we don't have." The out-of-stock setting does not apply to Shopify POS. POS warns staff but still allows the sale⁴.
• "The product doesn't show on my store." Check the Status and the sales channels in Publishing. A draft product is not ready to be sold^1,2.
• "My tags were cut off." Tags can be at most 255 characters. Shopify Plus stores can have unlimited tags per product¹.

Further reading

• Every section of the product page, including metafields and purchase options².
• Bulk inventory updates with the bulk editor or a CSV import⁴.