Out-of-Stock vs. Sold Out in Your Shopify Store: What Is the Difference?

Discover the strategic differences between out-of-stock and sold out in Shopify to keep customers informed and optimize your inventory approach.

Rob Elgar - Writer for Egnition
By Rob Elgar
Photo of Danell Theron
Edited by Danéll Theron
Joel Taylor
Fact-check by Joel Taylor

Updated November 13, 2024.

A hand holding a sign that says sold out

Not having stock of an item can put a stop to your store's income stream and potentially create a backlog of problems. It can also lead to frustrated customers who may look elsewhere for their desired products. Effectively managing inventory statuses is crucial, as it influences customer perception and store operations. While out-of-stock and sold out are similar, the slight difference can be used strategically in your Shopify store.

» Boost your inventory management with Egnition's Out-of-Stock Police app—streamline stock tracking and keep your store running smoothly

Out-of-Stock vs. Sold Out

  • Out-of-stock refers to items that are temporarily unavailable but stock will be replenished soon.
  • Sold out refers to items that are no longer available and won't be back in circulation, including discontinued items or items with a limited run because they were tied to a specific event.

In both cases, Shopify will make items unavailable for purchase by default because the inventory level has reached zero. Luckily, you have the option to continue selling when an item is out of stock in Shopify.

Impact on SEO and Customer Experience

Keeping out-of-stock and sold-out items visible in your store can have mixed effects on SEO and user experience:

  • SEO benefits: Keeping product pages visible (even if out of stock) can help maintain organic traffic and SEO value, as deleting a page can lead to broken links and lost rankings.

  • Customer experience: To improve user experience, hide out-of-stock items to prevent frustration. However, displaying too many out-of-stock items can overwhelm customers, so it's important to use clear labels, provide estimated restock dates, or suggest similar products to keep them engaged and satisfied.

» Check out these strategies for out-of-stock products to boost your e-commerce SEO

Can You Sell Out-of-Stock Items in Shopify?

When an item’s inventory level reaches zero, you might still want to keep it available for sale. There are several reasons why you might choose to allow customers to purchase out-of-stock items:

  • Pre-order availability: This approach is ideal if you know the product will be restocked soon and want to allow customers to secure their purchase in advance.
  • Upcoming stock: Keeping items available for sale even when out of stock allows customers to order now and wait for inventory to be replenished.
  • Sales-based reordering: For items that are consistently popular, you may want to gauge demand before restocking. Accumulated orders can help determine the appropriate inventory level.

To sell out-of-stock items on Shopify, there are a few methods you can use. You can set items up for pre-orders directly by adjusting their availability status in the inventory section, making sure customers are aware of the expected wait time. Shopify offers several ways to enable pre-orders, including using code to create custom page templates or integrating a third-party app that automates the pre-order process.

This setup ensures that your customers can continue to shop, even when stock is low or unavailable temporarily.

» Here are our top tips on how to manage out-of-stock items

Manage Your Out-of-Stock Items With an Egnition App

Out-of-Stock Police helps you easily manage your out-of-stock items by automatically tagging them and pushing them down your product lists, giving your store a cleaner look. View product and collection statistics while you receive email notifications when stock is running low or depleted. Finally, you can increase your organic traffic and boost your SEO because the app ensures your out-of-stock items are still indexed.

Out-of-Stock Police

4.8/5(155 reviews)



» Check out this Out-of-Stock Police review to learn more

Strategic Stock Management for Success

Effectively managing out-of-stock and sold-out statuses can greatly impact your Shopify store’s performance. By thoughtfully using these labels, you can maintain control over your inventory and keep customers satisfied. Aligning inventory management with customer needs, whether through pre-orders or strategic visibility, turns stock challenges into opportunities for loyalty and sales growth. Using tools like Out-of-Stock Police can further streamline this process by automating inventory updates and helping you keep your store organized. With these strategies in place, you can enhance both customer experience and operational efficiency

Handling Out-of-Stock and Sold-Out Items

How can I notify customers when an item is back in stock?

You could manually set up a back-in-stock notification form where your clients fill in a few details, and Shopify automatically notifies them when the products are back in stock.

Should I keep sold-out items visible in my store?

Keeping sold-out items visible can boost exclusivity but may frustrate customers. Consider labeling them as “Limited Edition” or remove items with no plans to restock.

Is there a way to prevent out-of-stock items from appearing in search results?

Shopify apps and custom code can help hide out-of-stock items from search results, keeping the shopping experience streamlined for customers.

What are the best ways to manage pre-orders on Shopify?

Set items to “continue selling when out of stock” in Shopify. Be sure to communicate estimated restock or delivery dates clearly.



Egnition | Out-of-Stock Police

Manage out-of-stock products effectively to improve inventory management and drive sales.


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