Stock management - reduce main product quantity for any combination

[nuwanda]

I've had a look around the forum but can't find any solution to this problem.

 

I'm using v1.5.4.

 

I'm setting up a store to sell designs on t-shirts. My products are the designs themselves. They idea is that the customer chooses the design, goes to the product page for that design and then chooses the attributes: size, style, color.

 

The designs are printed to order so the combinations don't actually exist as physical stock.

 

What I need to happen is that regardless of which combination of size, style or color is chosen, the stock amount is reduced for the design itself. The designs are transfers and have an actual physical stock quantity.

 

When the combinations for each design are generated, I have to provide a quantity for each combination. Since the combinations don't actually exist but are produced to order this is a major problem. If I have only 10 transfers for a particular design, I need the stock quantity for that design to reduce whenever a customer makes a purchase regardless of their combination.

 

How can this be solved?

 

Can anyone suggest a different way to organise my store that would overcome this problem?

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited May 18, 2013 by nuwanda (see edit history)

[Buds]

Hey,

 

Are the designs added as products with quantities? I would think the quantity should go down if one is purchased... but I guess your saying that it's not.

 

Someone else may have a much better solution, but maybe you can create "Custom Tshirt Design" as the product, and then add the designs as features with quantities? Just a shot in the dark...

 

I wish I knew more, but I'm just getting started myself.

-Bud

[nuwanda]

Hi, Buds

 

Yep, the way combinations work in PS is that you specify the quantity of *each* combination. But since I'm selling designs that's the only quantity I need to track, not the huge number you end up with if you take into account all the possible combinations.

 

I have considered your other idea of offering the designs as attributes but I'd just be moving the problem to a different place. I'd end up still having to set the quantities for each combination of design, size, color and style. So I'd have say 10 designs in stock x 5 sizes x 2 colors x 3 styles = 300 combinations each needing their own quantity set.

 

Hey,

 

Are the designs added as products with quantities? I would think the quantity should go down if one is purchased... but I guess your saying that it's not.

 

Someone else may have a much better solution, but maybe you can create "Custom Tshirt Design" as the product, and then add the designs as features with quantities? Just a shot in the dark...

 

I wish I knew more, but I'm just getting started myself.

-Bud

[nuwanda]

It occurs to me that many online stores offer this kind of production on demand. Are they just assuming they have unlimited stock and allow ordering regardless?

 

Has anyone used another shopping cart that allows a solution to this problem?

[WindeS]

I'm searching for a answer on this also.

I sew a wide range of things and won't even get into all the different products and multitude of options I'm losing out on the up-selling which is really bad since it's one of my key product features even the composition sends customers my way and turns to me for! Not to mention the time answering emails for those that do ask if I still do those options, but then the options and costs aren't even available in the back office without more headaches only to end up doing the whole order manually by email and invoicing thru paypal which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the shop.

[tintreach]

Out of the gate I ran into this very issue tonight setting up my products. I am selling liquids but I may have 500ml of one product in stock but can have in split up into 30 different combinations on demand once the order is placed. The combinations are effective making making a new SKU and inventory for the quantities.

 

If I have 100 widgets and gave to option to get a blue or red box, I wouldn't put 50 in each option. What would happen if I sold out of the red option and no one bought the blue??

 

I guess in short, there needs to be a way to have options not tied to the overall inventory count.

[viger]

Take a look here, may be it's useful for this thread:

http://www.prestasho...dpost&p=1389018

 

[tomerg3]

You can check out the following module that was just released http://www.prestashop.com/forums/topic/283805-module-single-stock-attributes-set-a-single-stock-level-for-a-product-with-attributes/

 

It lets you set a single stock to products with attributes.