Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more

To capture both stock states reliably, set inventory deliberately in a Shopify test store, select the same product variant and location for each capture, and use the same browser, viewport, and screenshot scope. Capture once while the variant is unavailable, change its quantity to make it available, then repeat. A back-in-stock notification signup is different: its setup depends on the store’s theme or app, so there is no universal form-setting procedure.

Prepare controlled inventory states

Use a test theme or test store rather than relying on live inventory that can change while you work. Shopify’s test-theme guidance recommends setting quantities intentionally, including an example product that is sold out and products whose variants have different quantities.

  1. Create or choose a test product. Give it the same options and variants you want to show in the captures.
  2. Set the unavailable state. Set the selected variant’s quantity to zero at the relevant location, or otherwise configure the store so that variant is unavailable.
  3. Set the available state. Plan to change that same variant to a positive quantity for the second capture.
  4. Check location inventory. Availability can differ by location. Shopify’s examples include variants available at some locations but sold out at others, as well as variants sold out everywhere. Keep the location or market context consistent between captures.

If your test environment has multiple locations, Shopify notes that CSV-imported inventory quantities default to zero. Adjust quantities manually before capturing; an imported product may appear unavailable even if you expected it to be in stock.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Verify what the storefront renders

Open the product page and select the exact variant you intend to document. Shopify’s inventory and product-merchandising example derives an “In stock” or “Out of stock” label from the selected variant, or the first available variant, and updates rendered section content when option selections change. That means the page’s displayed label may depend on the selected options rather than the product’s overall inventory alone.

#1 Best Overall
Sale
Motorola Moto g - 2026 | Unlocked | Made for US 4/128GB | 50MP Camera | Pantone Slipstream, Cellular_Phone
  • Universal unlocked. Compatible with all major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and other prepaid carriers.
  • Super-bright, super-smooth 6.7" display. See your screen clearly even outdoors in sunlight, and enjoy seamless views with a fast-refreshing 120Hz display.*
  • AI-powered camera system. Take stunning photos in any light with the 50MP camera**, look your best with a 32MP selfie cam*****, and capture extreme close-ups.
  • Superfast 5G performance. Unleash your entertainment at 5G speed*** with the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset and up to 12GB of RAM with RAM Boost****.
  • Long-lasting battery + TurboPower charging. Power through day after day with a 5200mAh battery, then get hours of power in just minutes.****
  • Confirm the selected option values before capturing.
  • Check the visible availability label and, where relevant, the purchase control.
  • If the storefront uses market- or location-specific availability, use the same context for both states.

Capture the unavailable and available screenshots

Playwright can capture a full page or a specific locator and can compare screenshots to reference images. For this before-and-after workflow, use the same URL, viewport, browser setup, and screenshot scope in each run. The example below captures the product panel; replace the selector and URL with those from your test store.

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const url = 'https://your-test-store.example/products/test-product';
const productPanel = '[data-testid="product-details"]';

const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 1000 } });
await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });

// Select the intended option if the product does not load in that variant by default.
// Example only: replace the label and selector with your store's actual controls.
// await page.getByLabel('Size').selectOption('medium');

await page.locator(productPanel).screenshot({ path: 'product-state.png' });
await browser.close();

For a whole-page record, replace the locator screenshot with await page.screenshot({ path: 'product-state.png', fullPage: true });. If the page updates asynchronously after a variant selection, wait for the intended stock label or other stable UI signal before taking the screenshot; do not assume that navigation completion means the selected state has finished rendering.

Rank #2
Sale
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G Smart Phone 128GB US 1 Yr Manufacturer Warranty Black | Large AMOLED, High-Res Camera, Durable Design, Super Fast Charging, Expandable Storage, Circle to Search, 2025
  • YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
  • LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
  • MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
  • NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
  • BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
  1. Set the selected variant to unavailable and verify the page shows the expected state.
  2. Run the capture and label the file clearly, such as product-sold-out.png.
  3. Change inventory for that same variant at the same location so it is available.
  4. Reload or refresh the storefront state, verify the new availability label, and capture again as product-in-stock.png.
  5. Compare the images, treating availability as the intended change and keeping other inputs fixed.

