Orders being accepting after items removed from site

[Starkie]

I am having a problem with people putting items in their shopping cart and not checking out, then checking out after I have taken the items off the site.  This is leading to logistical problems in filling the orders in a timely manner, since when I close out a sale and remove items from my site, I download the CVS file of orders taken to date, and work with that.  So I am unable to fill the late orders in a timely manner.  Why does Square allow sales from items that are no longer active?

[Tom]

Hi @Starkie, thanks for bringing this up and sorry to hear about the trouble you've been encountering.

The inventory count shouldn't be reduced until your customer has completed their order from the Online Store. In addition, customers shouldn't be able to complete an order for items that are sold out.

When you have a chance, can you send an example of an order where this issue recently occurred? Our Support Team can be reacted at this secure contact form and they'll be able to take a deeper dive into your account.

For more information on our inventory management features, have a look at our Support Center: Inventory for Online Store Sales.

Hope this helps clear things up. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

[domsports]

I have had the same issue several times - it happened again today.   And unfortunately, I can't fill the orders on the late items - I have to cancel them, which is bad for business!  I agree, customers shouldn't be able to order items that aren't on the site.  They should get a message at checkout saying the item is no longer available, or their cart should be deleted.  Any help with this issue?

[Tom]

Hey @domsports, thanks for surfacing and I'm sorry to hear that this issue is causing confusion for your business as well.

I went to check for any updates and the ability to remove an item from a buyer's cart once it's been added still isn't available — even if you deleted or otherwise disabled the item.

For now, we would suggest noting in the item description or in your Online Store that item delivery is subject to availability. We realize this isn't ideal for all businesses and we've partnered with some additional services that may offer a more customized solution. Learn more about them in: Launching an online store? You’ve got options with Square!