In early December 2025, TikTok Shop US introduced a new inventory management feature called Backorder Quantity Thresholds. It allows approved TikTok sellers to keep accepting orders even when an item is temporarily out of stock. This can help reduce lost sales during short restocking gaps.
To use this feature, you need to configure two key settings:
- Backorder quantity – the number of additional orders you can accept while out of stock.
- Handling time – the number of days required to process and fulfill backordered items.
Together, these settings determine how many backorders you’ll accept and set clear expectations for when fulfillment updates should be sent to TikTok Shop.
Eligibility and Activation Requirements
The backorder feature is currently available only to selected, qualified sellers and requires approval through TikTok account management. Once approved, you’ll have to enable backorders in TikTok Seller Center on the product detail page.
Keep in mind that backorders come with operational limits. Buyers can place orders only while backorder inventory is available. Once the backorder quantity reaches zero, the listing stops accepting additional backorders. TikTok Shop also applies listing limits for backorders, so you should plan which products to enable based on their replenishment strategy.
For buyers, TikTok Shop labels these items as “On backorder” and displays an estimated delivery date based on your handling time. This helps set expectations at checkout and post-purchase, and can reduce the risk of cancellations driven by unclear delivery timelines.
For more information on the affected markets and supported API versions, refer to TikTok’s official documentation.
How M2E Helps with TikTok Shop Operations
If you manage TikTok Shop through M2E, you can run day-to-day operations from a more centralized workflow. M2E helps synchronize key data between TikTok Shop and your Adobe Commerce (Magento) store, reducing manual work and ensuring consistent inventory and order processes across channels.
