Guides · Ski and outdoor gear

How to catch a restock in your size

Updated October 26, 2026 · 4 min read

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It's a familiar story at the end of the season: the jacket you wanted is 40% off, and every size is in stock except yours. Sold out doesn't always mean gone for good, though.

Why your size sells out, and why it comes back

The most common sizes, like a medium jacket or a men's 27.5 boot, sell first, especially once a sale starts. The odd sizes are what's left by April.

Sizes come back for a few reasons. Shoppers return things, and a returned item goes back into stock once the store processes it. Stores move stock between warehouses. And some products, especially ones that sell steadily all year, get restocked from the brand. These restocks don't come with an announcement, and a returned item can sell again within hours, which is why it pays to have something watching for you.

Set up a back-in-stock alert

1. Open the product on the store's site.
2. Pick your size and color. Many stores add the size or a variant number to the link when you choose one.
3. Copy the link and add a tracker in On Sale Alerts. Choose Back in stock and paste it.
4. Name it so you'll recognize it, like "Ski jacket, size M, blue", and choose how often to check.

If the link changed when you picked your size, the tracker watches that size. If it didn't, the tracker watches whether the product can be bought at all, which still helps when the whole product is sold out.

You'll get one alert each time it goes from sold out to available, so a product that sells out again and comes back later sends another alert. Each check uses half a credit.

How often to check

A returned item can be back on sale and sold again in the same afternoon, so check more often for something popular. For a product that's steadily restocked by the brand, twice a day is plenty. On the Free plan a tracker can check every 12 hours, on Basic every 4 hours, and on Pro every hour.

Ways to improve your odds

• Watch more than one store. If evo, REI and Backcountry all carry it, add a tracker for each store's product page.
• Consider another color. Last season's color of the same jacket is often in stock in your size, and usually cheaper.
• Watch the sale page too. If a restock comes back at a discount, a sale alert on that category will catch it.
• Turn on push or Telegram. Email works, but a phone notification is easier to act on quickly. Set it up in Settings.

Before you wait, check the sale pages

Your size might already be on sale at another store.