How can I prevent products from appearing as sold out until the purchase is complete on my Webflow site?
TL;DR
- Adjust inventory settings in Webflow's Ecommerce panel, and set a higher inventory buffer if needed.
- Webflow reserves stock when added to the cart, but you can't adjust reservation times; ensure sufficient stock to prevent false "sold out" messages.
- Verify stock updates after purchase and check for external automations (e.g., Zapier) modifying inventory.
- Use custom JavaScript to delay sold-out status updates or manually display low-stock warnings instead of automatic stock tracking.
If your Webflow e-commerce site is marking products as sold out before the purchase is complete, it’s likely due to inventory settings. Webflow reserves inventory when an item is added to the cart but only fully deducts stock after checkout. Here’s how to ensure a product isn’t prematurely shown as sold out.
1. Adjust Inventory Settings
- Go to Webflow Editor and navigate to your Ecommerce panel.
- Select a product and check the Track Inventory settings.
- Consider setting a higher inventory buffer if products sell out fast due to multiple simultaneous purchases.
2. Disable Cart Reservation
- By default, Webflow temporarily reserves stock when an item is placed in a cart.
- Webflow does not currently allow adjustments to cart reservation times, but ensuring sufficient stock can mitigate false "sold out" triggers.
3. Check Stock Updates After Purchase
- When a purchase is completed, Webflow automatically reduces stock.
- If stock is reducing incorrectly, verify if an automation (e.g., Zapier) is adjusting inventory outside Webflow.
4. Use Custom Code for Visibility Control
- If stock status updates too quickly, consider using custom JavaScript to delay the "sold-out" label appearance until a fixed time after checkout.
- Alternatively, create a manual "low stock" warning instead of relying on automatic stock tracking.
Summary
Webflow automatically reserves stock at checkout, which can cause early “sold out” messages. To prevent this, check inventory settings, ensure stock updates properly, and consider custom visibility controls.