Please don't do it
As a buyer who likes to complete sets, I want the variant to match the existing
pieces I already have in the set. If the variant is listed as a separate piece
it's easy to find a seller, if its only identified in notes in a merged piece
it will be almost impossible to shift through every listed piece to find the
variant I need.
Buyers will go elsewhere. Sellers will lose out.
This is a huge step backward for bricklink.
Please don't do it