Keep the comparison fair and repeatable

Holding the product, variant, location or market, viewport, and capture scope constant is essential: otherwise the screenshots may differ for reasons besides inventory. This is a practical consequence of Shopify’s variant- and location-specific availability behavior.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Playwright warns that screenshot rendering can vary with operating system, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, and headless mode. Generate and compare captures in the same environment. For automated visual comparisons, Playwright also supports reference-image comparisons and options such as masking dynamic regions or applying screenshot-only styles; use those controls only for elements that are irrelevant to the stock-state change.

Rank #3
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G 128GB Cell Phone, Unlocked Android Smartphone, Large AMOLED Display, Durable Design, Super Fast Charging, Expandable Storage, US Version, 2025, Blue Black (Renewed)
  • Charger NOT Included, 6.7" Super AMOLED FHD+, 90Hz Refresh Rate, 385 ppi, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px, 5000mAh Battery
  • 128GB, 4GB RAM, microSDXC, Exynos 1330 (5nm), Octa-Core, Mali-G68 MP2 or Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
  • Rear Camera: 50MP, f/1.8 (wide) + 5MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide) + 2MP, f/2.4 (macro), LED flash, panorama, HDR; Front Camera: 13MP, f/2.0, Android 14, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
  • 3G: HSDPA 850/900/1700(AWS)/1900/2100; 4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12/13/14/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/39/40/41/48/66/71, 5G: 2/5/25/41/66/71/77/78 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - Nano-SIM + eSIM
  • US Model – Global Connectivity – Compatible with Most GSM Carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, MetroPCS, etc. Will Also work with CDMA Carriers Such as Verizon, Straight Talk.

Back-in-stock forms are theme- or app-specific

An “Out of stock” label and a back-in-stock signup form are separate features. The Shopify inventory and rendering guidance establishes how stock labels can reflect variant availability, but it does not establish one universal notification-form setup. Check the documentation and configuration for the specific theme or app installed on the store, then test the form in that environment. Do not infer that making inventory available automatically creates or removes a notification form.

Troubleshoot mismatched captures

  • The sold-out capture says “In stock.” Check the selected variant and its quantity at the location used by the storefront. The page may be showing a different or first-available variant.
  • The available capture still says “Out of stock.” Verify the quantity was changed for the correct variant and location, then reload and wait for the updated section to render.
  • Imported test products all look unavailable. In a multiple-location test environment, CSV-imported quantities default to zero according to Shopify; adjust them manually.
  • Repeated screenshots differ unexpectedly. Confirm the same operating system, browser version and mode, viewport, settings, and capture scope are used. Mask or suppress dynamic content only when it is unrelated to the comparison.
  • The notification form is missing. Check whether the active theme or installed app provides it and whether its own conditions are satisfied. Inventory-label documentation alone does not specify a universal notification feature.
  • A component selector fails. Inspect the test page for the actual product-panel selector and update the example’s productPanel value; the sample selector is illustrative, not a Shopify-wide standard.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo can capture a page with one API request. Its capture flow accepts consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before the shot; these steps can be turned off. Only clean shots are billed: bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. It also provides an MCP server with screenshot, page-info, and PDF tools for AI agents.

For example, save an image capture of the product page:

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #4
Sale
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G Smart Phone 128GB, US 1 Yr Manufacturer Warranty Blue | Large AMOLED, High-Res Camera, Durable Design, Super Fast Charging, Expandable Storage, Circle to Search, 2025
  • YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
  • LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
  • MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
  • NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
  • BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://your-test-store.example/products/test-product -o product-state.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo has a free plan with 1,000 shots a month and no card required; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Learn about ScreenshotNeo or sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I capture only the product panel instead of the whole page?

Yes. Playwright supports locator screenshots; use the selector for the product component in your store rather than a presumed universal selector.

Best Value
Tracfone Motorola Moto G 2025, 64GB, Saphire Blue (Locked to
  • Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone wireless network. Tracfone plan required, activating is easy, just 3 steps.
  • DISPLAY: Immersive viewing on a 6.7-inch super-bright 120Hz display with powerful stereo speakers and Bass Boost for cinematic entertainment.
  • CAMERA SYSTEM: Advanced 50MP Quad Pixel camera captures sharp, detailed photos and videos in any lighting condition
  • PERFORMANCE: Lightning-fast 5G connectivity paired with a powerful processor and RAM Boost for smooth multitasking.
  • BATTERY LIFE: Long-lasting 5000mAh battery with TurboPower charging technology delivers hours of power in minutes.

Does setting a product to in stock automatically enable a back-in-stock form?

No universal behavior is established. The form depends on the particular theme or app, so check that product’s setup.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.