What is overselling?
October 30, 2026
Overselling is selling more units of a product than you actually have in stock, usually because stock levels on one sales channel weren't updated after a sale on another. The result is cancelled orders, unhappy customers and penalties from marketplaces.
Why it matters for online retailers
Every oversold order has to be cancelled or delayed. Marketplaces track seller cancellations and late despatch, and repeated overselling can hurt your seller ratings and visibility.
Common causes of overselling
- Stock updated on each channel by hand.
- Delays between a sale and the stock update on other channels.
- The same stock listed on several channels at once.
- Stock records that don't match the shelf.
- Unpaid orders not reserving stock.
How to stop overselling
- Hold stock in one central system that updates every channel automatically.
- Reserve stock as soon as an order is placed.
- Keep records accurate with barcode scanning and cycle counts.
- Hold back a small buffer on low-stock lines.
How StoreFeeder handles it
StoreFeeder holds one stock pool for every channel, including in-store EPOS sales. When a unit sells, is picked, returned, transferred or counted, the available quantity is recalculated and sent to every connected channel, and unpaid orders are reserved so the same unit can't be sold twice.
Read more about StoreFeeder inventory management, or overselling vs underselling.
Frequently asked questions
What is underselling?
Underselling is showing less stock than you have, so you miss sales you could have made.
Is overselling against marketplace rules?
It isn't banned, but the cancellations it causes count against your seller performance on most marketplaces.
What is a stock buffer?
Holding back a few units from your listings so a delayed update doesn't lead to an oversell.
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