Explains how to update stock levels after your initial stock count set.
You can update stock levels and stock locations for individual products in the Product Details screen as well as update stock for multiple SKUs in bulk using the Inventory CSV import process.
If you have not yet set your initial stock levels, review our Set Your Initial Stock Counts article for details.
To adjust the stock level for a single product:
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On this screen, you'll see all the existing stock levels for products that have configured inventory. (Be sure you've set up your initial stock levels already.)
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Change the stock values by clicking the Add, Subtract, or Equals icon for the product under the Actions column in the Inventory grid:
When you add, remove, or set stock, you can add a note to help you remember why you made the adjustment. When you add stock, you can also specify your cost for those additional units.
These functions, including a history of changes, are also available via the Inventory tab in the Product Detail screen.
The Inventory tab also offers the ability to Move stock from one warehouse location to another.
The above process is a good option if you just need to adjust stock for a single SKU, but it would be a lot of clicks to update multiple SKUs in this way. To update stock levels for multiple SKUs in bulk, follow the steps in the next section Update Multiple SKUs.
To update inventory for multiple SKUs in bulk, you will:
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Export your existing inventory records.
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Modify the stock counts and/or locations in the exported CSV.
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Import the updated inventory CSV into ShipStation.
Before You Begin:
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If you already have an exported inventory CSV, you can modify that CSV instead of exporting a new one. Just ensure the CSV is in the same format used when you initially set your inventory levels.
For example, if the headings have been modified from the original export, the import may not be successful.
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The stock counts on your CSV will replace existing stock levels in ShipStation, not incrementally add to them.
To export the inventory stock level information for an Inventory Warehouse:
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Select the option to Only export products with Inventory from this warehouse and choose the warehouse with the records you need.
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Click Export Now to begin the file export.
Click the link in the pop-up at top right to download and view the inventory export file once it completes.
Important
Do not edit, add, delete, or move any of the CSV's column headers!
Caution
Be sure your CSV file contains all the information you need for your inventory records. The CSV import process will replace the inventory data in ShipStation with the data from the CSV. This means the stock counts listed in the CSV will replace the stock counts currently in ShipStation.
Additionally, if you have a blank cell in the CSV for a field that currently contains data in ShipStation, the CSV import will overwrite that data with a null value and that data will no longer be available in ShipStation.
To upload an Inventory CSV file:
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Click Select a File to Import and select your Inventory CSV.
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Select the warehouse you wish to import this stock into from the drop-down.
Note
If you have multiple Inventory Warehouses, please note that ShipStation can only import inventory for one Inventory Warehouse at a time. You must conduct an import for each Inventory Warehouse you wish to set stock counts for.
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Click Start Import.
Once your import is complete, your stock levels will be updated for that Inventory Warehouse. Repeat this process for each Inventory Warehouse. Read our CSV Import Troubleshooting and Tips article if you encounter difficulty importing your CSV file.
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The SKU and OnHand/Stock fields are required.
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The CSV's Loc1, Loc2, Loc3, and Loc4 columns map to the Area, Unit, Shelf, and Bin portion of the Warehouse Layout, respectively.
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If you don't specify at least one Loc value during the import, the stock will display the Inventory Warehouse Location as (Unspecified).
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To change the Inventory Warehouse Location of a product with a CSV:
You must set the existing product's stock value to 0 in the CSV (leaving the Loc values as they are), then add a second row with the matching SKU and Product Name, along with the new Loc and stock values.
This will remove the old Inventory Warehouse from the product's inventory, and replace it with the new one.
Important
If you edit the Loc values of a SKU in the CSV without also setting the original Loc value to 0, the import will leave the existing Inventory Warehouse Location and stock values on that product's inventory tab. It will also create a second Inventory Warehouse Location for that product, using the stock value set in the CSV. This results in the product having two Inventory Warehouses Locations with stock.
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You may add new rows in the CSV that specify Inventory Warehouse Locations that don't exist yet, and ShipStation will create them for that SKU.
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You can include multiple Inventory Warehouses in a single CSV file, but to upload the inventory for multiple Inventory Warehouses you must do multiple imports, selecting the Warehouse to apply the import to each time.
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The inventory sample template includes a Cost field, but the exported inventory CSV does not. This is because the Cost field is not stored in a database like the other fields. This data is only reflected in the History of the inventory record in ShipStation.
You can add a Cost column to the exported inventory CSV if you wish to record product cost changes in the product record history, but it is not required. Additionally, this data will not be included on the exported inventory CSV.