Receiving inventory in your Shopify admin

You can receive inventory directly in your Shopify admin without tracking suppliers or purchase orders using inventory transfers. This provides an alternative to using Stocky for receiving inventory.

When you receive inventory using transfers, you can add stock without specifying where it came from by leaving the origin field blank. This is useful in the following scenarios:

• You receive inventory from various suppliers and don't need to track which supplier each shipment is from.
• You need to record inventory that arrives unexpectedly.
• You want to add stock without complex purchase order management.
• You receive small, frequent shipments where tracking origin isn't important.

Benefits of receiving inventory in your Shopify admin

Receiving inventory in your Shopify admin using inventory transfers offers the following benefits:

• Centralized inventory management: Manage everything and view all inventory movements in Shopify without switching to a separate app.
• POS integration: Receive inventory directly at your retail locations using Shopify POS.
• Built-in scanning: Add items to transfers and receive items from shipments using any HID (Human Interface Device) compliant barcode scanner.
• Flexibility: Edit quantities, add items, or make changes even after receiving, with a streamlined workflow designed for quick updates.

Comparing Shopify admin transfers to Stocky

Review the following table to learn more about the differences between using Stocky and inventory transfers within your Shopify admin.

Create and receive an inventory transfer in your Shopify admin

To receive inventory in your Shopify admin, create a transfer without an origin, add the products that you're receiving, and complete the receiving process. Your inventory is added to your destination location and is reflected in your available stock immediately. Learn more about inventory transfers and shipments.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Transfers.

2. Click Create transfer.

3. Leave the Origin field blank.

4. In the Destination section, click Select destination and then select the location where you want to receive the inventory.

5. In the Add products section, search for products or click Browse, and then add the products to your transfer.

6. In the Quantity column, enter the quantities for each product in the transfer.

7. Optional: Add a note to your transfer:

   1. In the Notes section, click the icon.
   2. Enter a note, and then click Save.

8. Optional: In the Transfer details section, add a reference name for your transfer.

9. Click Save.

10. Click Mark as, and then click either In progress to track that the receiving process has started, or Transferred to immediately receive and make inventory available in the destination location.

11. If you clicked In progress, then click Receive shipment.

12. Accept items in the shipment:

    • To accept all items, click Accept all.
    • To accept specific quantities, in the Accept column, enter the quantities that you accept for each product.

13. Click Save.

Receive transfers in Shopify POS

If you receive inventory at your retail locations, then your staff can receive transfers directly in Shopify POS. Retail staff can receive shipments without needing access to your Shopify admin.

Steps:

1. In Shopify POS, tap Transfers on the smart grid.
2. In the In transit tab, tap the transfer that you want to receive.
3. Receive the items in the transfer by doing any of the following actions:
   • Tap the item in the transfer that you want to receive, and then tap + to accept or reject the appropriate number of items.
   • Tap Scan to use your POS device's camera to scan each product that you receive.
   • Use your barcode scanner to scan each product that you receive, or manually update the number of products that you receive.
4. Tap Done to finish reviewing the product that you're receiving.
5. Optional: If you receive all the items in the transfer, then you can tap Accept all items to complete the entire transfer in bulk.
6. After you review each product in the transfer, tap Save.

Editing and adjusting transfers

Unlike Stocky, you can edit transfers after you create them in your Shopify admin, add unexpected items during receiving, and adjust quantities to match what you actually receive.

Edit items and quantities

After you create a transfer, you can edit your transfer details. If the transfer is a draft, then you can adjust the origin and destination locations, add or remove products, and adjust quantities. After you process your transfer, you can't edit the origin and destination locations, but you can still add or remove products and adjust quantities.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Transfers.

2. Click the transfer that you want to edit.

3. Click Edit.

4. Optional: Add or remove products from your transfer:

   • To add new products, search for products or click Browse, and then add the products.
   • To remove products, click x next to the products that you want to remove.
   • To adjust product quantity, in the Quantity column, enter the quantities for each product.

5. Click Save.

Add unexpected items during receiving

If you discover additional items that weren't included in the original transfer during receiving, then you can add them to the transfer. The item is added with an expected quantity of 0 and a received quantity of the value that you enter.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Transfers.

2. Click the transfer that you want to receive.

3. Click Receive shipment.

4. Click Add items.

5. Search for and select the additional products.

6. In the Accept column, enter the quantity received for the new items.

7. Click Save.

Adjust quantities and handle differences

You can edit accepted or rejected item quantities to make corrections, either during initial receiving or by coming back to a received shipment later. If you receive different quantities than expected, then you don't need to create adjustments or corrections. You can enter what you actually receive.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Transfers.

