FAQ
Pricing
Is there a cost?
No. Back-in-Stock is free, with every feature included and no alert limits. There is an optional $1/month plan if you'd like to support ongoing development, but it unlocks nothing — everything works exactly the same whether you contribute or not.
Why is it free?
It's built and maintained by one developer, and it exists partly to demonstrate the work. Keeping it free means more stores use it, which is the point. If it earns its keep for you, the $1 plan helps cover server and email costs.
Will it stay free?
Yes. The free plan is not a trial and won't be reduced later to push you toward paying.
Setup
How does Back-in-Stock work?
When a product variant is out of stock, a signup form appears on the product page. Customers leave their email address. We watch your inventory, and as soon as that exact variant is restocked, everyone waiting for it gets an email with a direct link back to the product.
Will it work with my theme?
It works with any Online Store 2.0 theme. The widget is a theme app extension, so you enable it from the theme editor and it inherits your theme's fonts — no code edits, and nothing is injected into your theme files. See the quick start guide.
Will it slow my store down?
No. The widget only loads on product pages, renders only when a variant is out of stock, and adds no blocking scripts. Removing the app removes it completely, with no leftover theme code.
What happens when only some variants are back?
Alerts are per variant, not per product. If someone is waiting for size M and only size L is restocked, they aren't emailed — they keep waiting until their own variant is available. This is the single biggest source of complaints with cruder tools, and it's why we track at variant level.
Emails
Will the alerts land in spam?
Every alert carries a working unsubscribe link and the one-click unsubscribe headers Gmail and Yahoo require from bulk senders. Because customers explicitly asked to be notified, engagement is high — all of which helps deliverability. For the best results, send from your own domain: set a sender address in Settings, and make sure that domain's SPF and DKIM records authorize it.
Can I use my own sender address?
Yes — set it under Settings. Make sure the domain's SPF and DKIM records permit sending, otherwise your own domain will hurt deliverability rather than help it.
Can I change what the email says?
Yes. Settings holds a custom email template. If you leave it empty, the built-in template is used, which is already styled and supports dark mode.
Use the {{unsubscribe_url}} placeholder to control where the unsubscribe link
appears. If you leave it out, the app adds an unsubscribe footer for you — an alert is never sent
without a way to opt out.
When exactly are alerts sent?
By default, as soon as we see the restock. You can add a delay, or restrict sending to business hours, in Settings — useful if you'd rather not email customers at 3am.
How many alerts can I send?
There is no limit, on any plan.
Data and privacy
What happens to subscriber data if I uninstall?
Your access token is removed the moment you uninstall. Shopify then sends a shop-redact request 48 hours later, at which point we delete the rest of your shop's data — every subscriber email address, notification record and invoice. Customers can also unsubscribe themselves at any time via the link in each email. Full detail is in the privacy policy.
Is this GDPR compliant?
Yes. Customers opt in explicitly by entering their address, every email carries an unsubscribe link, we handle Shopify's mandatory data-request and deletion webhooks, and we never sell or share subscriber data. For a specific request, email [email protected]. We also record a single timestamp when a customer clicks the product link in an alert email, so you can see which alerts worked; this uses no cookies and stores no IP addresses.
Can I export my subscribers?
The Waitlist tab shows everyone currently waiting and for which variant. If you need a bulk export, ask — it helps to know people want it.
Still stuck?
Email [email protected] with your shop domain. See the support page for what to include.