Overselling

I have a problem with zencart overselling stock. We have a site which usually only does instock items and we restock every couple of weeks so we usually have many people online and sell out very quickly and evey time some stock always oversells. I have searched the forum and changed everything to the correct settings in configuration -> stock as per the threads I have searched.. It is very frustrating because a lot of the stock is one offs and we cannot get the same item so therefore a customer always misses out and ends up going away disgruntled. It is getting to the point where we are considering looking else where for a different cart. We have done some tests and if the same item is put through checkout in quick succession it will oversell. Is there any way to allow an item with 1 in stock to be shown as out of stock while in someones cart? If an item can only be placed in 1 cart then it can't oversell right? I am out of ideas and any help would be extremely appreciated.

Seems to me that you're looking at the lesser of two evils, kind of.

If the item was removed from inventory when placed in the cart, then all the items in abandoned carts would be unavailable for purchase for a period of time.

Removing items from inventory when the order is finalized works best for most of us, but not for you guys who sell one-offs.

I can't think of a third possibility. Maybe a switch in a new Zencart version, or a mod that tests for the number of items in inventory, and if it's 1, and if that item is in a cart, it shows out of stock. You might try the Commercial Help Wanted forum.

I am quite flabbergasted tbh. I would have though not overselling would be a basic function of shopping cart software. It has certainly made me rethink my opinion of zencart.

Why not give yourself a cushion and only list 90% of stock quantity?

If you have 100 units of 'widget' then state 90 within Zen Cart.

Website Rob:

Why not give yourself a cushion and only list 90% of stock quantity?

If you have 100 units of 'widget' then state 90 within Zen Cart.

because a good majority of the stock which is hand made is a one off and not reproducable in the exact same style colour etc. Makes it hard to list 90% of 1 item lol