Google Merchant Center Availability and Condition Attributes: Common Errors and Fixes

Published: 2026-06-09

Why Availability and Condition Matter

Availability and condition are required attributes for most Google Shopping products. Google uses them to filter search results and to maintain the quality of Shopping ads. If a user clicks an ad for an in-stock item and finds it out of stock, that is a bad experience Google penalizes. Persistent mismatches between your feed data and your landing page can trigger a Merchant Center account suspension.

Availability: The Four Values

Google accepts four values for the availability attribute: in_stock (available to purchase now), out_of_stock (not currently available), preorder (not yet released, can be ordered in advance), and backorder (temporarily out of stock but can be ordered). Use in_stock only when the product can actually be purchased and fulfilled within your stated shipping timeframe. Do not use in_stock for products with no stock but no out_of_stock update in the feed.

The Most Common Availability Error

The most common error is a feed that does not update when products go out of stock. If your feed refreshes daily but a product sells out overnight, it shows in_stock in Google's system when it is actually unavailable. The fix is to either increase feed refresh frequency or use the Content API to push real-time availability updates. Google strongly recommends API-based updates for high-velocity products.

Condition: New, Refurbished, Used

Google accepts three values for condition: new (brand new, in original packaging, never used), refurbished (professionally restored to working order, may not include original packaging), and used (previously used, in working condition). The condition on your feed must match what is displayed on your landing page. Submitting new for a product that the landing page describes as refurbished is a policy violation.

Condition Mismatches and Suspensions

Google's automated systems crawl landing pages and compare attribute values to what they find. A condition mismatch where your feed says new but your page says refurbished will result in item disapprovals. If the pattern is widespread across your catalog, it can escalate to an account-level suspension under the Misrepresentation policy. Review your feed values against your landing pages before submitting a suspension appeal.

How to Audit Your Availability Data

In Merchant Center, go to Products and filter by disapproval reason. Look for Incorrect product information or Availability mismatch. For each disapproved item, compare the feed value to your live landing page. If you have a large catalog, export the feed and run a comparison against a live crawl of your pages. Fix the discrepancies, update the feed, and request a manual review if the account is suspended.