TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview

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


Contributing factors

There are 2 aspects that contribute here:

  1. We use the 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

Stock buffer

This is set in the Settings - Administration - under the Product Import section in Omnivore via the field Minimum stock buffer:





If you select a value greater than zero, the buffer figure being utilised will be displayed on every product page within the Marketplace Product View section.


 


BigCommerce Inventory


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


If you opt not to track inventory, we will automatically assign a default quantity of 10 to all your products with this setting. This is necessary as all marketplaces require an actual inventory number to generate a listing.


This setting can be found via Settings / Big Commerce Feed and then the Default Quantity field.



If you choose to track inventory, you will need to select the appropriate option as explained below:


In BigCommerce, go to Product -> Inventory tab


If the product has no options, i.e. it 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 to the Marketplace. It is not instant.