The Inventory section of the product form decides whether a shopper can buy right now, how many, and what they are told about waiting. Here is what each field does and when to use it.
Stock Status
The simplest option. In Stock means shoppers can buy; Out of Stock keeps the listing visible but stops purchases until you switch it back. Good for work you make in batches, where you know roughly what you have without counting.
Manage Stock
Tick Manage Stock and enter a Stock Quantity. Every sale takes one off, and when it reaches zero the product shows as out of stock by itself. Use this for one-offs and small runs so you never sell something twice.
Allow Back Orders?
Lets shoppers buy even when the quantity is zero. Only turn this on if you can make more, and make sure your dispatch time in the Shipping section is honest about how long that takes.
Made to Order
Tick this if you make each piece after the order comes in. Shoppers see a Made to Order badge on the listing instead of the usual “in stock” wording, which sets the expectation that they are commissioning something rather than buying off a shelf. Pair it with a realistic dispatch time.
Only allow 1 item per checkout
Limits a shopper to one of this product per order. Handy for unique pieces, and for popular items where you want different customers to get a chance.
SKU
Your own reference code, and optional. It appears on orders and helps you find the right thing on the shelf. SKUs have to be unique across the whole marketplace, not just your shop, so start yours with your initials, for example JB-MUG-BLUE.
Variable products
Each variation has its own stock quantity and SKU, so a scarf can be in stock in red and sold out in green. Visit – Variations from a blank product to see how to set them up.