Availability is the feed attribute that tells an ad network whether a product can be bought right now — most commonly in stock or out of stock, sometimes preorder or backorder. Networks only deliver ads for products they believe are available, so a wrong or missing availability value can silently stop a sellable product from showing.
What the availability attribute is#
Every product in your feed carries an availability value that describes its stock status. The values ad networks recognize are a small fixed set:
- In stock — the product can be bought and shipped now.
- Out of stock — sold out or temporarily unavailable.
- Preorder — not released yet, but customers can order ahead of the release date.
- Backorder — sold out right now, but on order and expected back, so customers can still buy it.
Each ad network accepts its own exact spelling of these values, and the set differs slightly between networks. [VERIFY: exact availability values each ad network accepts — Google, Meta, and TikTok enum lists]
How availability controls whether your ads deliver#
Availability is one of the levers that decides whether a product's ad actually runs. An ad network won't deliver ads for a product it believes can't be bought, so an out of stock value pauses delivery for that product.
Importantly, an out-of-stock product usually stays in the feed — it isn't removed. The network simply stops showing its ad until the availability flips back to in stock, at which point delivery resumes on its own. That's why a product can quietly vanish from your ads without any error: it's still in the feed, just marked unavailable. If a product you expect to see has disappeared, availability is one of the first things to check — see A product is missing from my feed or ads.
Why a wrong or missing value silently stops delivery#
Because availability directly gates delivery, an incorrect value costs you sales without warning — there's no rejection notice, the product just stops showing.
- A wrong value points delivery the wrong way. A sellable product mislabeled out of stock stops delivering even though you can fulfil it; a sold-out product mislabeled in stock keeps running an ad customers can't buy from.
- A missing value is just as risky. Availability is a required field for the ad networks, so a product with no availability at all may be rejected as incomplete, or handled by the network's own default — and that behavior isn't the same everywhere. [VERIFY: how each ad network handles a missing availability value — reject the product vs. default it to in stock]
Either way, the product isn't delivering the way you intended, and nothing in your ad account flags it. Keeping availability accurate is what keeps your live catalog and your ads in sync.
Keeping availability accurate in Renable#
Availability shows up in Renable as the Availability field on your catalog's Mapping tab, grouped under Availability and marked required. Getting it right comes down to three things:
- Map it to the right column. Your feed may carry more than one stock-related column, and the Availability field has to draw from the one that reflects real, sellable stock. If availability looks consistently wrong, this is usually why — see Prices or stock look wrong and Mapping your feed fields.
- Translate custom stock wording into the right values. If your feed writes stock as a quantity, a
yes/no, or its own wording, a rule can convert it into a proper availability value with a Set field action — see Fixing your feed data with rules. - Keep the value fresh. Availability changes constantly, so it's only as accurate as your last import. If your live stock lives in a separate warehouse or supplier system, join that feed so the real numbers flow in — see Join a stock or supplier feed or the full mechanics in Joining another feed with a lookup. And make sure your feed re-imports often enough to stay current — see Keep your feed fresh.
Or ask Aimée#
If a product isn't delivering and you suspect availability, ask Aimée to trace it — she can replay one product's import and tell you exactly what its availability value is and where it came from. She can also fix the cause: remap the Availability field, add a rule to translate your stock wording, or join a live stock feed, then publish once you approve.
FAQ#
Does an out-of-stock product get removed from my feed?
No. An out-of-stock product normally stays in the feed and is marked unavailable — the ad network just stops delivering its ad until it's back in stock. It isn't deleted, so delivery resumes automatically once the availability value changes.
My product is genuinely in stock but not showing — could availability be the cause?
Yes. If the Availability field maps from the wrong column, or your live stock lives in a feed you haven't joined, a real in-stock product can read as unavailable and stop delivering. Work through Prices or stock look wrong.