When the source runs dry

A listing outlives its stock

Your listing stays live after the item vanishes from the supplier. Until you pause it, every buyer who orders is a sale you cannot honestly fulfil.

Measure the exposure

Three numbers matter: how many listings you run, what share sells out in a month, and how many days pass before you react. The exposure estimator multiplies them and shows the orders at risk.

Cut the reaction time first

You can rarely stop products from selling out, but you can shorten how long a dead listing stays visible. Continuous stock monitoring with automatic pausing narrows that window from days to hours.

• Pause rather than delete, so the item can return when stock does.
• Do not pause because a single page failed to load; confirm the item is really gone.

If you already took the order

Contact the buyer quickly, offer to cancel or wait, and do not wait for them to ask. A prompt cancellation costs less than a late delivery that goes wrong.