---
title: >-
  The InventoryItem resource now indicates whether it requires shipping instead
  of the Product Variant - Shopify developer changelog
description: >-
  Shopify’s developer changelog documents all changes to Shopify’s platform.
  Find the latest news and learn about new platform opportunities.
source_url:
  html: >-
    https://shopify.dev/changelog/the-inventoryitem-resource-now-indicates-whether-it-requires-shipping-instead-of-the-product-variant
  md: >-
    https://shopify.dev/changelog/the-inventoryitem-resource-now-indicates-whether-it-requires-shipping-instead-of-the-product-variant.md
metadata:
  effectiveApiVersion: ''
  affectedApi: []
  primaryTag:
    displayName: API
    handle: api
  secondaryTag:
    displayName: Deprecation Announcement
    handle: deprecation
  indicatesActionRequired: false
  createdAt: '2019-05-01T17:40:19-04:00'
  postedAt: '2019-02-12T00:00:00-05:00'
  updatedAt: '2024-02-02T10:04:53-05:00'
  effectiveAt: '2019-02-12T00:00:00-05:00'
---

February 12, 2019

Tags:

* API

# The InventoryItem resource now indicates whether it requires shipping instead of the Product Variant

The [InventoryItem](https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/inventory/inventoryitem) resource now includes a field `requires_shipping` to indicate whether the item requires shipping, deprecating the corresponding field on the [ProductVariant](https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/products/product-variant) resource.

***

### Who is affected by this change?

Any app that reads `requires_shipping` off of the ProductVariant.

### How do I prepare for this change?

Start consuming and reading checks for `requires_shipping` on the InventoryItem resource instead of the ProductVariant.

### What happens if I do nothing?

As the ProductVariant equivalent for `requires_shipping` gets deprecated, any app that consumes that field will no longer be able to.

### Where can I learn more?

[InventoryItem](https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/inventory/inventoryitem) [ProductVariant](https://help.shopify.com/en/api/reference/products/product-variant)