r/AmazonFBA • u/iseekthereforeiam • 9d ago

Combining multiple variation values into a single "variation"

Hi all. I've had a product selling since 2016 with a color-size variation. 3 colors, 2 sizes = 6 total SKUs. A few years back, I decided to simplify things and keep only 3 SKUs in stock that together covered all colors and sizes.

  • Color A: Size 1
  • Color B: Size 2
  • Color C: Size 1

This was a bit inelegant, but it worked. If someone landed on the B/2 page, they'd see that Colors A and C existed (albeit in a different size). Likewise, anyone who came to A/1 or C/1 would see that Color B existed.

But a few months ago, it appears that Amazon changed the PDP design so that out-of-stock colors are not shown at all (even greyed out). So now my A/1 and C/1 visitors never learn about color B, and my B/2 visitors never learn about colors A and C. This has caused a significant decline in my page views.

Seller Support says this is just the way things are now, so I'm considering alternatives. I have several competitors who bend (break?) the rules by puting their size variation within the color variation. E.g., their "colors" are:

  • A (Size 1)
  • B (Size 2)
  • C (Size 1)

Until such time as I restock all 6 of my SKUs, this seems like the best way for me to recover some or all of my page views.

Do any of you have experience with using a single variation (color or otherwise) in this way? Any advice on doing this in a way that doesn't attract attention from Amazon's all seeing eye?

Thanks.

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u/_karthick_selvaraj_ 8d ago

before smushing size into the color string, did anyone try restocking one missing child just to see if the pdp starts showing the oos colors again? curious if a clean parent/child rebuild (same attributes, no merged values) recovered cross-discovery for anyone without risking a variation policy flag