# Add products, variants and inventory

Level: Beginner. About 45 minutes. Plans: Not stated by Shopify. Checked against Shopify's documentation on 2026-10-08.

**Short answer:** From your Shopify admin, go to **Products** and click **Add product**, then fill in the title, description, media, price and shipping details and click **Save** [1][2]. To add variants, open the product and click **+ Add options like size or color** in the **Variants** section [3]. To track stock, turn on **Track quantity** in the **Inventory** section and enter the **Available** quantity [4].

## 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 variants [3].

- Some themes, apps and sales channels might not support more than 100 variants on one product. Check before you build a product with that many [3].
- If your store has more than 50 locations, save the product first, then add inventory quantities [1].
- 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 product** [1].
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 description [2].
3. **Add media.** In the **Media** section, add images, 3D models or video that show the product [2].
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 rates [2].
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 product [2].
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 rates [2].
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 **Save** [3].
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 variant [4].
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 stock** [4].
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 variant [4].
- 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 description [2].
- Check that the **Status** is Active and that the right channels appear under **Publishing** [2].

## 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 code [3].
- **"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** section [4].
- **"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 sale [4].
- **"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 product [1].

## Further reading

- Every section of the product page, including metafields and purchase options [2].
- Bulk inventory updates with the bulk editor or a CSV import [4].

## Sources

1. [Adding and updating products](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/add-update-products), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
2. [Product details page](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/details/product-details-page), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
3. [Adding variants](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/variants/add-variants), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
4. [Setting up inventory tracking](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/inventory/getting-started-with-inventory/set-up-inventory-tracking), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08

Source page: https://webmerchants.net/guides/add-products-and-variants