Variant stock status: Merchant Center data vs product page
Each variant you submit is its own item, so its availability has to match that variant on the product page, not the product as a whole. Link each item to its own variant, make sold-out options unbuyable, and test the sizes that sell out. The parent product always looks fine; the trouble lives in size 8.
You run this check yourself
Our scanner can’t see inside your Google accounts, so this one’s on you. Work through the checklist below without running a scan.
Why this matters
Google's “Availability [availability]” page lists this in its best practices: “Product variant availability in the data source should match the availability on the landing page.” It also says how a sold-out variant can look: “If a page features multiple variants, you can disable specific options in the selection grid to indicate they are unavailable.” A size that is gone but still clickable, or still sent as in_stock, is where stores come unstuck.
The landing page requirements add two rules that variant stores run into. “Pre-select the correct product variant in your landing page URL”, so the item a shopper clicks is the variant they land on. And “Do not change displayed product information after initial loading. This includes and is not limited to availability, pricing and the selected variant.” A page that opens on the first in-stock size, then jumps to the one in the link, shows two states, and the first may be the wrong one.
On the data side, each variant is its own item with its own [id] and [link], tied to its siblings by [item_group_id], exactly as the variant examples on the “Price [price]” page are laid out. Availability then follows the variant, not the parent: one sold-out colour means one item set to out_of_stock while the rest stay in_stock. For the general stock rules, preorders and sold-out products, see availability in Merchant Center; for prices that differ by variant, variant pricing.
This is a manual feed audit: StoreVerifier cannot see your product data, so the variant-by-variant match against Merchant Center is yours. The free scan covers the public side. It reports structured data that contradicts the stock state on the page, and a product offered for sale while out of stock, as failures. Every stock check is listed on the misrepresentation checker.
Typical evidence
Eight variants — two misrepresented
The feed submits one availability for all 8 sizes. Sizes XS and XL sold out since the last regeneration. Two of eight variants are advertising availability they cannot fulfil.
The public signals this check looks for:
A size or colour sells out on the site, but the product data still sends that variant as i…
A size or colour sells out on the site, but the product data still sends that variant as in_stock.
Every variant in the product data links to the same product URL, so the page opens on whic…
Every variant in the product data links to the same product URL, so the page opens on whichever option the theme picks first.
The page loads with one variant selected, then switches to another once a script runs
The page loads with one variant selected, then switches to another once a script runs.
Sold-out options stay clickable with a working Add to cart button, and the order fails lat…
Sold-out options stay clickable with a working Add to cart button, and the order fails later.
The platform tracks stock per product while the product data sends one item per variant
The platform tracks stock per product while the product data sends one item per variant.
What it looks like once it is right
Each size has its own item and a link that opens that size pre-selected. Size 8 shows “Sold out” with the button disabled, its structured data says OutOfStock, and the next upload sends out_of_stock for that one item.
Common mistakes
Common mistake
Self-check steps
One feed item per variant — the correct structure
Each size is a separate feed item with its own availability attribute. When XS and XL sell out, only those two items update — the remaining six continue showing as available correctly.
Questions merchants ask
Does each variant need its own availability in Merchant Center?
Yes. Each variant is submitted as its own item, grouped with [item_group_id], and Google's availability page says product variant availability in the data source should match the availability on the landing page. A sold-out size needs out_of_stock on its own item, even while other sizes are in stock.
How should a sold-out variant look on the product page?
Google's availability page lets you disable specific options in the selection grid to show they are unavailable, or show clear text such as sold out. Whichever you choose, the option should not be buyable, and Add to cart should not work for it.
Why does the product link need the right variant pre-selected?
Because the item and the page have to describe the same thing. Google's landing page requirements ask you to pre-select the correct product variant in your landing page URL, so the variant in your product data is the one a shopper sees by default, with its own price and stock state.
Remediation
Risk signal
Similar cases
Sources
Last reviewed 23 Sep 2026.
That is one issue. The library documents 134.
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