In this article we look at why inventory numbers in our platform might be different than what you expect as a Bigcommerce store owner.


There are 2 aspects that contribute here:

  1. We use stock buffer as a way to prevent accidental overselling on eBay, see below for explanation
  2. Bigcommerce uses certain methods to track inventory, sometimes these are not properly configured


1. Stock buffers


This is set in the Settings -> Administration page in ebayLINK, the field Minimum stock buffer:




If you chose a value greater than zero, it will also show you that on each and every product page in the eBay Australia Product View section:



 


2. Bigcommerce Inventory


In Bigcommerce, you have the option to either track inventory or don't track inventory.


If you chose to not track inventory, we will assume a default value of 10 for all your inventory numbers, because eBay needs an actual inventory number.


If you chose to track inventory, you will need to select the appropriate option.


In Bigcommerce, go to Product -> Inventory tab


If the product has no options, ie is a single variant product, select Tracking Method: Track inventory for this product, then put a number greater than zero in the Current Stock Level input field, as per the screenshot:




If the product has Options, select Tracking method: Track inventory by options (from the 'Options' tab above)




Then go to Options & SKUs, and make sure you have SKUs defined for all the options. If you don't, use the button Generate SKUs, and Bigcommerce will create a SKU for each combination of options. Then make sure the number in the Stock column is not zero. Zero shows in red, so it's easy to spot missing values.




After making changes in Bigcommerce, expect up to 30 minutes delay until the data transfers to us and then eBay. It is not instant!

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