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Ensuring Etsy Variants Don't Become Disconnected
Ensuring Etsy Variants Don't Become Disconnected

Because of the way Etsy designed its API certain changes to a listing's variants will cause a disconnection within Artelo.

Daniela avatar
Written by Daniela
Updated over 3 weeks ago

Understanding the Issue

  • When you create a product listing on Etsy with different options (like sizes, colors, or materials), Etsy gives each option a unique code called a variant Id.

  • If you make certain changes to your listing inside Etsy—such as adding, removing, or renaming options—Etsy will delete the old variant Ids and create new ones. This caused Artelo to lose track of which product is connected to each variant. As a result, the variant becomes disconnected inside Artelo.

  • For example, if you change the name of a color from "Blue" to "Navy Blue," Etsy treats this action as a brand-new option and assigns it a new variant Id. Artelo won’t recognize this new code automatically, and you’ll need to reconnect it manually.

  • To avoid this issue, Artelo saves the variant IDs as a combination of the listing ID and the product names/values. For example, if your listing ID is 12345 and it has variations for product size and color, Artelo saves the following variant IDs:

    • 12345-Product Size#8x10-Color#Black

    • 12345-Product Size#8x10-Color#White

    • 12345-Product Size#12x16-Color#Black

    • 12345-Product Size#12x16-Color#White

    This method ensures that Artelo keeps track of your variants based on the combination of values (size, color, etc.), rather than relying on Etsy’s variant IDs. The variant IDs in Artelo are sorted, so the only way these connections can become disconnected is if you rename or remove any of the variant values (e.g., changing "Black" to "Midnight Black" or removing the "8x10" size).

Fields and Actions That Affect Variant IDs and Lead to Disconnections

Certain changes to your Etsy listing can trigger disconnections in Artelo. These include:

  • Renaming Variation Options: If you rename an option (like changing "Black" to "Midnight Black"), Artelo will lose the connection because the variant ID will no longer match the updated name.

  • Removing Variations: If you remove a variation (like eliminating the "8x10" size), the variant ID tied to that combination will be disconnected.

Fields That Do Not Affect Variant Ids

Changes to the following fields generally do not cause disconnections in Artelo:

  • Listing Title: Updating the product title does not affect the variant connection.

  • Description: Modifying the product description is not linked to the variant ID.

  • Pricing: Changes to the listing price (unless tied to specific variations) do not affect the variant ID.

  • Photos: Adding or removing images that are not linked to specific variations does not cause disconnections.

Recommendations for Maintaining Integration Stability

To ensure seamless integration between your Etsy variants and Artelo products, consider the following practices:

  1. Limit Changes to Variations: Avoid making unnecessary alterations to variation options or attributes in existing listings.

  2. Edit Listings Directly inside Artelo: The best practice is to make any changes to your listing from inside Artelo.

  3. Coordinate Major Updates: If significant changes to variations are necessary, try to make those changes to one listing first and wait 24 hours. Ensure that these changes did not lead to variants being disconnected in Artelo.

By adhering to these guidelines, you can maintain the integrity of your product integrations and ensure a smooth operational workflow.

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