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Why Were my Orders Processed at a Loss or when Out of Stock (OOS)?

Learn how AutoDS scan intervals can trigger an order at a higher source price or for an out-of-stock item.

Introduction

In rare cases, you may receive an order that results in a loss or includes an out-of-stock item. This typically happens when the supplier updates product availability or pricing between AutoDS scans. Since monitoring does not occur in real time, some changes may not be reflected immediately in your store.

This article explains why this happens, what AutoDS can and cannot control, and what you can do when it occurs.

Benefits

  • Clarifies why losses or OOS sales occur

  • Helps set realistic expectations for automation

  • Provides steps to handle such orders effectively

  • Reduces confusion around scan intervals and sync timing

 

Quick Jump

  1. Why this happens

  2. How AutoDS monitoring works

  3. What you can do

  4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why this happens

AutoDS monitors product stock and pricing based on scheduled scans (usually every 60 minutes). If a product goes out of stock or its price changes after the last scan, that update won’t appear in your store until the next scheduled scan. Orders placed in that window may reflect outdated data.

This can result in:

  • A sale processed at the old price, causing a loss.

  • A sale for an item that’s already out of stock.

This behavior is expected and cannot be entirely avoided due to the timing between supplier changes and AutoDS scan intervals.

⚠️ Important: Make sure to enable both stock and price monitoring settings manually, as they are required for monitoring to work.

This feature is not available on the Importer 200 plan.

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How AutoDS monitoring works

  • AutoDS scans supplier product data (price and stock) at fixed intervals.

  • Changes made after the last scan are not reflected until the next scan.

  • If a customer places an order in this window, it’s processed using the last known data.

Example scenario:

  • 3:00 PM: Product is in stock and costs $10

  • 3:15 PM: Supplier increases price to $20 or marks it OOS

  • 3:30 PM: Customer buys the product on your store for $12

  • AutoDS processes the order based on the 3:00 PM data


What you can do

NOTE: Because AutoDS scans more frequently than third-party trackers (e.g., Keepa.com, Camelcamelcamel.com), those tools can miss short-lived price or stock changes. Rely on AutoDS product and order logs as your source of truth.

 


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How often does AutoDS scan suppliers, and how can I minimize risk?
 A: AutoDS runs scans at optimized intervals to balance coverage and stability. No existing platform performs accurate real-time scanning, but AutoDS operates as close as possible with current technologies. 

Q: How can I get notified to help prevent orders for out-of-stock (OOS) items?
 A: AutoDS blocks orders detected as unavailable when ordering and notifies you. To strengthen prevention, enable AutoDS notifications:

  • First, go to the Settings page and click on Notifications.
  • Next, you will see the Orders notifications and the Monitoring Notifications.
  • On Monitoring Notifications, select the Update type (Stock/Price) for which you wish to get updates.
  • As a next step, add the email address you want to be notified under Notify to Email.
  • Select the Digital Email Frequency (Disabled, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly).

👉 Learn More: How to Configure the Notifications of Your AutoDS Account?

Q: What explains orders processed at a loss or for OOS items?
A: This can occur within the short interval between a supplier update and the following scan. For best results, follow this article's steps and tips, and contact support if you need more help.