Which alerts to switch on (the 7 checks explained)

A plain-English guide to the 7 automation alert checks and a sensible starting threshold for each one.

Automations in DashVue watch a small set of business metrics and flag you when one crosses a line you set. This article explains what each of the 7 checks measures, in plain English, and gives a sensible starting threshold so you are not guessing.

How the alerts engine works

Each check watches one number: an order count, a percentage, or a pound value. You choose a threshold and DashVue compares the current value against it. Some checks fire when a value goes at or above your threshold (a problem that is growing, like loss-making orders). Others fire when a value drops at or below your threshold (coverage that is shrinking, like the share of listings with a cost price set). You can also set a severity of info, warning, or critical for each rule, which just changes how prominently the alert is shown, not whether it fires.

DashVueAsk DashVueAIOVERVIEWShipDashboardCalendarSTOCKStockRepricerSELLINGOrdersOffers3ReturnsMessagesFeedbackFINANCEReportsTax centreExpensesCost of GoodsInsightsSettingsSAccountseller@example.comOverviewGENERALAccountBillingTeamBUSINESSBusiness ProfileInvoicesPick ListWORKFLOWeBay ConnectionBusiness PoliciesShipping IntegrationListing ViolationsAlertsADVANCEDUsagePreferencesAsk DashVueRoadmapDanger ZoneAlertsTell DashVue what to watch. We check every day and flag anything that crosses your line - no formulas, no spreadsheets.Re-checkFIRING NOW1Needs your attentionALL CLEAR4Checks on the safe sideWATCHING5 / 7Checks switched onLoss-making orders is 2 - at or above your 1 alert.Act nowWhat to watch5 of 7 onSwitch on the checks that matter to you, then set the line that trips them. Changes save the moment you make them.Loss-making orders (30 days)We'll flag orders that sold for less than they cost you.Alert me when thisreaches or goes above1 itemAct nowFiringCash tied up in dead stockWe'll flag cash sitting in stock that just isn't moving.Alert me when thisreaches or goes above£500Worth a lookAll clearCOGS coverageWe'll flag listings with no cost price, so your profit is a guess.Alert me when thisdrops to or below80%Worth a lookAll clearRefund rate (12 months)We'll flag refunds and claims creeping up.Overselling risksWe'll flag listings that could sell stock you don't actually have.Alert me when thisreaches or goes above1 itemAct nowAll clearLow-stock itemsWe'll flag best-sellers about to run dry.VAT threshold usedWe'll flag your turnover nearing the £90k VAT line.Alert me when thisreaches or goes above85%Worth a lookAll clearHow alerts workEvery check runs live on this page and once a day in the background. Nothing here ever changes your listings or prices.
The whole Alerts page: the at-a-glance summary, the needs-attention feed, then the highlighted What to watch list where each of the seven checks has its own toggle, threshold and severity (demo values).

Profit and cash checks

  1. Loss-making orders (30 days). Counts orders sold below cost in the last 30 days. This depends on you having a cost price set on the listing, so it only catches losses on items with a cost recorded. Starting threshold: 1, so you hear about the very first loss-making order rather than a backlog of them.
  2. Cash tied up in dead stock. Adds up the capital sitting in stock that is 60 days old or older and still unsold. Starting threshold: £500. Raise it if you routinely carry that much stock and only want to know about larger amounts.
  3. COGS coverage. The percentage of your active listings that have a cost price set. This one fires when coverage drops below your threshold, not above it. Starting threshold: 80%. Below that, treat your profit and margin figures elsewhere in the dashboard as estimates, since a meaningful share of listings have no cost recorded and are not included accurately.
  4. Refund rate (12 months). Your refund and claim rate over a trailing 12 month window, not a single week or month, so it will not spike on one bad day and will not react instantly to a sudden run of returns either. Starting threshold: 5%.

Stock and fulfilment checks

  1. Overselling risks. Flags any listing where the quantity you could sell across your channels could exceed the stock you actually hold. Starting threshold: 1, so any single at-risk listing is surfaced straight away.
  2. Low-stock items. Counts items that are at or below the reorder point you have set for them. Starting threshold: 1.

DashVue never writes stock back to eBay

Both stock checks are monitors, not fixes. DashVue does not push quantity changes back to your eBay listings. When an overselling or low-stock alert fires, you still need to restock, pause the listing, or update the quantity directly on eBay yourself.

VAT threshold check

This tracks your rolling 12 month turnover against the UK VAT registration threshold of £90,000. It is a rolling window, not your tax year, so it moves every time a month drops out the back and a new one is added at the front. Starting threshold: 85% of the £90,000 line, which gives you a buffer to plan ahead rather than finding out once you have already crossed it.

Tracking only

DashVue tracks your progress towards the VAT threshold; it does not register you for VAT or file anything on your behalf. Once this alert is close to firing, speak to an accountant or check HMRC guidance about registering.

Getting started

You do not need to switch all 7 on at once. A reasonable starting set is loss-making orders, overselling risks, and the VAT threshold check, since these three cover the highest-cost surprises: selling at a loss, promising stock you do not have, and missing a VAT registration deadline. Add the rest once you are comfortable with how alerts show up, and adjust any threshold at any time from the Automations settings. See the related articles below for more on setting up automations.

Last updated 2026-07-05.

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