Can you sell a product online without having it in stock? What the Shariah ruling says

We have an online shop where we sell various medical products through advertisements. Now, if we advertise a product that we do not own, but when someone orders it we buy it from someone else and deliver it to them, taking the price from the buyer at the time of delivery — would that be permissible? This question was answered in a religious question-and-answer column.

In the answer, it was said that the Hadith prohibits selling a product that is not in one's own ownership. This is because there is a possibility of deception and fraud in it. There is little certainty about whether the seller will later be able to obtain the product, or, even if obtained, whether he will be able to hand over a product of the quality that was mentioned to the buyer.

Therefore, whether online or offline, if one wants to sell a product, one should first buy it and take it into one's possession, and only then sell it to someone else, the answer states.

However, in the method mentioned in the question, which is the prevalent practice of selling products online nowadays, buyers generally know at the time of ordering that many online sellers do not have the product in stock; rather, after receiving the order, they collect the product from someone else and deliver it.

Therefore, in this case, the buyer's order can be treated as a supply order rather than a purchase, the answer says. In that sense, it will not be impermissible. Here, the sale will be considered complete when the buyer pays the price and receives the product after delivery.

But it must be remembered that in this kind of buying and selling too, all the rules of the Shariah must be followed. It was also cautioned in the answer that it is essential to ensure there is no mismatch between the product displayed and the product supplied.