When to use variants
- Choice affects inventory tracking (Size, Color)
- Choice affects price (Material grade)
- Choice affects weight/shipping (Size XXL vs S)
- Choice affects fulfillment (which warehouse ships)
- Pre-defined finite choices (10 colors, not 'custom color hex')
When to use line-item properties
- Customer text input (name, message)
- Photo/file upload
- Gift wrap yes/no add-on
- Delivery date preference
- 1-of-1 personalization (each order unique)
When both together
Common: variant for Size (S/M/L) + line-item property for personalization text. Cart shows both. POD partner reads both.
Data model impact
- Variants: appear in inventory, POS, reports, Google Shopping feed
- Line-item properties: appear on the specific order line, not indexed elsewhere
Frequently asked questions
Should size be a variant or line-item property?
Variant. Size affects inventory, price, weight, POS. Line-item property loses all of that.
Should custom engraving text be a variant?
No — infinite possible values. Use line-item property via personalizer app.
Should gift wrap be a variant?
No — it's an add-on with a fee, doesn't affect base SKU. Use line-item property with Cart Transform fee.
Should photo upload be a variant?
No — infinite. Use file-upload line-item property.
Do line-item properties affect inventory?
No. They don't decrement stock. The parent variant's inventory decrements normally.
Do variants affect Google Shopping?
Yes. Each variant becomes a separate item in the merchant feed (unless suppressed).
Can I convert a line-item property to a variant?
Not directly. Would require splitting orders + creating variants + reassigning historical inventory. Rarely worth it.
Do POD partners handle both?
Yes. Printful, Printify, Gelato all read variant + line-item properties on each order line.
Related reading
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