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Etsy variations vs Shopify variants: how to map them before you sync
The same product in several sizes and colours isn't structured quite the same way on both platforms. On Shopify, every combination is a full variant with its own price, SKU and stock. On Etsy, a listing has variations, and an option only gets its own price, quantity or SKU if you turn that on. Here's how the two models map, and what to set up before you sync any stock.
1. Two similar models, not identical ones
| Shopify | Etsy | |
|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary | Product › options › variants | Listing › variations › options |
| Attributes | Up to 3 options per product | Up to 3 variations per listing |
| Combinations | Up to 2,048 variants per product | Up to 4,900 option combinations with 1–2 variations, 2,500 with 3 |
| Own price, stock and SKU | On every variant | Only if you turn on price, quantity or SKU for the variation; unique values capped at 400 combinations |
| Stock | Tracked per variant ("Track quantity"), stored by location | One quantity per option or combination, no locations |
If you've read that Etsy caps listings at 2 variations, check again: Etsy's Help Center now says up to 3, the same as Shopify's 3 options. The real difficulty lies elsewhere: in how Etsy ties stock and SKUs to options.
2. Pitfall #1: stock shared across options
Take a T-shirt in 3 sizes (S, M, L) and 2 colours (black, white).
- Shopify: 6 variants, so 6 separate stock counts (black S, black M… white L).
- Etsy, quantity varying by size only: just 3 stock counts (S, M, L), shared by black and white. Selling a black M also lowers white M: it's the same counter.
- Etsy, no quantity variation turned on: one quantity for the whole listing.
In the last two cases there's no one-to-one match with your 6 Shopify variants: a sync tool would have to guess which number to send, which creates mismatches. The fix: on Etsy, turn on quantity variation for every variation that actually changes stock (here, size and colour). You then get one quantity per combination, just like Shopify.
3. Etsy's consistency rule for price, quantity and SKU
Etsy's developer documentation describes a little-known constraint: if price, quantity or SKU varies by all of a listing's variations, the other two must also vary by all variations, or not at all.
Example: you want stock per size and colour, but a pricier L. Price then can't vary by size alone: you need either a price per combination (just enter the same price for every colour of a size) or a single price. Another cap: Etsy allows unique prices, SKUs and quantities for up to 400 combinations. A Shopify product with more than 400 variants, each with its own stock, won't fit in a single Etsy listing: split it across several listings.
4. SKUs: one per combination, identical on both sides
On Shopify, every variant has its own SKU field. On Etsy, the SKU only changes per option if you turned on SKU for that variation. If it varies by size only, black M and white M carry the same SKU, so they can't be linked to two separate Shopify variants.
- Turn on SKU for the same variations as quantity.
- One unique SKU per combination, entered exactly the same on Etsy and Shopify.
- Etsy advises avoiding symbols such as commas or slashes, and the letters "O" and "I", which are easily mistaken for numbers.
The full naming method is in our Etsy and Shopify SKU guide.
5. Other differences that matter
- More than 100 variants on Shopify: you can go up to 2,048, but Shopify warns that some themes, apps and sales channels don't support more than 100 variants. Check your tools before crossing that line.
- Third variation and the Etsy API: a third-party app can only add or update a third variation if it declares support for it. Before handing a 3-variation listing to a tool, check that it handles them.
- Option prices on Etsy: the price you set for an option is the total price for that version of the item, not an add-on. Same logic as a Shopify variant's price.
- Custom variations: Etsy lets you create your own variations, but buyers can't filter their search results by custom variations. When Etsy offers a standard variation for your category (size, colour…), use it.
- Digital products: Etsy doesn't currently support variations on digital listings.
- Option values: if a tool creates your Etsy variations from Shopify, avoid brackets in values ("M (38-40)"): the Etsy API doesn't accept parentheses in variation values.
6. Shopify locations vs a single Etsy quantity
Shopify stores stock by location (workshop, warehouse, shop) and tracks each one separately. Etsy only has one quantity per option or combination. If your Shopify stock is spread over several locations, decide which one feeds Etsy before you sync; otherwise Etsy may show items that aren't where you ship from.
7. Checklist: prepare your listings before any sync
- The same structure on both sides. One Shopify option per Etsy variation, with the same attributes (size, colour…) and ideally the same values. Etsy itself recommends separating size, colour and style into distinct variations rather than combining them.
- Quantity and SKU turned on for every Etsy variation that changes stock.
- One unique SKU per combination, identical on Etsy and Shopify.
- Inventory tracking on in Shopify for each relevant variant, with "Stop selling when out of stock" (the default).
- Options sold on one side only: on Etsy, hide the option with the Visible toggle (at least one option must stay visible); on Shopify, you can choose which variants are published on each sales channel.
- One Shopify location chosen to feed Etsy.
- A test on 2–3 products: sell (or simulate) one unit of a specific combination and check that the right stock drops on the other side, and only that one.
An Etsy option set to 0 shows as "Sold out": that's what you want when the matching Shopify variant is at 0. Next, see how to connect Etsy and Shopify and sync inventory and, if something goes wrong, what to do after an oversold order.
Where StockPont fits
StockPont is in development and Etsy API access is pending: it isn't connected to Etsy yet. It's built to sync stock only, pairing your listings by SKU without changing them: it doesn't create or restructure your variations. Listings prepared with this method are the best starting point. See founder pricing.
While you're reviewing your listings, also check the information the GPSR requires with the free GPSR checklist (and our GPSR guide for Etsy sellers).
FAQ
Does Etsy still limit listings to 2 variations?
No. Etsy's Help Center says up to 3 variations per listing, matching Shopify's 3 options per product. On the API side, an app can only add or update a third variation if it declares support for it.
Why doesn't my Etsy stock follow my Shopify variants?
Usually because quantity varies by only one variation on Etsy (size, for example), so several Shopify variants share one Etsy stock count. Turn on quantity variation for every variation that changes stock.
How many combinations can I have?
Shopify: up to 2,048 variants per product. Etsy: up to 4,900 option combinations with 1–2 variations, 2,500 with 3, and unique prices, SKUs and quantities for up to 400 combinations.