# How to Add Stock to WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
Selling products online with WooCommerce means managing your inventory effectively. Knowing how to add stock is crucial for preventing overselling and keeping your customers happy. This guide will walk you through the process, even if you’re completely new to WooCommerce.
Understanding WooCommerce Inventory
Before we dive into adding stock, let’s quickly understand how WooCommerce handles inventory. When you add a product, WooCommerce lets you specify its stock quantity. This is simply the number of units you currently have available for sale.
Think of it like your physical shop. If you have 10 shirts, you enter “10” as your stock quantity. When a customer buys a shirt, WooCommerce automatically reduces the stock quantity to 9. This prevents you from accidentally selling something you don’t have.
Method 1: Adding Stock During Product Creation
The easiest way to add stock is when you’re first creating a new product.
1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Products > Add New.
2. Fill in the product details: Title, description, images, etc.
3. Scroll down to the Inventory section.
4. Enable “Manage stock?” This is crucial for tracking inventory.
5. Enter the stock quantity: Type in the number of units you have available.
6. Set your stock status: You can choose from “In stock,” “Out of stock,” or “On backorder.”
7. Optional: Set low stock threshold: This alerts you when stock falls below a certain level. For example, if you set it to 5, you’ll get a notification when you only have 5 items left.
8. Publish your product!
Example: Let’s say you’re selling handmade candles. You have 25 lavender candles ready to sell. You would enter “25” in the stock quantity field and set the stock status to “In stock.”
Method 2: Adding Stock to Existing Products
If you’ve already created products but need to update their stock levels, follow these steps:
1. Go to Products > All products.
2. Find the product you want to update.
3. Click on the product title to edit it.
4. Navigate to the Inventory section (as described above).
5. Update the stock quantity and stock status as needed.
6. Update the product.
Example: Imagine you sold 5 of your lavender candles. You’d go back to the product edit page, reduce the stock quantity from 25 to 20, and save the changes.
Method 3: Using WooCommerce Bulk Edit (For Advanced Users)
For managing large numbers of products, WooCommerce offers a bulk edit feature. This lets you update the stock of multiple products simultaneously. You’ll need some familiarity with using the WordPress admin interface efficiently.
This method often involves using a plugin or custom code to streamline the process. While not explicitly covered here due to complexity for beginners, remember that searching for “WooCommerce bulk edit stock” will provide plenty of tutorials and plugin recommendations.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Stock quantity not updating: Make sure “Manage stock?” is enabled for the product. Clear your browser cache and try again.
- Overselling: Ensure your stock quantity is accurate and you have appropriate stock management settings in place.
- Negative stock: While WooCommerce allows negative stock, it’s generally best practice to avoid this and only sell what you have.
Conclusion
Adding stock to WooCommerce is a straightforward process once you understand the basics. By accurately managing your inventory, you’ll prevent overselling, maintain customer satisfaction, and run a more efficient online store. Remember to always double-check your stock levels to keep your business running smoothly!
