Product Backorders

Backorders can be enabled globally, or allowed for specific products through their configuration.

Enabling Backorder on a product will allow your customers to purchase this product when it's out of stock. Open the product and go to Inventory & Shipping.

Backorder Product Settings

To allow an individual product to be backordered, you must first expand the Backorder setting by clicking: Configure Allow Customers to Purchase This Product when It's Out of Stock

This will give you a drop down with the following options:

• Yes - tell customers this product is on back-order
• Yes - do not tell customers this product is on back-order
• No - do not let this product be purchased when out of stock

What is the Default Link?
The default link will let you reset this value to whatever is defined in your Global Product Settings.

Backorder Limit

A limit can be sent to prevent backorders once the product has reached its negative threshold.

Click Configure Backorder Limit and set the Qty for Backorders to no longer be accepted.. As soon as the product is that far backordered, it will appear Out of Stock.

Global Setting

Instead of setting this value on each individual product, you can specify a "Global Setting".

Navigate to: Products>Settings: Inventory Settings - Backorders

Here you will see the same options as above. Setting the option here will set it for all products in your catalog (unless otherwise specified individually).

Troubleshooting: Out of Stock Products do not show back order enabled

If your products are set to allow backorder but they show out of stock on the front-end, this may be because the value for database field "is_in_stock" is set to "0" (false) or use_config_manage_stock is set to 1.

The reason this field would be set to zero is because if the quantity for a product reaches 0 while the backorder functionality is not enabled, the field will not properly be kept at the value of "1" (true).

To resolve this you need to import a CSV file with the three columns listed in the table below

When your file is ready, you can go to Products and click Import.

• Select your file
• Import Type: Append Complex Data

Then run the import. This will iterate over every row in your CSV file and set the value of is_in_stock to 1 thereby resolving the issue.Make sure to reindex & refresh your store after the import

Backordered Quantity on Order PDFs

In Orders > PDF Settings > Invoice & Order Settings scroll down to Item Attributes to Show. Here you may add an attribute for Qty Backordered. You may also choose to rename Qty to Qty Ordered.

Backorder Message on Order Pick Lists

Set a Backorder Message on the Picklists in Orders > PDF Settings > Pick List > Backorder Message

This setting allows for templating for the Pick List to print [orderItemQtyBackordered] of the items you ordered are on backorder, and we only have [cataloginventoryItemQty] available right now, or whatever you prefer your message to be.

To show the message 3 in stock, 2 backordered for example, you would need to enter "[cataloginventoryItemQty] in stock, [orderItemQtyBackordered] backordered"

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In Products >Settings > Backorders must be set to Allow Qty Below 0