When a product's stock reaches zero, Shopify stops selling it by default: the customer sees Sold out and cannot check out. Some shops want the opposite - a made-to-order candle, an item that is always restocked within days, a pre-order. unSquared has a product setting for this called Continue selling when out of stock. It is off by default, and this guide explains when to turn it on, why you might, and when to leave it off.
Why unSquared asks you instead of copying it from Square
Square does not store this choice on an item, so there is nothing for unSquared to copy. Without the setting, every migrated variant gets Shopify's default and stops selling at zero stock. That is the safe default, but if your Square shop took orders for items at zero stock, your Shopify shop would quietly turn those orders away. The setting lets you decide once, for the whole run.
What the setting does
- Continue selling when out of stockOFF by default
Off by default. When on, every product variant the migration creates or overwrites is set to "Continue selling when out of stock" in Shopify, so customers can still order it at zero stock. Shopify lets the stock count go below zero as those orders come in. When off, Shopify's default applies and a variant stops selling when its stock reaches zero.
- It applies to the whole run
You cannot pick some products and not others in unSquared. If only a few products should keep selling at zero, leave it off and tick the box on those products in Shopify afterward (see below).
- Products that do not track stock
A variant whose inventory is not tracked is always sellable in Shopify, whichever way this setting is set.
Is it right for your shop?
| Your situation | Turn it on? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Made-to-order or print-on-demand items | Yes | There is no stock to run out of, so a Sold out label only loses you orders. |
| Items you restock quickly and can take orders for in the meantime | Yes | Customers can order during the gap instead of leaving, and you ship when the stock arrives. |
| Backorders and pre-orders | Yes | The product is sellable before it is physically on your shelf. |
| Your Square counts are often wrong or out of date | Think twice | Shopify will keep selling something you may not have, and the count can go negative. |
| One-of-a-kind or limited items (art, used goods, limited drops) | No | Once it is gone it is gone. Selling it again means cancelling an order. |
| You sell in a physical shop and online from the same stock | Usually no | Online orders at zero stock can collide with what is sold at the counter. |
The trade-off: you can oversell
Turning this on means Shopify will accept an order for a variant that has no stock left. That is the point for made-to-order shops, but it is a risk for anything you cannot supply later. Decide based on what you can really fulfil, and keep an eye on negative stock counts in Shopify after launch.
How to turn it on before you migrate
- 1Open the Product Catalog migration page
Open the Products migration page in unSquared and find Product Settings.
- 2Find the setting under Product Filter Options
Look for Continue selling when out of stock. It is off until you turn it on.
- 3Turn it on and click Save Settings
Save before you migrate, so the choice is stored with your other settings.
- 4Check the Ready to Migrate step
Your choice is shown in the active-settings list there, so you can confirm it before you start.
- 5Run the migration
Every variant that is created or overwritten in this run gets the setting.
Where to see it took effect
- Ready to Migrate
Your choice is listed with the other active settings.
- Migration report
The summary shows a Continue selling when out of stock line, saying whether it was set on every migrated variant or left on Shopify's default.
- In Shopify admin
Open a product, then a variant's inventory settings. The Continue selling when out of stock box is ticked on migrated variants.
Already migrated? Change it afterward
- 1For a few products, use Shopify admin
Open the product and tick Continue selling when out of stock in each variant's inventory settings. This is the quickest way for a handful of items.
- 2For many products, use Re-sync Products
Turn the setting on in Product Settings, click Save Settings, then run Re-sync Products and choose My entire Square product catalog. Only what changed in Square skips products that have not changed in Square, so it would not update them.
Turning it off later does not undo it
If you turn the setting off after a run, variants that already have Continue selling when out of stock keep it. To switch it off for those, untick the box on the variants in Shopify admin.
See every Product Catalog setting in one place
Everything that is always included, and everything you can control field by field.
Read the Migration Guide