Symptoms
- Invalid value [availability]
- Missing value [availability]
- A file uploads but affected items cannot be processed as expected
Common causes
- Values such as true/false or yes/no instead of supported terms
- Extra spaces, inconsistent casing, or a shifted column
- A blank availability field
- A correct feed value that disagrees with the landing page or live data
How to check
- Confirm each file row uses a supported availability value
- Check for leading/trailing spaces and shifted columns
- Separate file-format errors from website or automatic-update mismatches
How to fix
- Use supported feed values such as in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder, or backorder
- Repair delimiter or row-width problems before resubmitting
- If the file value is valid, investigate landing-page and live-data consistency in Merchant Center
Prevention
- Generate availability from one controlled source
- Validate the final exported file rather than the spreadsheet view
- Do not use the offline checker to infer website or account state
Evidence and scope
This page passed TinkerVane's Evidence Gate: a documented real problem, clear search intent, a matching file-level capability, a duplicate-content check, and an explicit overclaim boundary.