diff --git a/src/structs/AbstractItem.js b/src/structs/AbstractItem.js
index ba8c02b5..f61a5484 100644
--- a/src/structs/AbstractItem.js
+++ b/src/structs/AbstractItem.js
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ export class AbstractItem extends AbstractStruct {
       }
     }
     // adjust the length of parent
-    if (parentSub === null && this.countable) {
+    if (parentSub === null && this.countable && !this.deleted) {
       parent._length += length
     }
     addStruct(store, this)
@@ -393,8 +393,8 @@ export class AbstractItem extends AbstractStruct {
   mergeWith (right) {
     if (compareIDs(right.origin, this.lastId) && this.right === right && compareIDs(this.rightOrigin, right.rightOrigin)) {
       this.right = right.right
-      if (right.right !== null) {
-        right.right = this
+      if (this.right !== null) {
+        this.right.left = this
       }
       return true
     }
@@ -472,28 +472,27 @@ export class AbstractItem extends AbstractStruct {
    * @private
    */
   write (encoder, offset, encodingRef) {
+    const origin = offset > 0 ? createID(this.id.client, this.id.clock + offset - 1) : this.origin
+    const rightOrigin = this.rightOrigin
+    const parentSub = this.parentSub
     const info = (encodingRef & binary.BITS5) |
-      ((this.origin === null) ? 0 : binary.BIT8) | // origin is defined
-      ((this.rightOrigin === null) ? 0 : binary.BIT7) | // right origin is defined
-      ((this.parentSub === null) ? 0 : binary.BIT6) // parentSub is non-null
+      (origin === null ? 0 : binary.BIT8) | // origin is defined
+      (rightOrigin === null ? 0 : binary.BIT7) | // right origin is defined
+      (parentSub === null ? 0 : binary.BIT6) // parentSub is non-null
     encoding.writeUint8(encoder, info)
-    if (this.origin !== null) {
-      if (offset === 0) {
-        writeID(encoder, this.origin)
-      } else {
-        writeID(encoder, createID(this.id.client, this.id.clock + offset - 1))
-      }
+    if (origin !== null) {
+      writeID(encoder, origin)
     }
-    if (this.rightOrigin !== null) {
-      writeID(encoder, this.rightOrigin)
+    if (rightOrigin !== null) {
+      writeID(encoder, rightOrigin)
     }
-    if (this.origin === null && this.rightOrigin === null) {
+    if (origin === null && rightOrigin === null) {
       const parent = this.parent
       if (parent._item === null) {
         // parent type on y._map
         // find the correct key
         // @ts-ignore we know that y exists
-        const ykey = findRootTypeKey(this.parent)
+        const ykey = findRootTypeKey(parent)
         encoding.writeVarUint(encoder, 1) // write parentYKey
         encoding.writeVarString(encoder, ykey)
       } else {
@@ -501,8 +500,8 @@ export class AbstractItem extends AbstractStruct {
         // @ts-ignore _item is defined because parent is integrated
         writeID(encoder, parent._item.id)
       }
-      if (this.parentSub !== null) {
-        encoding.writeVarString(encoder, this.parentSub)
+      if (parentSub !== null) {
+        encoding.writeVarString(encoder, parentSub)
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/types/AbstractType.js b/src/types/AbstractType.js
index ee4c5c81..3fe77940 100644
--- a/src/types/AbstractType.js
+++ b/src/types/AbstractType.js
@@ -403,6 +403,7 @@ export const typeArrayInsertGenerics = (transaction, parent, index, content) =>
  * @param {number} length
  */
 export const typeArrayDelete = (transaction, parent, index, length) => {
+  if (length === 0) { return }
   let n = parent._start
   // compute the first item to be deleted
   for (; n !== null; n = n.right) {
diff --git a/src/utils/DeleteSet.js b/src/utils/DeleteSet.js
index c02440e1..b1f437af 100644
--- a/src/utils/DeleteSet.js
+++ b/src/utils/DeleteSet.js
@@ -189,13 +189,11 @@ export const readDeleteSet = (decoder, transaction, store) => {
          * @type {AbstractItem}
          */
         // @ts-ignore
