WooCommerce products showing “Out of stock” message when not actually out of stock

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Having an issue with a client website where products are randomly displaying

“This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.”

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The thing is that we don’t have inventory tracking turned on, all products should be in stock all the time.

When I go into the WordPress admin and click the update button for the product (without changing anything) and then the message goes away and the “Add to Cart” button displays as it should. Unfortunately, the issue repeats itself on these items in the future and to fix it I have to update the product again (also clicking update in the WooCommerce settings temporarily solves the problem).

I need to find a way to fix this problem permanently so it doesn’t revert itself.

Site Details:

  • Using WordPress 3.9.1
  • WooCommerce 2.1.12
  • PHP 5.3.10 (also tried locally w/ 5.5.10)

What I’ve tried

  • Removing all plugins but WooCommerce
  • Changing themes (tried all standard WordPress themes and a few WooThemes themes to no avail)
  • Updated WooCommerce (it was v 2.1.5)
  • Manually inserted to wp_postmeta adding the meta key _manage_stock and set it to no (as observed in some of the working products we have)
  • Manually inserted to wp_postmeta adding the meta key ‘_stock’ and set it to 0 (as observed in some of the working products we have)
  • Compared the postmeta of the product before and after clicking the update button to observe if anything had changed that would cause the problem…nothing
  • No caching is turned on
  • Used XDebug to track the $available_variations variable in variable.php and
    class-wc-ajax.php and class-wc-product-variable.php.

When debugging I noticed that in products that were working the $available_variations variable contained 2 arrays filled with product information, however on the products that didn’t, it was an empty array (which results in the out of stock message being displayed as served by variable.php). Clicking the update button and then tracking the variable shows the information correctly.

Honestly at this point I’m at a loss. I think the issue is somewhere in either of the classes, but I can’t tell.

Has anyone else had issues with this? Any way around this issue so I don’t have to keep updating products for this client.

Link to product that is out of stock (as of posting) http://highlandsministriesonline.org/product/basement-tapes/resentment-in-the-church-135/

Link to product that is displaying correctly http://highlandsministriesonline.org/product/basement-tapes/bt0111-church-at-corinth-i/

Error Log
I added an error log to the product variation class. Heres the result:

For products with the “out of stock” message, nothing displays in the log.

An example of a product that function correctly: 

WC_Product_Variation Object
(
    [variation_id] => 1310
    [parent] => WC_Product_Variable Object
        (
            [children] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 1311
                    [1] => 1310
                )

            [total_stock] => 
            [id] => 1308
            [post] => WP_Post Object
                (
                    [ID] => 1308
                    [post_author] => 1
                    [post_date] => 2012-04-03 14:29:42
                    [post_date_gmt] => 2012-04-03 18:29:42
                    [post_content] => This audio presentation on homeschooling is a Basement Tape conversation on homeschooling.
<h2>What are The Basement Tapes?</h2>
<em>The Basement Tapes</em> are conversations between Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr., Rev. Laurence Windham, their friends and special guests, on subjects related to the “good life,” a simple, separate, and deliberate life, lived out for the glory of God and for the building of His Kingdom.

You might even say that the Basement Tapes serve to help us develop a Christian worldview. Started in 2002, we now have over #140 conversations on all areas of life that we are seeking to think biblically about so that we might take dominion over them for the King and His kingdom.

<strong>Format: Available in both CD and MP3</strong>

<strong>Length: Sixty minutes</strong>
                    [post_title] => Basement Tape #109: Homeschooling Redux
                    [post_excerpt] => It's been 108 weeks since we last talked about the subject of homeschooling our children. Our tykes have grown into teenagers. What have we learned in the past nine years? What has changed? What remains the same is that homeschooling means discipleship; passing down your most important convictions to your children and teaching them our holy religion.
                    [post_status] => publish
                    [comment_status] => open
                    [ping_status] => closed
                    [post_password] => 
                    [post_name] => bt0109-homeschooling-reducks
                    [to_ping] => 
                    [pinged] => 
                    [post_modified] => 2014-07-07 11:08:46
                    [post_modified_gmt] => 2014-07-07 15:08:46
                    [post_content_filtered] => 
                    [post_parent] => 0
                    [guid] => http://50.57.190.158/?post_type=product&p=1308
                    [menu_order] => 0
                    [post_type] => product
                    [post_mime_type] => 
                    [comment_count] => 0
                    [filter] => raw
                )

            [product_type] => variable
        )

    [variation_data] => Array
        (
            [attribute_pa_audio-options] => mp3-download
        )

