Quantity updates to 0 on eBay: possible issues and solutions from Salestio

eBay provides a couple of ways to update the quantity to 0. In today’s article, we will explain how zero stock is handled on eBay and how to set up Salestio to update the items properly. We will also explain the Out-of-Stock control option on eBay, and why in some cases Salestio cannot send 0-quantity updates to eBay.

How eBay handles out-of-stock items

The minimum listing quantity is set to 1 by default on each eBay account. This means that any sold-out listings will have to be stopped. This also means that apps like Salestio will not be able to update quantity to 0. For the cases when you need to sell the item again, a new listing will be required.

As an alternative, eBay offers the Out-of-Stock control setting. With the option enabled, sold-out listings will not be stopped. Instead, their quantity will be reduced to zero, and the page will be hidden from buyers. Users with a direct link can still reach the page, which is useful if you offer the product on your social pages.

When you increase the stock, the listing will become active again, retaining the same store link. You can still end the listing at any time.

Possible issue (stock not updating to zero)

If Out-of-stock control is not enabled, the updates to 0 quantity cannot go through.

So, if the quantity in the store changes to 0, Salestio is unable to send this update to eBay if you do not have Out-of-stock control enabled. As a result, the product quantity remains positive on eBay and it shows an Update Error in the Selling List.

Important! Salestio does not send automatic quantity updates for products in Update Error statuses.
Related: Understanding product statuses in Salestio

To resolve this, follow the steps to enable Out-of-Stock control or scroll to the section below: “Configure Salestio to work with the default eBay settings“

How to enable Out-of-Stock control on eBay

On eBay, navigate to your Selling preferences:

1. Open My eBay > Selling
2. Select the Account tab
3. Click Selling preferences in the sidebar
4. Scroll to Listings stay active when you’re out of stock and enable it

How stock updates are configured in Salestio

We recommend using Salestio with the Out-of-Stock option enabled on eBay. This is also how Salestio is configured to work by default.

Whenever an item reaches zero stock in your store, Salestio will send zero quantity to eBay. The item will remain in “Linked” status in the Selling List:

Updating the stock will make the item available again:

Configure Salestio to work with the default eBay settings

Using Salestio without Out-of-Stock enabled on eBay might lead to the following error:

Error during submitting Selling Product with title 'Green Cup' to 'Ebay'. The quantity must be a valid number greater than 0.

To resolve this, set up the app to stop listings when sold out:

1. Navigate to Salestio > Settings tab
2. Select your eBay account in the sidebar
3. Scroll to the Item Synchronization section
4. In “Choose the behavior when the items reach 0 quantity”, select “Stop the listing on eBay“
5. Save changes

If you have items with errors left, select the Selling List and run the “Update QTY” action manually, so Salestio can stop the sold-out items on eBay. All future sold-out listings will be stopped automatically.

To learn more about selling on eBay, check out our recent article about Business Policies. Don’t have Salestio yet? Get your Free 30-day Trial here.