Stock control prevents selling what you do not have.
ENABLING IT
WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory. Turn on stock management, and set the low-stock and out-of-stock thresholds.
Set whether out-of-stock items are hidden from the catalogue or shown as unavailable. Showing them preserves the page and its search ranking; hiding them keeps the shop tidy.
PER PRODUCT
On the product's Inventory tab, enable stock management, enter the quantity, and choose whether backorders are allowed.
For variable products, stock can be managed per variation, which is usually what you want.
HOLD STOCK
The setting that releases stock from unpaid orders after a period. Important when you accept bank transfer, or unpaid orders hold inventory indefinitely.
PRACTICAL POINTS
Set low-stock alerts so you reorder before running out Reconcile against physical stock periodically; software drifts from reality Use SKUs, which make reconciliation possible If you sell in person as well as online, stock will disagree unless you have a process
Selling something you cannot ship is worse than showing it as out of stock.
