An availability mismatch means the stock status in your product data differs from what your page shows — for example “in stock” in the feed while the page says “sold out”.
Where availability comes from
Google can compare three things: the availability value in your feed, the stock status in your page’s structured data, and what the visible page says (an “Add to cart” button, “Sold out” labels, and so on). All three should agree.
Typical causes
- The feed updates less often than your stock changes.
- Variant pages: one size is sold out but the feed item points to a URL showing another variant.
- Theme text says “in stock” as a static label while the product can’t be added to the cart.
- Pre-order or back-order products submitted as “in stock”.
How to fix it
- Pick one source of truth (your store’s inventory) and make sure the feed is generated from it.
- Refresh the feed more often, or allow automatic item updates in Merchant Center.
- Use the correct values for pre-orders and back-orders, including the availability date when required.
- Remove static “In stock” text from templates and let the theme show the real status.
Frequently asked questions
Should I remove out-of-stock products from my feed?
Not necessarily. Submitting them as out of stock is accurate; what matters is that the feed and the page agree.
Official sources
- Product data specification - Google Merchant Center Help
- Supported structured data attributes and values - Google Merchant Center Help
- Allow Merchant Center to update product information automatically
MerchantLion is independent and not affiliated with Google. Google’s documentation is the authoritative source; policies change, so check it before making decisions.
Related guides
Mismatched Price in Google Merchant Center: How to Find and Fix It
What a “mismatched value (price)” issue means, the common reasons your feed price differs from your landing page, and how to fix it on Shopify, WooCommerce and custom stores.
7 min readProduct data & mismatchesProduct Structured Data for Merchant Center: Price, Currency, Availability
How Product and Offer structured data relate to Merchant Center, the fields that must match your visible page and feed, and how to spot outdated markup left by themes and apps.
7 min read