Do you have a limited quantity of a product available for sale? Do you sell one-of-a-kind creations or vintage finds? You can use the inventory control feature to set the number of each product that you have in stock, so that you never accidentally sell more than you have on hand.
Inventory control is completely optional. You don't need to specify the quantity of each product that you have in your store. However, if you don't enter a quantity for an item, then it will stay in your store and remain available for purchase, even if it's sold — and customers can order an unlimited quantity of that product.
To set the quantity of a product, log into your Dashboard and go to store > products. Click "Edit" for the product whose quantity you want to set.
Scroll down to the "Stock" section and check the "Track Stock for This Product" box. Type the quantity you have available in the "Quantity on Hand" field, and click "Save" at the bottom of the page.
When your item sells, the inventory control feature will subtract the number of items ordered from the total quantity that you set.
When Stock Falls to Zero
When your product's stock falls to zero, the product will show as Sold Out in your store, and customers won't be able to buy it. If you mark an order as returned or cancelled, the stock is returned to that product, so it will be available for sale again.
If you don't want your out-of-stock items to appear in your store, you have two options.
First, you can simply deactivate them. To make a product invisible to shoppers, go to store > products and click the green check mark next to the product in the "Visible" column at right. The green check mark will change to a red X, and the product won't show up in your store until you make it visible again by clicking the red X.
Or, you can have the store automatically deactivate them for you. To do this, visit your store settings page at store > settings and select the Do not display product option under When Sold Out:
