Count your stock (stock-take)
A stock count compares what's physically on your shelves with what the system expects, then corrects the system to match, in one go.
Where:
Who: view inventory.stock-count.view; create inventory.stock-count.create; add lines
inventory.stock-count.update; post inventory.stock-count.post plus the Stock adjustments
feature.
How a count works
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DRAFT | Open: you can keep adding lines. |
| POSTED | Final: the differences have been applied. It can't be changed or reopened. |
1. Create the count
- Go to and select New count.
- Fill in:
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse | The warehouse you're counting | Main Warehouse / WH-MAIN |
| External reference (optional) | Your own reference, up to 100 characters | Q4-2026 |
| Notes (optional) | Up to 1000 characters | Year-end full count; aisles A and B |
- Select Create draft.
The count gets a Count number and the status DRAFT. To find it later, choose the Warehouse in the list (and optionally a Status), then select View.
2. Prepare
Ideally, don't receive, dispatch or move stock in that warehouse until the count is posted. The system remembers what it expected at the moment you save each line. Movements after that can make the final number wrong. See the FAQ.
- Print or prepare a list of locations, and count one location at a time.
- Count every variant separately: Blue / Large and Red / Medium are different lines.
3. Enter what you counted
Open the count, and under Add count line fill in:
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product | What you counted | Cotton T-shirt / TS |
| Variant | The exact variant | Blue / Large / TS-BLU-L |
| Location | Where you counted it | A-01-01 |
| Counted quantity | What's physically there. Enter 0 for an empty shelf. Up to three decimal places. | 97 |
| Line notes (optional) | Anything worth recording, up to 1000 characters | 2 more found in returns tote, included |
Check the values, select Save line and confirm.
Read the line twice before saving. If you're unsure, select Discard unsaved line and start again.
The line appears under Saved lines with:
| Column | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Expected | What the system had when you saved the line | 100 |
| Counted | What you entered | 97 |
| Variance | Counted − Expected. Negative = missing; positive = extra. | −3 |
The header shows, for example, "18 saved lines / 4 with variance".
Each product, variant and location can be entered once per count. A second line for the same combination gives "Line already exists for this product/location".
Example lines from the Q4-2026 count:
| Product | Variant | Location | Expected | Counted | Variance | Result when posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton T-shirt | Blue / Large | A-01-01 | 100 | 97 | −3 | 3 removed (adjustment out) |
| Cotton T-shirt | Red / Medium | A-01-01 | 60 | 60 | 0 | Nothing |
| Ceramic Mug | Standard | A-01-02 | 200 | 204 | +4 | 4 added (adjustment in) |
| Ceramic Mug | Standard | DAMAGED | 3 | 0 | −3 | 3 removed |
4. Review
Before posting:
- Look at every line with a Variance. Recount large or surprising differences.
- Make sure no half-entered line is left on the form: "Save or discard the unsaved line before posting."
- If a saved line is wrong, don't post. Ask your inventory manager how to recover (for example, create a fresh count for the affected locations).
5. Post
- Select Post stock count, read the confirmation carefully, and confirm.
- You'll see "Stock count posted. Inventory adjustments applied."
Each line with a variance creates an adjustment in the stock history, with the reason Stock count. Lines with no variance are left alone. The status becomes POSTED.
A posted count can't be reopened or reversed. If you find a mistake afterwards, correct it with a stock adjustment, and mention the count number in the notes.
Messages
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Select a warehouse." / "Select a product." / "Select a warehouse location." | Fill in the field. |
| "Select a variant belonging to the product." | The variant doesn't belong to that product. |
| "Enter zero or a positive quantity with up to three decimal places." | Check the counted quantity. |
| "Line already exists for this product/location" | That combination is already on this count. |
| "Stock count cannot be posted without lines." | Save at least one line first. |
| "Only DRAFT stock counts can be posted." / "Stock count already posted" | It was already posted, perhaps by a colleague. Reload. |
| "Available quantity cannot be negative in inventory balance" | A negative variance would remove reserved stock. Release or change the reservation, then post. |
| "Access denied" when posting | The Stock adjustments feature is off for your organisation. The Post stock count button still shows, but posting needs the feature. Ask your administrator to switch it on (if the Stock Adjustments button is missing from the Inventory menu, the feature is off). |