> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ekho.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Publish and channels

> Getting listings live, and enabling online sales.

Two separate decisions per vehicle: **is the listing visible**, and **can it be bought online**.

## Publish states

| State           | Buyers                              |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Draft**       | Cannot see it. Still being prepared |
| **Published**   | Can see the listing                 |
| **Unpublished** | Hidden after having been published  |

Save as draft while you work, publish when it is ready, unpublish to pull it without deleting anything. An unpublished listing can be re-published later with its data intact.

<Warning>
  A vehicle with incomplete or invalid [pricing](/transaction-engine/inventory/pricing) cannot be published. That is the most common reason publishing fails.
</Warning>

## Sales channels

Publishing makes a listing visible. **Online sales state** decides whether a buyer can actually complete a purchase.

You can have a published listing that is not enabled for online sale, which shows the vehicle and captures inquiries without offering checkout. That is a legitimate setup for units you want visible but not sellable online.

Change the online sales state per vehicle, or use **bulk enable** across many units at once.

## Bulk actions

Both publishing and enabling online sales support bulk operations, which is how you handle a daily intake rather than clicking through units one at a time.

<Tip>
  Make publishing part of your daily routine. New units sitting in draft are inventory nobody can find, and it is the easiest revenue to leave on the table.
</Tip>

## How this relates to availability

Publish state and availability are different things, and the [AI Sales Agent](/sales-agent/knowledge/inventory-and-website) uses availability.

* A **draft** unit that is available on your lot **can** be quoted by the agent.
* A **published** unit already locked to another order **cannot**.

A **Locked** indicator shows when a unit is assigned to an in-progress order. That is why a published unit may not be sellable.

<Card title="Inventory overview" icon="boxes-stacked" href="/transaction-engine/inventory/overview">
  More on availability versus published.
</Card>