Variations in Etsy are different than on the SureDone eCommerce Storefront, eBay and Amazon. Here are the main points you need to know about Etsy Variations:
- All quantity (stock) is combined when sent to Etsy. Therefore, if you have 3 Blue, 4 Red, 2 Black, 9 are sent to Etsy but Etsy does not track how many you have of each variant.
- Etsy only allows 5 images. SureDone will take the first 5 unique images from the parent and child SKUs to send to Etsy.
- You can create up to two variants: Red-Medium, Red-Large, etc. Pricing can only differ on the first variant. If you want to charge a different price, it would be on the color since it's the first variant.
NOTE: You have a higher percentage of overselling variants that are out of stock while listing two variants. Etsy only keeps track of the (for instance) Red shirts but does not separate quantity by Red-Medium or Red-Large.
Due to this, SureDone does not suggest listing 2 variants deep - If you need to add a new variant (just received another size or color), Etsy doesn't update existing listings very well and you'll need to end the listing before modifying it.
Note: For simplicity, this guide assumes you already setup with Etsy and understand how to list a product on Etsy using SureDone. If you do not, please visit these links first:
Setup your Etsy account with SureDone
Learn how to list a product on Etsy
What are Etsy variations?
A variation is an attribute that changes from one version of a product, to another (such as color or size) – allowing sellers to list that as a single product with variations options within the listing. This can help keep your store organized and create a more professional feeling experience for your customers.
SureDone accomplishes this by listing the original product (or “Parent”) and then creating variations based off that (“Child”).
Setting up Variation Settings
By default your account can handle variations of size, color, and style. If you already use variations and import them, your account will automatically adjust to accept those variable fields. If you need to map another variable field, just follow these instructions:
1. Login to your SureDone Account
2. Go to Settings > Selling
3. Click on SKU Options
4. Expand SKU Options section
There will be a list of the variation fields already mapped.
5. Select the fields you would like to add to the variable field mapping
6. Click “Save Settings”
Creating Variations
1. Login to your SureDone Account
2. Go to Product > New Product
3. Fill in product details and then click Create Draft:
4. Next, create each variation by clicking Select Action then "Create Variation":
5. A modal will pop up for you to create the variation. It will copy the details of the parent item, so you should change the GUID value and the field it varies on which is color in this example:
Then click Create. Note: You must include a value in the variable field(s) in the parent item (i.e. if you are varying color, you must assign one of those colors to the parent, as well as the children). If a field is left blank in the parent, you will not be able to vary that value for the children.
6. Repeat step 4 and 5 for any other child items that need to be created. At this point you will be editing an attribute. You should see the parent, as well as any existing variations. You’ll notice that the SKU is the same, but that the unique identifier (GUID) is followed by a number. This is important. The SKU must be the same (this is how the child is associated with the parent) but the GUID must be completely unique.
7. (Optional) change the photo for your variation in the Media section of your product editor. Special note for images, if you are going to vary the picture, make sure that image matches with all other images of the same variation. (i.e. if you are going to list a dress that come in red, black, and blue each in S, M, L; then make sure you use the same image for each of the red dresses). The best way to achieve this is to create all the variations that go with a single image at once (i.e. create the S “red” dress variation, then the M “red” dress variation, then the L “red” dress variation, then and only then move onto the black dresses – this way you only have to change the photo once).
8. Next, click Retry Item making sure ALL channels are skipped (including Etsy).
10. You should now successfully create a variation listing on Etsy:
To better understand how variations work in SureDone, this should help make sense of what needs to take place while creating variations.