    [variation_has_length] => 
    [variation_has_width] => 
    [variation_has_height] => 
    [variation_has_weight] => 
    [variation_has_stock] => 
    [variation_has_sku] => 1
    [variation_shipping_class] => 
    [variation_shipping_class_id] => 
    [variation_has_tax_class] => 
    [variation_has_downloadable_files] => 1
    [id] => 1308
    [post] => WP_Post Object
        (
            [ID] => 1308
            [post_author] => 1
            [post_date] => 2012-04-03 14:29:42
            [post_date_gmt] => 2012-04-03 18:29:42
            [post_content] => This audio presentation on homeschooling is a Basement Tape conversation on homeschooling.
<h2>What are The Basement Tapes?</h2>
<em>The Basement Tapes</em> are conversations between Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr., Rev. Laurence Windham, their friends and special guests, on subjects related to the “good life,” a simple, separate, and deliberate life, lived out for the glory of God and for the building of His Kingdom.

You might even say that the Basement Tapes serve to help us develop a Christian worldview. Started in 2002, we now have over #140 conversations on all areas of life that we are seeking to think biblically about so that we might take dominion over them for the King and His kingdom.

<strong>Format: Available in both CD and MP3</strong>

<strong>Length: Sixty minutes</strong>
            [post_title] => Basement Tape #109: Homeschooling Redux
            [post_excerpt] => It's been 108 weeks since we last talked about the subject of homeschooling our children. Our tykes have grown into teenagers. What have we learned in the past nine years? What has changed? What remains the same is that homeschooling means discipleship; passing down your most important convictions to your children and teaching them our holy religion.
            [post_status] => publish
            [comment_status] => open
            [ping_status] => closed
            [post_password] => 
            [post_name] => bt0109-homeschooling-reducks
            [to_ping] => 
            [pinged] => 
            [post_modified] => 2014-07-07 11:08:46
            [post_modified_gmt] => 2014-07-07 15:08:46
            [post_content_filtered] => 
            [post_parent] => 0
            [guid] => http://50.57.190.158/?post_type=product&p=1308
            [menu_order] => 0
            [post_type] => product
            [post_mime_type] => 
            [comment_count] => 0
            [filter] => raw
        )

    [product_type] => variation
    [product_custom_fields] => Array
        (
            [_sku] => Array
                (
                    [0] => BT0109MP3
                )

            [_price] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 3
                )

            [_sale_price] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_weight] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_length] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_width] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_height] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_stock] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_thumbnail_id] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 0
                )

            [_virtual] => Array
                (
                    [0] => yes
                )

            [_downloadable] => Array
                (
                    [0] => yes
                )

            [_download_limit] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_downloadable_files] => Array
                (
                    [0] => a:1:{s:32:"a0a87d43e69ed9de646ba479c252c9fb";a:2:{s:4:"name";s:29:"109-Homeschooling-Reducks.mp3";s:4:"file";s:113:"http://highlandsministriesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2012/04/109-Homeschooling-Reducks.mp3";}}
                )

            [_regular_price] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 3
                )

            [_sale_price_dates_from] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_sale_price_dates_to] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [_download_expiry] => Array
                (
                    [0] => 
                )

            [attribute_pa_audio-options] => Array
                (
                    [0] => mp3-download
                )

        )

    [sku] => BT0109MP3
    [downloadable_files] => a:1:{s:32:"a0a87d43e69ed9de646ba479c252c9fb";a:2:{s:4:"name";s:29:"109-Homeschooling-Reducks.mp3";s:4:"file";s:113:"http://highlandsministriesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2012/04/109-Homeschooling-Reducks.mp3";}}
    [downloadable] => yes
    [virtual] => yes
    [sale_price_dates_from] => 
    [sale_price_dates_to] => 
    [price] => 3
    [regular_price] => 3
    [sale_price] => 
    [total_stock] => 0
    [dimensions] => 
)

Potential Next Steps My next thought if I cant get this resolved is to write a script that will go through and update each product on the website on a nightly basis (since the temporary fix seems to work for at least 24 ours). Though if I can save some of my time I’d rather not if someone else has been able to solve this issue permanently.

Update as of October 23,2014

This issue is still occurring despite attempting the answers below. I have created a logging plugin to hopefully help track the frequency of the out of stock messages and hopefully help correlate the message with any actions taken place on the website. It’s currently customized to this specific website, but I’m working on a version to share with you all so that even if I can’t find the answer, someone can.

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8 comments

  1. I had this same problem and I think I figured it out. I used the CSV Import/Export suite to export all of my variations. You’ll notice that stock is set to 0 when it should have a value of null.

    You have two options here:

    1. Go into each individual product, click the variations tab and expand each variation – unchecking the “manage stock” checkbox:enter image description here
    2. You can do a find-and-replace on the database substituting the 0 value for null.

