Stock Transfers Between Centers
Move inventory from one business unit to another — the Bulk Stock Transfer dialog, single and multiple destinations, and what happens on approval.
Moving stock between business units is one of the most routine operations in a multi-location business. A warehouse replenishes a sales outlet. One branch balances excess stock to another that is running low. Raw materials move from a receiving warehouse to the production floor. Every such movement is a stock transfer — created by the sending unit, approved by the receiving unit, and moving quantity (not value) the moment it is approved.
Two Ways to Start a Transfer
| Method | Access Path | Best For | Key Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Stock (push) | Operations → Business Units → open the sending unit → Stock tab → Transfers → Transfer Stock | The sending unit knows what to ship — a weekly warehouse-to-outlet restock covering many product lines in one delivery run. | Opens the Bulk Stock Transfer dialog. Single Destination sends one set of item lines; Multiple Destinations creates one transfer per destination, each with its own lines. |
| Request Stock (pull) | Operations → Business Units → open the receiving unit → Stock tab → Transfers → Request Stock | The receiving unit knows what it needs — an outlet running low, or a production unit staging materials for a batch. | Creates a transfer request (Requesting from, Need by, items requested, notes). The source unit fulfils it by issuing a Transfer Note, which becomes a Pending transfer to approve. |
From an item's page under Inventories, the Transfer Request shortcut deep-links to the chosen unit's Transfers sub-tab with the item pre-filled.
Transfer Fields
| Field | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Yes | Single Destination or Multiple Destinations. |
| Transfer Date | Yes | The date the physical transfer occurs (defaults to today). This is the movement's business date. |
| Notes | No | Routing instructions, reason for the transfer, or any relevant context for warehouse staff. |
| Destination | Yes | The business unit receiving the stock. The sending unit is the one you opened; it cannot also be the destination. |
| Items to Transfer | Yes | Search the unit's stock, add a line per item, and enter the quantity. Only items stocked at the sending unit are offered; the available quantity is shown per line and each quantity is validated before submit. |
| Summary | — | Items, total quantity and destination count, checked before the Transfer Items / Create N Transfer(s) button submits. |
What Happens on Approval
An item carries one average cost across the business, so a transfer changes where the quantity sits, not what it is worth. There is nothing to reclassify: no journal is posted, the Inventory account total is unchanged, and every unit's stock value is quantity × the item's average cost.
Transfer Approval Workflow
| Status | Stock Impact | Next Action |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | No stock impact. The source still shows full stock. | The receiving unit approves (Receiving tab → Approve) or cancels. The sending unit sees it under Sending. |
| Completed | Source stock decreases, destination stock increases at the moment of approval. | No further action. Listed under History; the view action prints, downloads or shares the approval note. |
| Cancelled | No stock impact. A Completed transfer that is deleted becomes Cancelled and its movement is reversed. | Create a new transfer if the move is still needed. |
Transfer requests carry their own statuses — Submitted, Fulfilled, Cancelled, Rejected — on the Requests sub-tab.
Reversing a Completed Transfer
Completed transfers cannot be edited. If an error was made (wrong units, wrong quantity, wrong item), either delete the transfer — it becomes Cancelled and its stock effect is reversed — or create a reverse transfer from the destination back to the source for the same item and quantity.
Common Scenarios
Warehouse to outlet weekly restock: From the warehouse's Stock tab, Transfer Stock with the outlet as destination and every item being shipped. The outlet approves on the day the delivery arrives; its stock increases on approval.
Balancing overstock between branches: Toronto branch has excess stock of a slow-moving item; Vancouver branch has zero. Vancouver raises a Request Stock, Toronto fulfils it with a Transfer Note, and Vancouver approves on receipt — no new purchase order.
Correcting a receipt booked to the wrong unit: Stock received on a goods receipt was accidentally assigned to Warehouse A instead of Warehouse B. Transfer Stock from A to B dated the same as the receipt. The movement history for both units accurately reflects what happened and when the correction was made.