Troubleshooting Out of Stock Products Showing in Facebook Catalog and Ads

One of the most common and frustrating issues reported by users of the Facebook for WooCommerce plugin is the incorrect syncing of stock status. Specifically, products that are marked as out of stock in WooCommerce continue to appear as "in stock" or available within the Facebook catalog, Instagram Shop, and dynamic ads. This can lead to wasted ad spend, negative customer experiences, and manual workarounds that are not sustainable for stores with large or fast-changing inventories.

This guide compiles the most common causes and solutions based on community reports and troubleshooting steps.

Why Does This Happen?

The core of the problem lies in how the plugin syncs inventory data with Facebook's servers. The sync is not always instantaneous, and certain WooCommerce settings can interfere with the signal that tells Facebook a product is no longer available. Based on user experiences, the issue often occurs under these specific conditions:

• WooCommerce "Hide out of stock items" Setting: Many users report that when WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory > Hide out of stock items from the catalog is enabled, the plugin may fail to send an "out of stock" update for products that have stock management enabled and reach zero stock. Instead of updating the status, the product's availability in Facebook remains unchanged.
• Product-Level Stock Configuration: User reports indicate a key difference in behavior. Products set to "Out of stock" via the Stock Status dropdown (with stock management disabled at the product level) may continue to sync to Facebook. In contrast, products that become out of stock because their "Stock Quantity" is set to 0 (with stock management enabled at the product level) often sync correctly and are hidden from the feed.
• Plugin Version Conflicts: Some users have identified specific plugin updates (e.g., version 3.4.4 was mentioned) that introduced regressions in stock syncing, where previous versions worked correctly. Downgrading temporarily resolved the issue until a fix was released.
• Variable Products: Issues seem to be more prevalent or complex with variable products and their individual variations.

Common Troubleshooting Steps

If you are facing this issue, work through the following steps. Always clear your website's cache after making changes.

1. Initiate a Manual Sync

Before diving into configuration changes, force a fresh sync between WooCommerce and Facebook.

1. Go to Marketing > Facebook in your WordPress admin.
2. Click on the Catalog Sync tab.
3. Click the Sync Products button.

This process can take some time for large catalogs. Wait for it to complete and then check the Facebook Catalog Manager to see if the stock status has updated.

2. Review Your Product-Level Stock Settings

As identified by users, the method used to mark a product as out of stock is critical. For a product that is not syncing correctly:

1. Edit the product in WooCommerce.
2. In the Product Data meta box, go to the Inventory tab.
3. Ensure that "Manage stock?" is checked.
4. Set the "Stock quantity" to 0.
5. Set "Allow backorders?" to "Do not allow".
6. Save the product.

This configuration (manage stock, quantity 0) is more reliably synced than simply setting the "Stock status" to "Out of stock" without managing stock. After updating the products, perform a manual sync as described in Step 1.

3. Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

A conflict with another plugin or your theme can prevent the sync from working correctly.

1. Temporarily switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
2. Deactivate all plugins except for WooCommerce and Facebook for WooCommerce.
3. Check if the stock status now syncs correctly for a test product.
4. If it works, reactivate your plugins one by one, testing the sync after each activation, to identify the conflicting software.

4. Investigate the "Hide Out of Stock Items" Setting

If the above steps fail, a known workaround reported by the community involves the global WooCommerce setting. This is a more involved process and may not be ideal for all stores.

Important Note: This workaround will temporarily make out-of-stock products visible on your website.

1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Inventory.
2. Uncheck the option for "Hide out of stock items from the catalog". Save changes.
3. Use a bulk edit tool to ensure all out-of-stock products have "Manage stock" enabled and a stock quantity of 0.
4. Perform a manual sync in Marketing > Facebook > Catalog Sync.
5. Once the sync is complete, go back and re-enable the "Hide out of stock items from the catalog" setting. Save changes.

This process can force the plugin to send the correct "out of stock" status to Facebook. However, as users note, this is a manual process that may need to be repeated regularly.

5. Review Logs and Check for Known Bugs

If the problem persists, check for any error logs generated by the plugin.

1. Go to WooCommerce > Status > Logs.
2. Look for log files that start with facebook_for_woocommerce and review them for errors.
3. Search the official plugin changelog and support forums to see if the issue you're experiencing is a known bug in your current version. If it is, you may need to wait for an update or consider temporarily downgrading to a stable version, as some users have done.

Conclusion

The stock sync issue is a persistent challenge that appears to be highly dependent on specific WooCommerce configurations. The most reliable solution, based on community feedback, is to ensure that stock is managed at the product level with a quantity of 0, rather than relying solely on the global "Hide out of stock" setting or the stock status dropdown. If you have tried all these steps without success, the problem may be more complex and require further investigation into server-level caching, Facebook Business Manager settings, or a temporary plugin conflict that arises during sync events.