Using the OutOfStockControlPreference feature, sellers can keep their GTC (Good 'Til Canceled) listings alive, even when the quantity goes down to zero. This enables them to replenish stock for the listing, without the need to relist the item after inventory has been replenished.
This feature is useful for a seller who is waiting for additional stock of an item. 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 update the quantity of the item by calling either:
- ReviseItem and setting Item.Quantity, or
- ReviseFixedPriceItem and setting Item.Variations.Variation.Quantity
The listing will then be displayedr again.
If an item is specifically searched for using GetItem or a related call, the following parameter values with be returned:
- Item.HideFromSearch =
true - Item.ReasonHideFromSearch =
OutOfStock
The following are the benefits of using this feature.
- Saves time because the seller does not have to end and recreate the listing when waiting for additional inventory.
- Improves inventory management:
- Due to the 1:1 SKU and ItemID mapping, the seller doesn't have to refer to multiple ItemIDs to get a count of how much they have in stock, what was sold, etc.
- Since the listing stays alive, the sales history is retained.
- Increases SEO (search engine optimization) because the item is long running, which increases the chances that it will be indexed by popular search engines.
- Variations management becomes easier because:
- Variations with zero quantity, which do not have sales, are kept alive.
- All the variations can have a zero quantity.