How do I set a safety stock level on Shopify?

Shopify has no native setting, so you use an app. In Easy Stock Buffer you set a floor per variant or a shop-wide default, and it stops selling once stock reaches that floor.

What is a good safety stock level?

A common starting point is lead time multiplied by daily sales, so you have enough to keep selling while a reorder arrives. Raise it for unreliable suppliers or spiky demand.

Can I set different floors per product?

Yes. Set a floor per variant and a shop-wide default. On Pro you can set bulk thresholds by collection, tag or type, and per-location floors.

Can the app suggest a floor for me?

Yes, on Pro. Easy Stock Buffer suggests a floor for each product based on its recent sales velocity.

There is a free plan covering up to 10 variants with a threshold. Pro is $7 a month for unlimited variants and the automation features.

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How-to - inventory

How to set a safety stock level on Shopify

Short answer

Shopify has no built-in safety-stock setting, so you add one with Easy Stock Buffer: choose a floor for each variant, the number of units to hold back, and the app stops selling that product once available stock reaches it. The block is enforced server-side at checkout. The free plan covers up to 10 variants.

How it works

Work out the floor per product

A simple starting point is your lead time multiplied by your daily sales rate: enough stock to keep selling while a reorder arrives. Fast movers need a higher floor than slow ones.

Set it per variant or shop-wide

Enter a floor per variant, or a shop-wide default for everything. On Pro you can set bulk thresholds by collection, tag or product type.

Easy Stock Buffer holds the floor

Once available stock reaches the floor, checkout is blocked server-side, so the product stops selling until you restock.

Let it suggest floors

On Pro, Easy Stock Buffer can suggest a floor for each product from its recent sales velocity, so you are not setting every number by hand.

What you get

A floor per variant and a shop-wide default
Bulk thresholds by collection, tag or product type on Pro
Per-location floors on Pro
Suggested floors from sales velocity on Pro
Server-side enforcement at checkout

What a safety stock level is

Safety stock is a buffer of inventory you keep in reserve to absorb the unexpected: a demand spike, a slow supplier, or the timing gaps that cause overselling. Your safety-stock level is the point at which you stop selling, rather than selling all the way to zero.

Holding a buffer costs a little tied-up stock, but it prevents the more expensive problem of selling units you cannot ship.

How to choose the number

A practical formula is lead time times daily sales: if a product sells four a day and a reorder takes five days to arrive, a floor around twenty keeps you selling while you wait. Adjust up for unreliable suppliers or volatile demand.

If you would rather not calculate it per product, Easy Stock Buffer can suggest a floor from each product's sales rate. Then it enforces the floor at checkout, the part covered in how to prevent overselling on Shopify.