-        let struct = structs[index++]
-        if (!struct.deleted) {
-          if (struct.id.clock < clock) {
-            struct = struct.splitAt(store, clock - struct.id.clock)
-            structs.splice(index, 0, struct)
-          }
-          struct.delete(transaction)
+        let struct = structs[index]
+        // split the first item if necessary
+        if (!struct.deleted && struct.id.clock < clock) {
+          structs.splice(index + 1, 0, struct.splitAt(store, clock - struct.id.clock))
+          index++ // increase we now want to use the next struct
         }
         while (index < structs.length) {
           // @ts-ignore
diff --git a/src/utils/StructStore.js b/src/utils/StructStore.js
index 44fb523f..bb42a6f0 100644
--- a/src/utils/StructStore.js
+++ b/src/utils/StructStore.js
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ export const addStruct = (store, struct) => {
  */
 export const findIndexSS = (structs, clock) => {
   let left = 0
-  let right = structs.length
+  let right = structs.length - 1
   while (left <= right) {
     const midindex = math.floor((left + right) / 2)
     const mid = structs[midindex]
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ export const findIndexSS = (structs, clock) => {
       right = midindex - 1
     }
   }
+  // Always check state before looking for a struct in StructStore
+  // Therefore the case of not finding a struct is unexpected
   throw error.unexpectedCase()
 }
 
diff --git a/src/utils/Y.js b/src/utils/Y.js
index 2bad4c12..37c724d7 100644
--- a/src/utils/Y.js
+++ b/src/utils/Y.js
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ export class Y extends Observable {
    * other peers.
    *
    * @param {function(Transaction):void} f The function that should be executed as a transaction
+   *
+   * @todo separate this into a separate function
    */
   transact (f) {
     let initialCall = false
diff --git a/src/utils/structEncoding.js b/src/utils/structEncoding.js
index 65ae50e5..2cc89006 100644
--- a/src/utils/structEncoding.js
+++ b/src/utils/structEncoding.js
@@ -226,6 +226,9 @@ const execStructReaders = (transaction, store, localState, structReaders, stack)
       }
     }
   }
+  if (stack.length > 0) {
+    store.pendingStructReaders.add({ stack, structReaders, missing: stack[stack.length - 1].id })
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tests/testHelper.js b/tests/testHelper.js
index a73e11e1..19fea109 100644
--- a/tests/testHelper.js
+++ b/tests/testHelper.js
@@ -322,14 +322,19 @@ export const compareStructStores = (ss1, ss2) => {
       if (s1 instanceof AbstractItem) {
         if (
           !(s2 instanceof AbstractItem) ||
-          !compareItemIDs(s1.left, s2.left) ||
+          !((s1.left === null && s2.left === null) || (s1.left !== null && s2.left !== null && Y.compareIDs(s1.left.lastId, s2.left.lastId))) ||
           !compareItemIDs(s1.right, s2.right) ||
           !Y.compareIDs(s1.origin, s2.origin) ||
           !Y.compareIDs(s1.rightOrigin, s2.rightOrigin) ||
           s1.parentSub !== s2.parentSub
         ) {
-          t.fail('Items dont match')
+          return t.fail('Items dont match')
         }
+        // make sure that items are connected correctly
+        t.assert(s1.left === null || s1.left.right === s1)
+        t.assert(s1.right === null || s1.right.left === s1)
+        t.assert(s2.left === null || s2.left.right === s2)
+        t.assert(s2.right === null || s2.right.left === s2)
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/tests/y-array.tests.js b/tests/y-array.tests.js
index 7b51e271..aa50bdef 100644
--- a/tests/y-array.tests.js
+++ b/tests/y-array.tests.js
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ const arrayTransactions = [
  * @param {t.TestCase} tc
  */
 export const testRepeatGeneratingYarrayTests20 = tc => {
-  applyRandomTests(tc, arrayTransactions, 2)
+  applyRandomTests(tc, arrayTransactions, 3)
 }
 
 /**