How unit inventory works
Normal stock is one number per product. Advanced Inventory tracks every physical unit instead: where it is (which warehouse and which bin), whether it is reserved for an order, and every move it has made.
Before you start
- Switch on Warehouses & Multi-location Stock and Suppliers & Purchase Orders first. See Warehouses and Suppliers.
- Open Settings → Modules, find Advanced Inventory and click Enable (or Install on the Browse tab). Your plan must include it; the features list shows which plans do.
- Open Products → Advanced inventory.
If the page says Advanced inventory is not enabled, one of the three modules is still off. Your existing stock does not change until you enroll a product.
The three steps
- Prepare locations and enroll — create shelf and receiving bins, then place each product's existing units in their real bins. Enrolling never creates stock.
- Receive, then put away — record a delivery against its purchase order, scan each unit at the dock, then scan it into a shelf bin.
- Track every movement — orders reserve units (oldest first), shipments use them, and transfers, returns and count corrections each leave a permanent record.
Stock figures
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| On hand | Units physically in the warehouse. |
| Reserved | Units held for orders that haven't shipped. |
| Available | Units you can still sell. |
| Staging | Units received at the dock but not put away yet. They can't be sold until they are put away. |
| In transit | Units moving between warehouses. |
Good to know
- Only simple, stock-tracked products can be enrolled. Products with variations stay on normal stock.
- Products you don't enroll keep their normal stock, so you can start with a few products.
- Don't edit the stock number of an enrolled product on its product page; use the workspace instead.
- Cost estimates never change your product prices and never post accounting entries.