List a pre-ordered or back-ordered product

Back-orders: You can set up back-orders when the product has already been sold in the past and is currently out of stock. Through back-orders, you can accept orders for now, and ship it at a later date (restock date) when the product is back in stock. Only enable back-orders when you can fulfill the order within 30 days.

Pre-orders: You can set up pre-orders when the product is not yet ready for sale and you want to accept orders in advance. A product that has a release date in the future is generally buyable as a pre-order.

The "promised ship date" is the date you promise to ship a product to the buyer. For a back-order and a pre-order product, we set the promised ship date to the restock date and release date, respectively, unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or certain holidays. In those cases, the promised ship date is the first available shipping date after the restock date or release date.Sellers are responsible for ensuring that pre-order products are received no earlier than the release date (unless authorized by the rights holder). Failure to meet shipping and delivery requirements may impact your Account Health Rating and your ability to list pre-order products.

How to set up back-order products

To list a back-ordered product using Manage All Inventory, do the following:

1. Select Inventory from the Seller Central menu, and then click Manage all inventory.
2. Search for the seller-fulfilled product that you want to set up back-ordering for, and then click Edit.
3. In the Offer section, click the calendar icon next to the Restock date (restock_date) field to select a date when the product will be available for sale.
4. Click Save and finish.

To set up back-order products using an inventory file upload, do the following:

1. Download the category-specific inventory file template.
2. In the Restock date (restock_date) column, enter the date when the product will be back in stock. Provide all values for the required columns, including: SKU, Item price, and Quantity. You will also need to enter PartialUpdate in the Update/delete (update_delete) column.
3. In Seller Central, select Catalog, and then click Add Products via Upload.
4. On the Add Products via Upload page, upload your inventory file.

How to set up pre-order products

To list a pre-ordered product using Add Products, do the following:

1. Select Catalog, and then click Add Products.
2. Click I'm adding a product not sold on Amazon.
3. Select the product category and type.
4. Select Advanced view .
5. In the Offers tab, click the calendar icon next to the Release date field to select a date that is no more than 30 days in the future (10 days for Books).
6. When all of the remaining listing information has been captured, click Save and Finish.

To set up pre-order products using an inventory file upload, do the following:

1. Download the category-specific inventory file template.
2. In the Release date (merchant_release_date) column, enter the date when the product will be available. You will also need to enter Update in the Update/delete (update_delete) column.
3. In Seller Central, select Catalog, and then click Add Products via Upload.
4. On the Add Products via Upload page, upload your inventory file.