What happens to a renewal when a product is out of stock
When a product on a subscription is out of stock on its renewal date, what happens depends on the Contract renewals choice in Settings > Out of stock. This page is the quick answer for a single renewal. For the full description of each option, see Out of Stock Settings.
Table of contents
What happens to the renewal
Setting | Customer charged? | Order created? | Next renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
Skip subscription cycle (default) | No | No | Moves forward one billing interval |
Partial renewals | Only for the in-stock products | Yes, with the in-stock products | On schedule, with the skipped product back on it |
Allow overselling | Yes, in full | Yes, with every product | On schedule |
With Partial renewals, if every product is out of stock, the cycle is skipped as with Skip subscription cycle. When a cycle is skipped, the customer and you get the Subscription out of stock emails.
What you see on the subscription
- The Timeline on the subscription records the skipped cycle or the partial renewal.
- A skipped renewal can show an Inventory error under Last payment error on the Subscriptions list.
- The Out of stock and Partially out of stock badges, and the Inventory level filter on the Subscriptions list, show today's stock for the subscription's products.
What to do next
- Send a skipped item now: edit the renewal order in Shopify (Orders > open the order > Edit > add the product), or create a draft order. Don't use Renew immediately for this, because it charges the whole subscription again.
- Charge a skipped renewal after restocking: click Renew immediately on the subscription, or wait for its next billing date. For many active subscriptions, use the Renew immediately bulk action.
- The variant was deleted or replaced: it always counts as out of stock. Click Edit on the subscription and switch to the current variant.
- Stop renewals being held back by stock: choose Allow overselling in Settings > Out of stock, or turn on Continue selling when out of stock on specific products in Shopify.
Related guides
- Out of Stock Settings
- Understanding billing attempt failures
- Where to find failed or past-due subscriptions
Updated on: 09/24/2026
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