The hardest products to buy aren't the expensive ones, they're the sold-out ones. Limited sneakers, new GPUs, and console bundles restock without announcement, sell through in minutes, and disappear again. A restock alert levels the field: instead of refreshing a product page all day, you get an email the second the item (in your size) is back.
This guide explains how restock alerts work, why store "notify me" buttons fall short, and how to set up alerts that actually reach you in time.
How to get a restock alert for a specific size
For footwear and apparel, getting alerted that "the product is back" means nothing if your size is still out. PricePing tracks availability at the variant level, which means you specify exactly the size you want and only get notified when that size restocks.
Here is how to set it up:
- Find the product page. Go to Nike.com, Adidas.com, or any Shopify-powered sneaker store and open the product you want to track.
- Copy the URL from your browser's address bar. For example:
https://www.nike.com/t/air-jordan-1-retro-high-og-shoes/... - Paste it into PricePing and choose Restock tracking.
- Select your size. PricePing reads all available variants from the product and shows you the full size run. Pick US 10 (or whatever size you wear).
- Walk away. PricePing checks daily. When US 10 specifically comes back in stock, you get an email. If US 8 restocks but US 10 is still out, you hear nothing.
That last point is the important one. Most "notify me" buttons on retailer sites send you an alert when any variant of the product restocks. You'll get a notification that your shoe is "back," click through, and find only sizes 5 and 14 available. PricePing doesn't do that: if you selected US 10, the alert only fires for US 10.
What is a restock alert?
A restock alert watches a product's availability and notifies you the moment a sold-out item returns. Good restock tracking goes a step further than "in stock / out of stock", it tracks availability per variant, so you're alerted about the specific size or model you want, not just that something on the listing came back.
Why store "notify me" buttons aren't enough
Most retailers offer a "notify me when available" button. They're better than nothing, but they have real gaps:
- They batch. Many send the email hours after restock, long after a hyped drop has sold out.
- They're size-blind. You often get "back in stock" for the listing even if your size never returned.
- They're per-store. Tracking the same shoe across five retailers means signing up five times and watching five inboxes.
An independent restock tracker checks frequently, understands variants, and consolidates everything into one alert stream.
Setting up restock alerts with PricePing
PricePing tracks restocks the same way it tracks prices, paste a URL and walk away:
- Paste the product URL and choose Restock tracking.
- Select the sizes or variants you care about.
- PricePing checks availability daily and emails you the moment a tracked size comes back, with a built-in cooldown so you get one clear alert, not a stream of duplicates.
The free plan covers 10 tracked products (price and restock combined), so you can mix a few restock watches with your price-drop list at no cost.
Size-aware alerts for sneakers and apparel
For footwear and clothing, the variant is the product. A restock is useless if it's not your size. PricePing's restock tracking is size-aware: pick US 10.5, and you're only notified when US 10.5 specifically returns. That's the difference between catching a drop and watching it sell out in the time it takes to find your size on the page.
Sneaker restocks: catching limited drops without camping the page
Sneaker restocks are among the most time-sensitive buying events on the internet. A limited Air Jordan 1 or Dunk Low restock can sell through in under three minutes on Nike.com and under 30 seconds on SNKRS. The same shoe on StockX or GOAT after it sells out typically trades at 50 to 150 percent above retail.
The pattern is predictable: a style gets a general release or a small restock, sells out fast, then trickles back into availability in individual sizes as cancellations are processed and inventory is reallocated. Those secondary restocks are smaller and quieter. Stores rarely announce them. This is exactly where a restock tracker earns its place.
Air Jordan restocks happen most often at Nike.com, Foot Locker, JD Sports, and a network of Shopify-powered boutiques (like Kith, among others). Because these stores are trackable with PricePing regardless of platform, you can watch the same Jordan across multiple retailers at once.
Adidas drops (including the former Yeezy line, which continues to restock under new branding on adidas.com) follow a similar pattern. Adidas's own storefront is the most reliable source for MSRP pricing and tracked restocks, with select sizes often quietly reappearing days after a major drop.
Dunk Low and Dunk High restocks from Nike are particularly frequent targets. Nike releases thousands of Dunk colorways per year, and even "general release" pairs in popular sizes like 10 and 11 sell out within an hour. Setting a restock alert before a release drops, not after it sells out, means you're in position immediately if the product restocks.
GPU and console restocks: RTX cards and PS5
High-demand tech products follow a similar pattern. When a new GPU generation launches, MSRP stock at Best Buy, Newegg, B&H, and Micro Center is usually exhausted within hours. Secondary market prices jump.
RTX 5090 restocks: Nvidia's flagship card launched at $1,999 MSRP and sold out within hours at every major US retailer. Restocks at Best Buy and B&H have appeared intermittently since launch, typically in small quantities with no prior announcement. A restock alert on the specific card you want (Founders Edition vs. a partner board from ASUS or MSI) means you're notified the moment inventory appears.
RTX 4080 and 4080 Super: When Nvidia's previous generation launched, restock alerts were particularly valuable for cards at MSRP. Tracking multiple retailers in parallel meant catching whichever retailer received inventory first, often preventing a 20 to 30 percent markup from secondary market sellers.
PS5 restocks: During the 2021 to 2023 shortage period, PS5 units at Best Buy, Target, GameStop, and Walmart restocked without warning and sold through in minutes. Anyone tracking with restock alerts had a significant advantage over people checking manually. Even as supply normalized, the same tracking approach applies to bundle drops and special editions that arrive in limited quantities.
For GPUs and consoles, the "variant" tracked is the specific model or SKU. PricePing's size and variant tracking extends to any selectable option on a product page, not just clothing sizes.
High-demand categories where timing matters
Restock alerts pay off most in categories that sell out fast:
- Sneakers: limited releases and restocks that move in minutes.
- GPUs: new generations and restocks at MSRP that vanish quickly.
- Consoles and bundles: seasonal restocks with no warning.
- Apparel: popular sizes that sell through first.
Restock and price tracking, together
The two questions worth answering before any purchase are is it available? and is the price actually good? PricePing answers both. You can watch an item for restock and track its price history so that when it returns, you already know whether the price is a real low. Drops detected across everything people track also surface on the public deals feed.
FAQ
Are restock alerts free? Yes. PricePing's free plan includes restock tracking for up to 10 products (shared with price tracking). Pro raises the limit to 1,000.
How fast will I be notified? PricePing checks tracked items daily and emails you when a tracked size or variant returns, with a 24-hour cooldown so you aren't spammed.
Can I get a restock alert for just my shoe size? Yes. PricePing's restock tracking is per-variant: you select exactly the size you want (for example, US 10 or UK 9.5) and only receive a notification when that specific size comes back in stock. If other sizes restock but yours doesn't, you hear nothing.
Can I track a specific size only? Yes. Restock tracking is size- and variant-aware, so you're alerted only for the exact size you selected.
Do I need an app or extension? No. PricePing is web-based: paste a URL, get emails. A one-click bookmarklet is available if you prefer.
Can I track restocks on Shopify sneaker stores, not just Nike.com? Yes. PricePing works on any Shopify-powered storefront, including boutiques and smaller sneaker retailers. The size selection works the same way. See the guide to tracking prices on Shopify stores for more detail on how Shopify tracking works.
Can I track a GPU restock at multiple retailers at once? Yes. You can add the same product from Best Buy, Newegg, B&H, and Micro Center as separate tracked items. Whichever retailer restocks first sends the alert. The free plan covers 10 tracked items total; Pro covers 1,000.
Stop refreshing sold-out pages. Start tracking free. 10 products, no credit card.