Finding out a gift went out of stock after a guest purchased it can catch you off guard. Joy handles most of these situations automatically, and what happens next depends on how the item was purchased. This article covers what to expect for each type of registry item.
Delay Shipping Items (Joy Fulfilled)
If you're using Delay Shipping, Joy pauses your order processing until you're ready to receive. Because there can be months between when a guest purchases an item and when you turn Delay Shipping off, items that were in stock at purchase time can sometimes sell out by the time you request your shipment. If that happens:
Joy automatically issues Joy Store Credit for the full value of the item, including tax and shipping.
The credit appears in your Joy Store Credit balance (different than your Joy Wallet).
You can use the credit to purchase a replacement from the Joy Shop.
To find your Joy Credit balance, go Registry from the Event Dashboard, then to your Track Gifts page and scroll down on the left side.
Joy will send you an email when this happens so you know immediately.
Seamless Checkout Items
For items purchased through Seamless Checkout (eligible Amazon and Crate & Barrel products), the order is placed with the retailer at the time of purchase. If the item becomes unavailable after that, Joy will notify you and give you the option to refund your guest or receive the value as cash.
External Registry Items
For items linked from external stores like Amazon or Target, the retailer manages stock availability. If an item goes out of stock:
The link on your Joy registry will still work, but guests will see the item listed as unavailable on the retailer's site.
Joy doesn't issue credit or refunds for external purchases. Those are handled directly by the retailer.
What to Do Next
From your Event Dashboard, click Registry, then select Track Gifts.
Check your Track Gifts page to see the status of any purchased items.
If you received Joy Store Credit from an item that went out of stock through Delay Shipping, visit the Joy Shop to find a replacement.
If an item has gone out of stock before any guest purchased it, consider hiding it from your registry to keep things current.
Still have questions?
Ask us directly! Click on the black and white chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of this page to ask us your questions, or you can email us at support@withjoy.com. You'll get a friendly response from someone on our team! 🙂