It is hard to tell. Sometimes things that say sold out will come back for sale (in a day or two...or longer) and other times they are gone for good. Some items they retire and some items they slightly change. Or they may get more of the same in. It is really no way to tell. If it says backorder, you can order it and the date shown is the estimated date that they will ship it. They are usually on time with the backorder date.