This article matches the labels and rules in the current product editor (How do you manage inventory?, quantity, made-to-order) and how the Products page surfaces a sold-out state.
1. Check how inventory is set (vendor dashboard)
Sign in to the vendor dashboard (for example https://pro.oblist.com).
Open Products, then open the product to edit it.
Under How do you manage inventory?* you will see exactly two choices:
Option in the dashboard | Meaning |
I manage a fixed stock quantity | You use a real quantity. Buyers can only purchase when inventory rules allow it (see below). |
This item is made to order | The piece is produced after order; the platform treats it so sales can continue without relying on a positive on-hand count in the same way as fixed stock. (Not available if the condition is Vintage Item.) |
There is no separate control named “Track inventory” or “Don’t track inventory”—those are generic e-commerce terms. On Oblist, the behaviour is driven by fixed stock vs made to order plus the options below.
2. Fixed stock: quantity at zero
If you selected I manage a fixed stock quantity:
You must set a Quantity (for simple listings), or per-option quantities when quantities are managed by variant (the editor explains that total stock is derived from variants).
If the effective quantity is 0 and you have not allowed selling without stock, the product is treated as sold out on the platform side. On your Products list, you may see a Sold Out badge when quantity is 0, made-to-order is off, and Allow purchase when out of stock is unchecked.
What to do: increase stock or variant quantities if units are available.
3. “Allow purchase when out of stock” (fixed stock only)
For fixed stock items, the editor shows a checkbox:
Allow purchase when out of stock
If this is unchecked and quantity is 0, the listing behaves as sold out from a buyer perspective.
If you intentionally want to keep accepting orders at zero quantity (for example special operational cases), you can enable this option—use it only when it matches how you fulfil orders.
Made to order: when This item is made to order is selected, the inventory section for fixed quantity (including that checkbox) is not used the same way; the platform is configured so made-to-order flows align with continuing sales policy on the storefront layer (see sync logic in the codebase). You do not need to “switch off tracking” with a separate Shopify-style toggle—choose made to order instead of fixed stock when that is how you work.
4. Other reasons something looks unavailable
Situation | What to check |
Product not approved | Only approved listings are purchasable in the normal flow. If status is pending review, changes requested, or similar, fix or wait for curation—this can look like “not buyable” even if stock is positive. |
Vendor holiday mode (pause all) | If your account is in holiday mode with pause all, orders can be blocked platform-side until you return. |
Vendor account disabled | If the vendor account is disabled, products will not behave as active sales. |
Recent stock change | Inventory updates are synced to the public catalogue; allow a short time after saving, then refresh the product page. |
Shopify-linked catalog | If you connect your own store, stock can also be influenced by mappings and sync; incomplete draft mappings may show warnings in the dashboard until information is complete. |
5. Good habits on the platform
Pick I manage a fixed stock quantity only when you maintain a real count; keep quantities accurate.
Pick This item is made to order for true MTO pieces (and remember vintage pieces cannot use this mode in the form).
Use Allow purchase when out of stock only when you fully understand the operational impact.
After changes, confirm on the live product page once sync has had time to run.
6. Still stuck?
Email vendors@oblist.com with the product name (or ID from the dashboard) and a short description of what you see in the editor (inventory mode + quantity). The team can trace configuration, status, and sync.