Every summer the same thing happens: the heat arrives, portable air conditioners sell out, and you end up opening eight retailer tabs to find one unit that is actually in stock. A stock checker does that job for you. This page explains what we check, how often, and how to read the result, so you can stop refreshing and buy the moment something lands.
What we actually check
We track 19 portable air conditioner models across the UK retailers that genuinely sell them, and we read the retailer's own availability data rather than guessing from a page layout. That matters, because a listing can stay up long after the last unit has gone.
- Screwfix, including the Blyss own-brand range, checked every cycle.
- B&Q, which carries the EMtronics range and the MeacoCool Pro.
- Amazon.co.uk, where most of the Meaco, De'Longhi and Russell Hobbs units sit.
- Robert Dyas, for the Daewoo and Lux-Air units.
- Appliances Direct, Aircon Direct and Joybuy for the Midea PortaSplit.
That covers the brands people actually search for in the UK: Meaco and MeacoCool, EMtronics, Blyss, De'Longhi Pinguino, Russell Hobbs, Daewoo and Lux-Air, from 5,000 BTU up to 16,000 BTU.
How often it updates
Free-to-read sources are checked every five minutes, around the clock. Sources that need a paid unblocker are checked less often, because each read costs us money and we would rather spend it on the retailers that actually restock.
There is no artificial delay on the public board. What you see is what we last read, with the time of that reading shown next to it. If a row says a source was checked two minutes ago, that is literally true.
How to read the result
In stock means the retailer's own data said the item was buyable at the moment we last checked. During a heatwave that can change within minutes, so treat it as a strong signal rather than a guarantee.
Sold out means the retailer reported no availability. Checking means we could not get a confident reading on that source, usually because the retailer was blocking automated requests at the time. We show that honestly instead of guessing, because a wrong in-stock reading wastes your time worse than no reading at all.
Why a checker beats refreshing tabs
The hard truth about restocks is that they are small and they are fast. A retailer might get a pallet in at 7am on a Tuesday and be sold out before lunch. Nobody sits refreshing eight sites for a week, which is why most people find out about a restock after it has ended.
A checker turns that into a single glance, and an alert turns it into something you do not have to think about at all. We email you the moment we detect stock, with the retailer, the direct link and the price we saw. It is free, and it is the whole point of the site.
Frequently asked questions
Is the stock data live?+
It is as live as the last check. Free sources are read every five minutes; each row shows when it was last checked. We do not hold data back from the public board.
Which retailers do you cover?+
Screwfix, B&Q, Amazon.co.uk, Robert Dyas, Appliances Direct, Aircon Direct and Joybuy, plus a few specialists. Currys and John Lewis block automated checks, so we do not claim to cover them.
Why does a model say 'checking'?+
Because we could not get a confident reading on that source at the time, usually due to anti-bot blocking. We would rather say so than show a guess, since a wrong 'in stock' sends you to a dead page.
Does it cost anything?+
The board and the email alerts are free. The paid Turbo tier adds a Telegram push to your phone and checks every minute at peak times, which matters when stock lasts minutes.
Read also
Know what you want? Find it in stock
We track the Midea PortaSplit's availability in real time across the UK retailers that actually sell it. Check the stock radar or set an alert and we'll email you the moment it's back.
Get alerts · From £4.90