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Overselling stock: optional vs. automatic

Claire Southwell

July 09, 2013 16:54

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I'm setting up an online bookstore and am anticipating problems. As I understand it, the Populi bookstore will automatically allow us to oversell any item. Our store will order in more *new* stock to meet demand, so being able to oversell on new books is fine. However, we also carry used books in small, finite quantities. I'm concerned that students will keep "ordering" used books even after they're sold out. This will get ugly fast.

On the page for creating inventory items, could we add an option where I can choose whether or not an item can oversell? (like the one where I can decide whether or not students can charge a given item to their account.) It would have to be specific to each inventory segment, though, since used and new are listed as two segments of the same item.

Attached: an artist's interpretation. 

overselloption.GIF

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2 comments

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  Adam Sentz July 09, 2013 17:15

  @Claire - A little clarification on, "Populi bookstore will automatically allow us to oversell any item". Only items with an inventory of null (a blank) can be sold without inventory. If you enter an inventory quantity it will reduce to Zero as you sell items. Then it will show as "Sold Out", and patrons will not be able to add it to their cart. 

  So, in your case if you only have 2 used copies of a certain book just set the inventory quantity to 2 and when they are both sold it will be "Sold Out".

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  Claire Southwell July 09, 2013 17:40

  Well, that's a relief. Thanks, Adam! Since we're still setting up, no one at NSA was *quite* sure how it would work.