2. Click the transfer that you want to receive or edit.

3. Click Receive shipment. If the shipment is already received, click , and then click Receive shipment.

4. Accept and reject items in the shipment:

   • To accept all items in the shipment, click Accept all.
   • To accept specific quantities, in the Accept column, enter the quantities that you accept for each product. If you received more than expected, then enter the higher quantity. If you received less than expected, then enter the actual quantity received. If you received none, then enter 0.
   • To reject all items in the shipment, click Reject all.
   • To reject specific quantities, in the Reject column, enter the quantities that you reject for each product.

5. Click Save.

Common scenarios for receiving inventory

Review the following scenarios to learn how to use transfers for different inventory receiving situations, from regular supplier shipments to unexpected deliveries and retail location receiving.

Scenario 1: Regular supplier shipments

If you receive shipments from your regular supplier 2-3 times per week, then create a transfer and leave the origin blank, set the destination to your main warehouse, add the items from your supplier's packing slip, and receive the inventory as it arrives.

Scenario 2: Multiple suppliers in one day

If you receive shipments from different suppliers in one day, then you can create one transfer for all items and add a note such as Multiple suppliers - refer to packing slips, or create separate transfers and use reference numbers to identify each supplier. You can choose based on whether you need to track the transfers separately for your own records.

Scenario 3: Unexpected delivery

If a shipment arrives that you aren't expecting or don't have a record of, then create a transfer and leave the origin blank, add the items as you unpack them, and in the notes field add context such as Unexpected delivery - [date]. You can receive the items to add them to your inventory.

Scenario 4: Receiving at a retail location

If your retail staff need to receive inventory at a physical store, then create the transfer in your Shopify admin, or your staff can create the transfer in the Shopify POS app. Set the destination to the retail location, and then use the Shopify POS app to scan products and receive them. Your inventory is immediately available for sale.

Scenario 5: Large batches

For large receiving batches, use POS with a barcode scanner for fastest entry, or the search or browse function in your Shopify admin to add products in bulk, or consider breaking the batches into multiple transfers to help with inventory organization.

Best practices for receiving inventory

Follow these best practices to ensure efficient and accurate inventory receiving in your Shopify admin.

Efficient receiving

• Use reference numbers: Add a reference number, such as a packing slip number or date, to help identify transfers later.
• Batch similar products: If you receive multiple shipments in a day, consider whether to create one transfer or several transfers.
• Check quantities carefully: Double-check quantities during receiving to keep your inventory accurate.
• Add notes: Use the notes field to record any important information about the shipment.

Inventory accuracy

• Receive promptly: Receive transfers as soon as inventory arrives to keep stock levels accurate.
• Handle discrepancies immediately: If you receive different quantities than expected, adjust them during receiving rather than later.
• Review regularly: Check your transfer history periodically to spot patterns or issues.

Team workflows

• Train your team: Make sure staff receiving inventory know how to use transfers, especially in POS.
• Set expectations: Decide as a team when to mark transfers as in progress versus marking them as transferred.
• Document your process: Write down your receiving workflow so everyone follows the same steps.

Troubleshooting receiving inventory

If you encounter issues when receiving inventory, then the following solutions might help you resolve common problems with transfers, editing, quantity differences, and POS access.

Transfer automatically marked as completed

When you receive all items on a transfer, it automatically completes. This is normal behavior.

Made a mistake during receiving

You can edit quantities in a received shipment to make corrections. For the shipment that received items, click , and then click Receive shipment. Adjust the accepted or rejected quantities and click Save. For more information, refer to Adjust quantities and handle differences.

Staff can't view transfers in POS

Confirm that the staff members have permission to manage inventory, that the transfer destination is set to their location, that they're using the latest version of the Shopify POS app, and that the transfer has been saved and not left as a draft.

Track supplier information

Use the notes or reference number field to record supplier information. The system doesn't track origin as a location, but you can keep notes for your records. If you need to track specific suppliers or warehouses as locations in Shopify, then you can create transfers with a known origin.

Schedule recurring transfers

Shopify doesn't support scheduled or recurring transfers. Create a new transfer each time you receive inventory.

Contact Shopify Support

When contacting Shopify Support about receiving inventory, mention that you're migrating from Stocky purchase orders to help them assist you quickly.