Availability requirements

The availability requirement offers you additional ways to manage availability of inventory beyond the standard available column described in minimum catalog requirements.

Column	Data type	Description	Example	Customer experience
balance_on_hand	float	The approximate number of an item on hand in a particular location. You primarily control this value by providing it in your inventory file or by updating it through Instacart Platform Portal. Storefront display can also be influenced by a machine learning algorithm based on shopper found rates.	53	None available
in_assortment	boolean	Controls whether an item is visible on your storefront. Set to TRUE to show temporarily unavailable items—items that you expect to be available soon—with an out-of-stock badge. Set to FALSE to hide items from search results—useful for controlling the visibility of seasonal or discontinued products. You primarily control this value by providing it in your inventory file or by updating it through Instacart Platform Portal. Storefront display can also be influenced by a machine learning algorithm based on shopper found rates.	TRUE	None available
last_sold_date	date (no timestamp)	The last date this item was sold in the store, in the format MM/DD/YYYY. You control this value through your inventory file.	10/20/2017	None available
max_in_cart	integer	The maximum number a customer can purchase at once. An empty row or 0 allows the customer to buy any amount and removes the max_in_cart function from this item. If cost_unit = each then max_in_cart value is by item. If cost_unit = lb, kg, and no par_weight, then max_in_cart value is by cost_unit (lb or kg). If par_weight is given, the system rounds down to the lowest whole item. You control this value through your inventory file.	4 [maximum of 4] 0 [No maximum set] Per lb or kg example: Steak, $5.00 / lb, par_weight = 0.5lbs, max_in_cart = 1.5 A customer can buy a maximum of 1.5 lbs, or a maximum of three steaks (0.5 lbs each): Steak, $5.00/lb, no par_weight, max_in_cart=1.5	View full image