Note: In the 895 release, the Item.OutOfStockControl field was deprecated and replaced by SetUserPreferences.OutOfStockControlPreference, which changes this feature from being set on individual items to a seller preference that applies to all their listings. For details about the changes, see 895 Release Changes.
Topics:
Using the Out-of-Stock Feature
Fees For a Listing With Zero Quantity
Using the OutOfStockControlPreference sellers can keep their GTC (Good 'Til Canceled) items alive, even when the quantity goes down to zero. This enables them to replenish stock for the same ItemID, without the need to relist it when the item is back in stock.
This feature is useful for a seller who is waiting for additional stock of an item with the same ItemID. Instead of ending the listing and then recreating it when the inventory arrives, this feature hides the listing from search. Then when more inventory is available, they can use the Revise calls to update the inventory of the item (through the Item.Quantity or Item.Variations.Variation.Quantity fields) and the listing would appear again. If the item was specifically searched for with GetItem (or related call), HideFromSearch would be returned as true
and ReasonHideFromSearch would be returned as OutOfStock
.
The following are the benefits of using this feature.
The following describes how single SKU and multi-SKU items work when a seller enables this feature.
true
.Variation Quantity Set to 0 | Feature Disabled | Feature Enabled |
---|---|---|
A | Variation A is deleted. | Variation is retained. Since at least one variation has stock, this variation will show up on the Search Results page. On the View Item page it will be shown as 'Out of Stock'. | B | Variation B is deleted. | Variation is retained. Since at least one variation has stock, this variation will show up on the Search Results page. On the View Item page it will be shown as 'Out of Stock'. | C | You receive an error because you cannot set the last variation to quantity zero. | The variation is retained and all variations will be shown as 'Out of Stock' on the View Item page. The item will not appear on the Search Results page. |
This feature is enabled as a user preference using the SetUserPreferences call. When the feature is enabled, it is automatically applied to all the user's existing listings and to any new listings they create. When the quantity of an item goes to zero in a listing using this feature, the item remains 'alive'. When the item is in the out-of-stock state (quantity equals zero), the item will not be shown in the search results until it is back in stock (quantity greater than zero).
Feature | Sample Snippet |
---|---|
To add this feature use:
SetUserPreferences |
<SetUserPreferencesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents"> <OutOfStockControlPreference>true</OutOfStockControlPreference> ... </SetUserPreferencesRequest> |
To return the setting for this feature use:
GetUserPreferences |
<GetUserPreferencesRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents"> <ShowOutOfStockControlPreference>true</ShowOutOfStockControlPreference> ... </GetUserPreferencesRequest> |
To revise the quantity use: ReviseInventoryStatus ReviseItem ReviseFixedPriceItem |
<ReviseInventoryStatusRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents"> <InventoryStatus> <ItemID>190004054177</ItemID> <Quantity>0</Quantity> </InventoryStatus> </ReviseInventoryStatusRequest> |
When a listing using the Out-of-Stock feature has zero quantity, the listing fees are refunded if the listing is out of stock for the entire billing month. If the listing is out of stock for 3 consecutive billing months, it is ended as shown in the table below.
Note About Multi-variation Listings: When each individual item in a multi-variation listing has zero quantity, then the listing is in the out-of-stock state and the fees are applied/refunded as shown in the table.
Billing Period (Consecutive Periods) |
Item is Out-of-Stock for the Entire Billing Month |
Fee and Refunds |
---|---|---|
1 | Yes |
|
2 | Yes |
|
3 | Yes |
|
In the 895 release, the Item.OutOfStockControl field was deprecated and replaced by SetUserPreferences.OutOfStockControlPreference.
The following describes the changes for the Out-of-Stock feature.
The following describes the behavior of listings that existed before this change; those using and not using the deprecated Out-of-Stock feature.
true
, any existing listing that was not using the Out-of-Stock feature will now have this feature.This change will not affect the use of the Out-of-Stock feature of existing listings. However in order for new listings to take advantage of this feature, the seller will need to enable the OutOfStockControlPreference.
The following table shows what happens to items using the deprecated Item.OutOfStockControl setting.
Deprecated Setting Item.OutOfStockControl |
New Setting SetUserPreferences. |
Resulting Out-of-Stock Behavior |
---|---|---|
False (default) | True | True |
True | False (default) | True |
False (default) | False (default) | False |
True | True | True |
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