What should I do if a product is discontinued?

Written by

Simona Parker

If a product or product variant is discontinued, you’ll need to take action to keep your store listings, inventory, and orders up to date. This article explains how to manage product discontinuation, including switching Print Providers or products, updating product availability, and handling affected orders.

How do I manage discontinued product variants?

When certain product variants are discontinued, you can choose one of the following options to maintain accurate inventory and product availability:

Remove the affected variants by republishing the product: Continue selling the product while removing the discontinued variants. You can do this by republishing the product from the Printify side.
Permanently switch to an alternative Print Provider or product: If the product is available through multiple providers, consider switching to another Print Provider that offers a broader range of sizes or color variants. Alternatively, opt for a similar product with more available variants.
Enable Order Routing for your store: By enabling Order Routing, any customer orders for discontinued variants are automatically directed to an alternative Print Provider for fulfillment. Depending on your routing settings, a similar alternative product model may also be used to fulfill the order.

Note

Order Routing can be used only if the product has alternative Print Provider options or similar product model alternatives.

What should I do if an entire product is discontinued?

When the entire product is being discontinued, choose one of the following options:

Permanently switch the product to an alternative Print Provider or product: If the same product is offered by several Print Providers, you can easily switch to another Print Provider. Alternatively, consider switching to another similar product.
Remove the product from your store: If the product is unique and won’t be available anymore, you’ll need to remove it from your store by hiding it or deleting it.

What should I do with orders that include discontinued products?

If an order is on hold and includes a discontinued product, it won’t be possible to submit it for fulfillment with the original Print Provider. Visit this article to learn how to update the order and select an alternative product or provider.