Availability [availability] in Google Merchant Centre

The Availability field in Google Shopping refers to the availability of a product for purchase. This field is used to inform shoppers about whether a product is currently in stock and available for purchase, or if it is out of stock or unavailable.

There are several possible values that can be used in the Availability field in Google Shopping, including:

• in_stock: The product is currently available for purchase.
• out_of_stock: The product is currently unavailable for purchase.
• preorder: The product is not yet available for purchase, but can be preordered. When using [preorder], you are also required to include the [availability_date] to specify when the product is available.
• backorder: The product is available for purchase, but may not be in stock at the moment. When using [backorder], you are also required to include the [availability_date] to specify when the product is available.

In your Google Shopping feed/data, Availability is a required field and you must use one of the four options above the in data.

Common issues with “Availability” in Google Merchant Centre

Can I Set My Own Availability Status?

You might want to consider, “low stock”, or “limited”. This is not possible and you should not use any text other than the four options provided; in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder or backorder

Will out of stock products still be advertised?

Yes, it is possible that products marked as out of stock would still be advertised in Google Shopping campaigns, in Google Search results, in Google image results or alongside YouTube videos.

If you want to stop specific products from being shown at all either;

• Exclude them from your product data or product feed
• Exclude specific products within your Google Shopping campaign(s)
• Use the [excluded_destination] field to exclude some or all Google platforms from showing the listing

If you want to temporarily suspend products from showing, you might also consider the [pause] attribute, which can be used for up to 14 days. You can select to pause ads or all destinations.

If you’re looking for more detailed information about the [availability] field, we recommend checking out Google’s guide on it.