diff --git a/app/controllers/spree/admin/variants_controller_decorator.rb b/app/controllers/spree/admin/variants_controller_decorator.rb
index 999ca0b22c..cabc7e5eec 100644
--- a/app/controllers/spree/admin/variants_controller_decorator.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/spree/admin/variants_controller_decorator.rb
@@ -10,8 +10,11 @@ Spree::Admin::VariantsController.class_eval do
 
   def destroy
     @variant = Spree::Variant.find(params[:id])
-    @variant.delete # This line changed, as well as removal of following conditional
-    flash[:success] = I18n.t('notice_messages.variant_deleted')
+    if VariantDeleter.new.delete(@variant) # This line changed
+      flash[:success] = Spree.t('notice_messages.variant_deleted')
+    else
+      flash[:success] = Spree.t('notice_messages.variant_not_deleted')
+    end
 
     respond_with(@variant) do |format|
       format.html { redirect_to admin_product_variants_url(params[:product_id]) }
diff --git a/app/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_decorator.rb b/app/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_decorator.rb
index 3bc8b1c511..0c5a1dd2a6 100644
--- a/app/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_decorator.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_decorator.rb
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ Spree::Api::VariantsController.class_eval do
     @variant = scope.find(params[:variant_id])
     authorize! :delete, @variant
 
-    @variant.delete
+    VariantDeleter.new.delete(@variant)
     respond_with @variant, status: 204
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/spree/variant_decorator.rb b/app/models/spree/variant_decorator.rb
index de8f151c2c..3c2076820c 100644
--- a/app/models/spree/variant_decorator.rb
+++ b/app/models/spree/variant_decorator.rb
@@ -106,15 +106,10 @@ Spree::Variant.class_eval do
   end
 
   def delete
-    if product.variants == [self] # Only variant left on product
-      errors.add :product, I18n.t(:spree_variant_product_error)
-      false
-    else
-      transaction do
-        self.update_column(:deleted_at, Time.zone.now)
-        ExchangeVariant.where(variant_id: self).destroy_all
-        self
-      end
+    transaction do
+      self.update_column(:deleted_at, Time.zone.now)
+      ExchangeVariant.where(variant_id: self).destroy_all
+      self
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/services/variant_deleter.rb b/app/services/variant_deleter.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e76bb8d91a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/variant_deleter.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Checks the validity of a soft-delete call.
+class VariantDeleter
+  def delete(variant)
+    if only_variant_on_product?(variant)
+      variant.errors.add :product, I18n.t(:spree_variant_product_error)
+      return false
+    end
+
+    variant.delete
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def only_variant_on_product?(variant)
+    variant.product.variants == [variant]
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_spec.rb
index 698a3e7926..af50d783e3 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/spree/api/variants_controller_spec.rb
@@ -69,6 +69,16 @@ module Spree
         lambda { variant.reload }.should_not raise_error
         variant.deleted_at.should_not be_nil
       end
+
+      it "doesn't delete the only variant of the product" do
+        product = create(:product)
+        variant = product.variants.first
+
+        spree_delete :soft_delete, {variant_id: variant.to_param, product_id: product.to_param, format: :json}
+
+        expect(variant.reload).to_not be_deleted
+        expect(assigns(:variant).errors[:product]).to include "must have at least one variant"
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/spree/product_spec.rb b/spec/models/spree/product_spec.rb
index 2d4243eae2..a060e34a09 100644
--- a/spec/models/spree/product_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/spree/product_spec.rb
@@ -55,15 +55,6 @@ module Spree
         end
       end
 
-
-      it "does not allow the last variant to be deleted" do
-        product = create(:simple_product)
-        expect(product.variants(:reload).length).to eq 1
-        v = product.variants.last
-        v.delete
-        expect(v.errors[:product]).to include "must have at least one variant"
-      end
-
       context "when the product has variants" do
         let(:product) do
           product = create(:simple_product)
diff --git a/spec/models/spree/variant_spec.rb b/spec/models/spree/variant_spec.rb
index d48d16d636..5894b4e12d 100644
--- a/spec/models/spree/variant_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/spree/variant_spec.rb
@@ -535,22 +535,5 @@ module Spree
       v.destroy
       e.reload.variant_ids.should be_empty
     end
-
-    context "as the last variant of a product" do
-      let!(:extra_variant) { create(:variant) }
-      let!(:product) { extra_variant.product }
-      let!(:first_variant) { product.variants.first }
-
-      before { product.reload }
-
-      it "cannot be deleted" do
-        expect(product.variants.length).to eq 2
-        expect(extra_variant.delete).to eq extra_variant
-        expect(product.variants(:reload).length).to eq 1
-        expect(first_variant.delete).to be false
-        expect(product.variants(:reload).length).to eq 1
-        expect(first_variant.errors[:product]).to include "must have at least one variant"
-      end
-    end
   end
 end