---
title: "How stock works"
description: "Where Shoppy Find in Store gets its stock numbers from, which stores customers see, and why a store might show as out of stock."
product: "Shoppy Find in Store"
section: "Stock"
url: https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/how-stock-works
markdown_url: https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/how-stock-works.md
last_updated: 2026-11-05
tags: ["stock", "inventory", "shopify inventory", "locations", "variants", "out of stock"]
---

# How stock works

> Where Shoppy Find in Store gets its stock numbers from, which stores customers see, and why a store might show as out of stock.

Find in Store shows customers which of your stores have a product. It reads the stock straight from Shopify, so you don't enter stock in the app.

## Where the stock comes from

For each store, the widget uses the product's **available** quantity at that store's Shopify location. This is the same number you see in your Shopify admin under **Products** › the product › **Inventory**.

- It's read live each time a customer searches, so it's always up to date.
- It's the quantity of the variant the customer has chosen, such as a size or colour.
- **Available** means stock on hand minus stock already committed to orders. Stock that's incoming, or set aside as unavailable, isn't counted.

If your stock lives in another system, such as a point-of-sale or warehouse system, use a stock sync app to keep Shopify's numbers up to date. Find in Store shows whatever Shopify has.

## Which stores customers see

A store shows in the widget when all of these are true:

1. It was [imported from Shopify](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/locations/import-locations-from-shopify.md), so it's linked to a Shopify location.
2. It's **Active** in **Locations**.
3. The product is stocked at that location in Shopify. If the product has never been stocked there, the store isn't listed.
4. It's within the **Search radius** of the address the customer searched. See [Store search settings](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/widget-settings-and-design/store-search-settings.md).

Stores are listed nearest first.

## What customers see for each store

Customers don't see the exact number of items. Each store shows a stock banner:

- **In stock** when the store has more than your [safety buffer](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/stock-levels-and-messages.md#safety-buffer).
- **Out of stock** when it has the safety buffer or fewer.

You can also show a **Low stock** message, and change all the wording. See [Stock levels and messages](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/stock-levels-and-messages.md).

If no store is listed at all, customers see the **Out of stock everywhere** message instead.

## Check your stock is syncing

1. In your Shopify admin, open a product that's in stock at one of your stores.
2. Under **Inventory**, check the **Available** quantity at that store's location.
3. Open the product on your online store and search near that store.
4. Check the store shows **In stock**.

If it doesn't match, see [Why a store shows the wrong stock](#why-a-store-shows-the-wrong-stock).

## Why a store shows the wrong stock

| What you see                                               | What to check                                                                                                                                   |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A store is missing from the list                           | The store is **Active**, imported from Shopify, within the search radius, and the product is stocked at its Shopify location.                   |
| A store shows **Out of stock**, but has a few              | Your **Safety buffer** may be higher than the store's stock. See [Safety buffer](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/stock-levels-and-messages.md#safety-buffer). |
| Stock looks out of date                                    | Check the **Available** quantity in Shopify. If your stock comes from another system, check your sync app has run.                              |
| A store added by hand or from a CSV file never shows stock | It isn't linked to a Shopify location. Add the store in Shopify and import it instead.                                                          |
| The wrong variant's stock shows                            | Check **Select first variant by default** in **Settings** › **Store search**.                                                                   |

## Related guides

- [Stock levels and messages](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/stock/stock-levels-and-messages.md)
- [Import locations from Shopify](https://help.shoppyconnect.com/find-in-store/locations/import-locations-from-shopify.md)