Clearance Flow · Guide
How to find and clear dead stock on Shopify
Short answer: dead stock is inventory that has stopped selling. To find it in Shopify, compare each variant's last sale date with the stock you still hold, across every location. Then clear the worst of it first with targeted discounts, bundles or a clearance collection, and stop reordering it.
What counts as dead stock?
Dead stock is product you still hold that has had no sales for a long time and is unlikely to sell without action. There is no single cut-off. Many stores use three levels:
- Slow-moving: no sale for about 30 days.
- Stagnant: no sale for about 60 days.
- Dead stock / clearance candidate: no sale for 90 days or more.
Adjust these to what you sell. Seasonal and made-to-order products sell in bursts, so judge them against their season, not the calendar.
Why it matters
- Cash: the money you paid for unsold stock can't pay for products that do sell.
- Holding costs: storage, insurance and handling continue while it sits.
- Value: fashion, tech, food and cosmetics lose value or expire the longer they wait.
How to find dead stock in Shopify by hand
- Export your products with inventory (Products → Export) so you have available stock per variant. If you use several locations, make sure you add them up.
- Export sales by variant for the last 90 days or more (Analytics → Reports; which reports you have depends on your Shopify plan).
- In a spreadsheet, match the two by SKU or variant and find the last date each variant sold. Variants with stock but no sale in your window are your candidates.
- Add the cost per item (Products → variant → Cost per item) to see how much money each one ties up, and sort by that so you start with the biggest.
- Watch for traps: very new products, refunds, test orders and stock split across locations.
Or do it automatically. Clearance Flow reads your products, inventory and orders and lists every variant that stopped selling, with days since its last sale, available units across all locations, the cash tied up and a plain-language reason. It won't call something 90 days unsold if it only has 30 days of history. There is a free plan for up to 25 variants.
Seven ways to clear dead stock
- Targeted discount. Discount only the slow variants, not the whole store. Start small (around 15%) and go deeper for the oldest stock. Keep the sale price above your cost unless clearing the space matters more than the margin.
- Clearance collection. Put sale items in one collection on your storefront so bargain hunters can find them.
- Bundles. Pair a slow product with a best-seller at a small saving.
- Free gift with purchase. Use low-cost dead stock as a gift above an order value.
- Sell in bulk. Offer it to outlets, liquidators or wholesale buyers.
- Donate. Tax treatment varies by country, so check with your accountant.
- Sell before it expires. For dated products, track batches and discount them in steps as the expiry date approaches.
How to stop dead stock coming back
- Stop reordering a product as soon as it becomes slow-moving.
- Order smaller quantities of new or untested products.
- Review slow movers every month, not once a year.
- Keep the cost per item filled in for every product so you can see the money at stake.
Frequently asked questions
How many days without a sale is dead stock?
Commonly 90 days or more, with 30 and 60 days as earlier warning levels. Use longer windows for seasonal or slow, high-value products.
Does Shopify have a dead stock report?
Shopify shows sales and inventory, but finding variants with stock and no recent sales usually means combining exports or using an app.
Should I sell dead stock below cost?
Only when the space or cash is worth more than the loss, for example before a product expires. Otherwise keep clearance prices at or above cost.