Shopify "Inventory Not Tracked": What Does It Mean?

If some of your Shopify inventory is marked as not tracked, learn what this means, why it happens, and how you can fix it.

Kelli Harris
By Kelli Harris
Nevena Radulović - Editor for Egnition
Edited by Nevena Radulović

Updated July 4, 2023.

To be a successful Shopify seller with streamlined inventory management, you should keep track of all your products to stay in control of everything from orders to stock levels. However, you may discover that not all of your inventory is being tracked on Shopify, which can be frustrating and interfere with your sales process.

Why Are Shopify Items Not Tracked?

Shopify may show the "Inventory not tracked" message in several cases, including the following:

1. You've chosen not to track inventory levels for a specific product

In such cases, you can choose to display the message to your customers instead of showing the inventory level.

2. Your product has a variant that's set to "Don't track inventory"

This typically happens with products that have unlimited inventory, like digital products or services.

3. You're using a third-party app to fulfill your products

This typically happens with products that have unlimited inventory, like digital products or services.



How to Enable Inventory Tracking on Shopify

To stop Shopify from displaying the "Inventory not tracked" message, you'll need to enable inventory tracking using the following steps:

  1. Go to Products in your Shopify admin.
  2. Step 1 to track inventory in Shopify
    
  3. Select the product you want to track by clicking on the name.
  4. Step 2 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    
  5. If the product has variants, scroll down to the variant section.
  6. Select the Edit button beside the variant you want to track.
  7. Step 3 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    
  8. In the Inventory section, select Track Quantity.
  9. Step 4 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    
  10. Check the box Continue Selling When Out of Stock if you want consumers to be able to buy the item even if it's out of stock.
  11. Step 5 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    
  12. Adjust the quantity information for each site in the Quantity section and select a reason, if necessary.
  13. Step 6 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    
  14. Click Save.
  15. Step 7 to enable inventory tracking in Shopify
    

» Still not sure how to track inventory on Shopify? Follow these easy steps

How to Avoid "Inventory Not Tracked" in the Future

Making sure that you always enable inventory tracking can help you no longer encounter the Shopify "Inventory not tracked" message in your store. By setting up inventory tracking for a product, you'll also be able to control how many units of a product or variant are available, helping you better manage your out-of-stock inventory.

The use of this function can also simplify tracking and syncing your inventory across multiple stores, making it less likely that Shopify will display the "Inventory not tracked" message in any location.



Maintain Real-Time Inventories

Using an app like Egnition's Out-of-Stock Police is an easy alternative for ensuring reliable inventory tracking, effectively organizing your collections, and monitoring your low-stock and out-of-stock statistics in real time.

  • Boost your SEO and get more assisted conversions for temporarily out-of-stock products.
  • Get in-app or email alerts when supplies run low or out.
  • Avoid losing organic traffic by strategically hiding out-of-stock items.
  • Export and download sold-out and out-of-stock products for restock planning.

With the help of this app, you can make sure your Shopify store doesn't show the "Inventory not tracked" message and boost the shopping experience for your customers.

Out-of-Stock Police

4.8/5(155 reviews)



» Want to keep selling your out-of-stock items? Here's what to consider



Fix "Inventory Not Tracked" Like a Pro

With a better idea of what "Inventory not tracked" exactly means in Shopify, you can take simple steps to enable your inventory tracking and prevent Shopify from displaying this message in the future.

What's more, with the help of a dedicated app like Egnition's Out-of-Stock Police, you can rely on streamlined inventory management to simplify your business processes and boost your bottom line through improved customer experience.

» Discover how to manage inventory in Shopify for better results



Discover more benefits of Out-of-Stock Police for improving your inventory tracking:



Out-of-Stock Police

4.8/5(155 reviews)


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