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Understanding Availability

Availability is at the heart of the rental system. It determines whether a customer can book a product for their requested dates and times. EquipDash calculates availability in real time based on your inventory, active bookings, and items in the workshop.

How Availability Is Calculated​

For any given product and date range, EquipDash runs this calculation:

Available = Total Stock - Reserved - Picked Up - In Workshop

FactorDescription
Total StockThe total number of inventory units you own for this product
ReservedUnits assigned to confirmed bookings that overlap with the requested dates
Picked UpUnits currently out with customers
In WorkshopUnits currently in the workshop for maintenance

If the result is greater than zero, the product is available. If it is zero or negative, the product is fully booked (or you have a shortage).

Example​

You have 10 surfboards:

  • 3 are reserved for upcoming bookings
  • 2 are currently picked up by customers
  • 1 is in the workshop

Available: 10 - 3 - 2 - 1 = 4 surfboards

Availability with Variations​

When a product has variations (e.g., sizes), availability is calculated per variation. A customer booking a Medium wetsuit only sees availability for Medium units, not the total across all sizes.

Availability with Item Tracking​

With item-level tracking, each individual unit has its own status. EquipDash checks the status of every unit to determine the count in each category (reserved, picked up, in workshop, available).

Availability with Group Tracking​

With group-level tracking, the total stock is a single number. EquipDash deducts bookings from this number to calculate what is available. You do not track which specific item goes to which customer.

Buffer Time and Availability​

If you have set up buffer time on a product (e.g., 1 hour before and after each booking for cleaning), EquipDash includes the buffer periods when checking for overlaps. This means:

  • A booking from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 1-hour buffer blocks the item from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
  • Another customer trying to book from 5:00 PM will see the item as unavailable until 6:00 PM.

Rental Period Limits and Availability​

If you have set minimum or maximum rental durations on a product, customers will be prevented from booking outside those limits -- even if inventory is available.

Real-Time Updates​

Availability is calculated in real time. When:

  • A new booking is created, availability decreases immediately.
  • A booking is canceled, availability increases immediately.
  • An item is sent to the workshop, availability decreases.
  • An item is returned from the workshop, availability increases.

There is no delay -- the widget and calendar always show current availability.

The booking widget showing a product with available dates highlighted and unavailable dates grayed out.

Shortages​

A shortage occurs when you have more reservations than stock for a given date. This can happen if:

  • Bookings were created before inventory was fully set up.
  • Stock was reduced after bookings were made.
  • Items were sent to the workshop that were already reserved.

EquipDash highlights shortages in the availability report so you can take action (e.g., contact customers to reschedule or source additional stock).

The availability report highlighting products with shortages where demand exceeds available stock