Why didn't my back in stock alert send?

A customer is on the waitlist, the product is back, but no alert went out. Most of the time it’s one of a few settings, not a bug. Work through these checks in order on your live store, and check the send log at the end to see what STOQ actually did.

Check these in order

1. The signup is confirmed

   If you use double opt-in, a customer who never clicked the confirmation link stays pending and is never alerted, even if the product restocks. In Back in stock alerts > Reports > Back in stock > Current waitlist, check the signup’s status. If it’s unconfirmed, resend the confirmation email from the waitlist. SMS signups are always confirmed automatically, so this only affects email.

2. Automatic sending is on

   In Back in stock alerts > Settings > Notifications, confirm Send automatic notification is on. With it off, STOQ collects signups but never sends on its own, you send them yourself from the waitlist. See Send alerts manually.

3. The restock cleared your minimum restock quantity

   In the same Notifications settings, check the Minimum restock quantity. STOQ only alerts once a variant’s available quantity reaches or passes this number, so a restock of 2 units with a minimum of 10 sends nothing. Lower the minimum, or restock enough to clear it. See Set a minimum restock quantity.

4. The product and variant are eligible

   The product and the exact variant the customer waited on must be Active and published to the Online Store. Signups are per variant, so restocking a different variant doesn’t alert them. See Product eligibility.

5. The restock actually registered as going back in stock

   STOQ sends when Shopify reports available inventory rising from at or below zero to at or above your minimum. An item that was never actually at zero, or a quantity set by a method Shopify doesn’t report as an inventory change, may not trigger an alert. Confirm the variant genuinely went out of stock and then back in.

6. No delivery filter is holding it back

   Under Settings > Delivery settings, location or market filtering can limit who is alerted, and batched delivery paces sends over hours rather than all at once, so an alert may be queued rather than missing. See Delivery settings.

7. Check the send log

   In Reports > Back in stock > Notifications sent, look for the alert. If it’s listed, it sent (check the customer’s spam, or SMS delivery). If the customer is still under Current waitlist with nothing in Notifications sent, one of the checks above is the reason. See Track notifications.

Still nothing after the checklist

SMS specifically isn't sending

SMS needs carrier verification before it can send, and a paid plan. Confirm SMS is enabled in your alert settings and that verification is complete. See SMS verification and approval.

Nothing sends for any product

Confirm you’re not out of email or SMS credits for the month, and that automatic sending is on. If sending is paused, the Notifications settings show a banner. Contact support if it persists.

Only some customers on the waitlist got the alert

That’s usually batching (sends are paced over time) or a location or market filter excluding the rest. Check Delivery settings. Customers who signed up after the restock fired aren’t included in that send.

FAQ

How soon after a restock does the alert go out?

Automatic alerts rely on Shopify inventory webhooks and usually send within a minute or two, unless batching is on, which paces them over a few hours.

Does restocking below my minimum quantity send anything?

No. STOQ waits until available inventory reaches or passes your Minimum restock quantity before alerting anyone for that variant.

A customer says they never signed up but expected an alert

They may have closed the form before submitting, or signed up for a different variant. Search the waitlist for their email or phone to confirm whether a signup exists.

Can I resend an alert that already went out?

You can send manually from the waitlist, but STOQ won’t re-send the automatic alert for a restock it already processed. See Send alerts manually.

Related guides

Test back in stock alertsRun a signup, restock, and alert end to end.

Set a minimum restock quantityThe threshold a restock has to clear before alerts send.

Require double opt-inWhy unconfirmed signups don't get alerted.

Track notificationsThe send log of what went out and when.