Need advise on how to handle collectable items

I want to sell collectable scale cars which are each model short runs of 300 units with unique serial number.

So I have about 20 different models each one with 300 units with a unique serial number.

I have doubts on whether:

Create a category for each model and import from an excel 300 products to each category

or

Create a product for each model and introduce 300 product variants, one for each serial number.


I have no experience in working with product variants so I have big doubts on which strategy is better.

Hi there,

I'm not sure I fully understood your problem.
You want to have 300 distinct products for each model but is the serial number necessary? I mean, does it have to be the product code or something? If not, you can simply create one product for each model and set the quantity to 300 so you'll only sell 300 piece for each model.

If you really need the serial number, you will have to use the HikaSerial extension to manage it (which is probably the easier solution) www.hikashop.com/extensions/hikaserial.html

I have 20 different car designs (models):

Each car has a production run of 300 units, each unit is serialized as most collector production runs, so because of the unique serial number each car becomes unique even is exactly the same as the other 299 for that car model.

Then, as a customer I could buy car 066 and car 099 (as example). Once they are bought nobody else can buy those numbers as they are unique, but the car model still has 298 units in stock with the remaining serial numbers.

I don't see the use of HikaSerial here, therefore question is what do you recommend me? Entering only 20 products each one with as many variants as units available, OR is better to enter 300 different products for each car model?

So the serial number is important, that's what I wasn't sure about.
Then in this case, both options are possible, if you create 300 products for each model, your customers will be able to search for a specific model easily but it will be a huge mess in your product listing (too much product).
So I would suggest to go for the variant solution. Note that you can create them by importing a csv or using the mass action system, it will make you gain a lot of time.
Also, if you use the variant solution, your customer will be able to select the serial number trough a dropdown so maybe you will want to hide out of order product which is an option of the main configuration (System>Configuration>Display).

Nice clear answer! Thank you. I'll go for variants then.

I understand that variants are also importable through CSV, right?

Exactly, I suggest you to create a product with few variants and export it.
Thus you'll be able to see how your csv should look like

Trying to deal with the characteristics and variations system.

I have 300 different variations for each product (one for each serial number), can I import 300 characteristichs so I don't have to enter them manually?

Yes, as I said, you should create a product with few variants and export it so you'll know how your csv must be

+++++++++ FORGET ABOUT THIS - SOLVED !!! +++++++++++

Ok, so then I'll keep trying as it didn't work for me until now.

Even after reading several times the documentation I don't understand of the Value field inside the Characteristic Edition Screen, so


If I have one product with 300 units each one with a unique serial number:

Shall I create 300 characteristics like Serial-Number-001,Serial-Number-002,Serial-Number-003... each one with its own alias

or

Shall I create only one characteristics with 300 values 001, 002, 003...

?