# Clarification on Catalog API sold\_out and track\_inventory behavior for variation location overrides

**URL:** <https://developer.squareup.com/forums/t/clarification-on-catalog-api-sold-out-and-track-inventory-behavior-for-variation-location-overrides/26282>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Tags:** inventory-api, catalog-api\
**Created:** [June 2, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://developer.squareup.com/forums/t/clarification-on-catalog-api-sold-out-and-track-inventory-behavior-for-variation-location-overrides/26282 "2026-06-02T19:42:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mrugal\_2026](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Mrugal\_2026](https://developer.squareup.com/forums/u/Mrugal_2026)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://developer.squareup.com/forums/t/clarification-on-catalog-api-sold-out-and-track-inventory-behavior-for-variation-location-overrides/26282/1 "2026-06-02T19:42:13Z")

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Hi Square Developer Community,

I am looking for clarification on the intended Square Catalog API behavior for variation-level `location_overrides`, specifically around `sold_out` and `track_inventory`.

We are seeing some variation location overrides returned like this:

```auto
{
  "location_id": "LOCATION_ID_EXAMPLE",
  "sold_out": true
}

```

In this example, `sold_out` is present, but `track_inventory` is not included.

We are trying to understand the correct way for an ordering integration to interpret this response.

Could someone clarify the expected behavior?

1. If Square sends `sold_out: true` for a variation at a specific location, should that variation be treated as unavailable for ordering at that location, even if `track_inventory` is missing or false?

2. Is `track_inventory` only meant to indicate whether inventory counts are being tracked, or should it also control whether `sold_out` is honored?

3. If `sold_out: true` is present but `track_inventory` is omitted or null, should integrations still treat the variation as sold out?

4. For an item with multiple variations, if only one variation has `sold_out: true`, should only that variation be unavailable while the other variations remain available?

5. Are there any cases where Square would return `sold_out: true` but still expect an ordering integration to allow that variation to be purchased?

We want to make sure our ordering behavior matches Square’s intended API behavior for location-specific variation availability.

Any official guidance or documentation links would be appreciated.

Thank you.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ashley-square](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ashley-square](https://developer.squareup.com/forums/u/ashley-square)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://developer.squareup.com/forums/t/clarification-on-catalog-api-sold-out-and-track-inventory-behavior-for-variation-location-overrides/26282/2 "2026-06-02T19:55:18Z")

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Hi! Great question. Yes, if `sold_out: true` is present for a variation at a specific location, your integration should treat that variation as unavailable for ordering at that location, regardless of whether `track_inventory` is included. The `sold_out` flag is the definitive signal for ordering availability, while `track_inventory` simply indicates whether inventory counts are being actively tracked. Most restaurants exclusively use the first method, and just toggle items as sold out on the POS without enabling inventory tracking. That’s why you’ll often see `sold_out: true` without `track_inventory` present.

This page covers the intended behavior in more detail: [https://developer.squareup.com/docs/inventory-api/monitor-sold-out-status-on-item-variation](https://developer.squareup.com/docs/inventory-api/monitor-sold-out-status-on-item-variation)