  2. I was getting this same issue with a product I had newly created. But for me the answer was more simple.

    I needed to enter in a “Regular Price” for every variation.
    https://wordpress.org/support/topic/this-product-is-currently-out-of-stock-and-unavailable-4/

    I had created my attributes previously.

    Under Variations, for my product, I had to make sure “Add variation” was selected. Then I clicked the “Go” button.

    I needed to create a variation for each of the different choices the attribute could have.

    So for my Color Options I had to make three different variations (one for each choice).
    Then I needed to click the blue “Expand” text, and make sure each variation had a Regular price.

    Then it worked.
    enter image description here

    (This was helpful too: https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/variable-product/ )

  3. It’s 2017 and I’m still seeing the OP’s exact problem on a store running:

    • WordPress 4.8.1
    • WooCommerce 3.1.2
    • PHP 5.6
    • tons of plugins and a janky theme

    I don’t have the time to genuinely fix the bug–whatever it is–but I made a workaround.

    The problem is that $product is missing everything variation related. There are no variation IDs, attributes, or prices. My workaround fixes up $product before it gets used in the templates.

    Step 1: Copy the price.php template into your theme. Navigate to your WooCommerce’s price template at /wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/templates/single-product/price.php. Copy that into your theme at /wp-content/themes/my-theme/woocommerce/single-product/price.php. If you already have that file there, then you already have a custom price.php template and you can skip this step.

    Documentation on how WooCommerce custom templates work: https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/

    Step 2: Edit that price.php you just put in your theme. Below global $product; paste this:

    if ( $product->is_type( 'variable' ) ) {
  // this is a variable product, so let's ensure $product is set up correctly

  // force the product to sync with its variations
  $product->sync( $product->id );
  // update $product with the synced product
  $pf = new WC_Product_Factory();
  $product = $pf->get_product( $product->id );
  // update utility variables used in the variable.php template
  $available_variations = $product->get_available_variations();
  $attributes = $product->get_variation_attributes();
}

    I had some caching issues that made it appear as though it wasn’t working at first. To test if it’s working you can drop

    echo '<pre style="display: none;">';
print_r( $product );
echo '</pre>';

    at the top and bottom of the if. Now you can inspect the page, and just above the price will be the two hidden <pre> containing $product before and after fixing.

    This works by using the sync() function to force the product to grab all the missing variation info, and then updates variables for use in templates. I believe the price is the earliest any of the variation data gets used in the templates, but this snippet could easily go higher up in the template chain if needed.

    Edit: The above fix only works for WooCommerce 3.x. I did create a fix for WC 2.x but it is so huge and gross I’m not going to post it. If you still have a 2.x store you need to look into some sort of overhaul that will allow you to get on 3.x.

  4. Edit: My problem recurred – items became outofstock again after a time. In searching around, I found that there are more entries in the wp_postmeta table to be concerned with thanks to this post. Below, I’ve added 2 additional update functions that should help make the fix last forever.

    One cause of this problem is that the stock status may be recorded as “outofstock” in the database, even while manage inventory is disabled.

    You can check if this is your problem in phpMyAdmin by running:

    SELECT * FROM `wp_postmeta` WHERE `meta_key` = '_stock_status'

    If you see that items are “outofstock” but are expected to be “instock,” you can change them manually. Or, you can run:

    UPDATE `wp_postmeta` SET `meta_value` = 'instock' WHERE `meta_key` = '_stock_status';
UPDATE `wp_postmeta` SET `meta_value` = '999999999' WHERE `meta_key` = '_stock';
UPDATE `wp_postmeta` SET `meta_value` = 'no' WHERE `meta_key` = '_manage_stock';

  5. Try deleting the product and create a same product and try i had a same problem and it worked for me. even try re-installing the WooCommerce 2.1.12

  6. I am experiencing the same problem and I think i’ve found the reason.
    It’s related to the sync_stock_status static function of WC_Product_Variable Class.

    You can fix a variable product stock status running this in your functions.php:

    add_action('wp',function(){
    $productId = 639;
    WC_Product_Variable::sync_stock_status(639);
    });

    Of course this isn’t a good solution because it only fixes one product at one particular moment.

    So the problem seems to be running this function at the right moment.

    The interesting thing is i’ve seen through the code and i found out that the quick edit save calls this function and fixes the product also!

    Other interesting thing is it seems that the woocommerce team may have fixed it for good, because i’ve found out through this commit that they are calling this function now when the product is updated.

  8. WordPress woocommerce based stock out product message show and change some tricky option. If you care wordpress plugin developer, you can do it override stock out hook. Also you can do it various wordpress free plugin already available in wordpress plugin directory.

    You can just search google with ‘Out of Stock message’ or ‘Stock Out message woocommerce’.

    There are a awesome plugin to solve stock out message. Plugin link out of Stock message.