Out-of-stock products - Why are clients still seeing them?

cooking-symphony · Posts: 27

Hello!

How do you indicate that a product is out of stock? I click the "hide" option in the listing, but somehow they are still showing. Someone asked me about a product yesterday which has been out of stock for ages?

Thanks for your replies Very Happy

FoxAndFish · Posts: 1585

tigercreekgifts · Posts: 6293

They could be seeing the item through Google search as, even long after you delete an item or hide it, that item stays visible in google search for several months sometimes even up to a year or so.

MoonwishesStore · moderator Posts: 17389

And if you don't delete it, it stays alive and looks alive to search engines. You may want to leave them undeleted as a means of bringing potential buyers to your store, or leave them undeleted as it makes it easier to restock items (assuming you do). Or you may want to delete them and then eventually they will disappear. But just hiding a listing, only means that someone can't buy the item.

SheilaDeesPostcards · moderator Posts: 4620

A hidden item is not shown in your store or in the eCrater marketplace and it is not submitted on any feeds eCrater may send for your store. The "buy" button is changed to "On Hold".

Any direct link to the item will still allow the item to be seen, but not purchased. If a customer bookmarked the item, a search engine displays a link, someone mentioned the item on a blog with a link, someone mentioned it with a link on Facebook or Twitter, you gave a link to in here on the forum in the Promote your store thread; all those links will be active to the hidden item.

If you delete the item and someone clicks on the link, they were shown a page that says "no such product" without a way to go into your store. There have been suggestions made to have that page include a link to the store. I do not know if this is current or if a link has been added.

Personally, I leave the item hidden with a note that the item is sold and inviting the person to browse my store. If I ever get the same item again, I can refresh the description, add new photos and unhide the item which will then benefit from the old links.

cooking-symphony · Posts: 27

zickit · Posts: 21857

You type it in the description at the time you place the item on hold

If you want have the item again you can delete it

tigercreekgifts · Posts: 6293

I used to delete sold items but, I just recently read an article that stated that you should never delete a listing that is hidden, because that listing is linked to the google feeds and can still generate traffic to your store long after the item was sold and hidden. I think that's a good idea, to just keep the item hidden instead of removing it and placing a message where the dscription is that tells buyers your sorry that the item has been sold out but, you'd like to invite them to come take a look at the rest of your items, and then provide them with a URL that they can copy & paste into their browser.

cosmicray · Posts: 7286

elpereles · Posts: 3430

I believe there is other topic of this theme.

momsretro · Posts: 845

I noticed that one of my items was on hold, but I still had the Feature on Homepage (or Category) box checked.... and sure enough, it was still showing on my homepage. Maybe that's where your views are coming from?

cosmicray · Posts: 7286

glamourbomb · Posts: 31

cosmicray · Posts: 7286

Misty4m · Posts: 117

So when a customer purchase your items are they coming from google checkout.