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Stock management

Online stock management that updates itself

An online stock management and inventory system that runs off the documents you already raise. Turn on the Enable stock management switch on the product page and let the work do the counting: finalised documents take stock out, purchases put it back in, and you are notified before a product runs short.

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The Invoice Office stock dashboard showing inbound and outbound stock movement by month, products split by stock type, and the quantity held per product

Everything on your stock

Real-time visibility, no manual counting

Stock figures go wrong when keeping them right is somebody’s job. Wire the movements to the documents and purchases that cause them and the count looks after itself.

  • Enable stock management per product

    Enable stock management is a single switch on the product page. From that point the product carries its Stock quantity, its Stock location and its Minimum stock, with no separate system to keep in step.

  • Documents reduce stock automatically

    Stock reduction lets you choose which document types take stock out for a product. As soon as a document of that type is finalised or sent, the products on it come off the level. Inbound documents — credit notes and purchases — always put stock back regardless of that list.

  • Book in what actually arrived

    Finalising a purchase order never moves stock — it is a promise, not goods. When the delivery comes in, Add to stock on that purchase order books in what you received, line by line, even if only part of it arrived. Finalising a purchase puts stock back in too; use one or the other for a delivery.

  • Delivery status on every purchase order

    Each purchase order shows a Delivery status — Not delivered, Partial delivery or Full delivery — kept up to date as you use Add to stock, so the purchase order list tells you what is still on its way.

  • Backorders when stock runs short

    Switch on Backorder in your company settings and an order confirmation reserves stock instead of consuming it. Anything you cannot cover goes into backorder, stock coming in on a purchase or credit note goes to the oldest open order first, and the Backorder report shows what is still to deliver.

  • Stock workflow status

    A stock-managed product carries a Stock workflow status alongside its quantity, with its own history, so where an item has got to in your process is recorded on the product rather than tracked in someone’s head. The Stock workflow status editor and its history are part of the Pro license.

  • Every movement on the record

    Stock mutations list the full history of a product’s movements, from purchases through to hand-made corrections — Add stock mutation fixes a discrepancy and is recorded alongside every automatic movement. The stock dashboard charts inbound and outbound movement across the whole catalog.

  • A picklist for the warehouse

    Dashboards → Picklist turns your packing notes into one list: a Wave Picklist totals each product across them, and the Picklist shows every line with its Stock location, so whoever picks the order is told where to find it.

  • The right stock type per product

    Give each product a Stock type — Stocked Product, Serialized Product, Non-stocked Product or Service — so the catalog says plainly which items you hold on a shelf and which you never count.

What you track

Four things per product

Switch tracking on and a product starts carrying everything needed to answer the only questions that matter: how much have I got, where is it, and when should I buy more? It all lives on the same product record, and it is your purchases that put stock back on the shelf.

Explore every feature

  • Stock quantity

    The live count of what you hold, moving as documents are finalised, deliveries are added to stock and purchases are registered — so the number on screen is the number in the building.

  • Stock location

    Record where a product physically sits. Once entered, the Stock location can also be printed on packing notes and pick lists, so whoever picks the order is told where to find it.

  • Minimum stock

    Set the level a product should not fall below. That threshold is what turns a stock figure into a decision about when to reorder.

  • Automatic notification

    When stock reaches the Minimum stock level you receive a notification automatically, so a shortage is something you head off rather than discover when an order cannot be filled.

How it works

Set it up once, then just check it

  1. Step 1Enable it on the product

    Turn on the Enable stock management switch for the products that need it, then set the Stock location and the Minimum stock level you want to be notified at.

  2. Step 2Let your documents move it

    Pick the document types under Stock reduction. Sales take stock out as those documents are finalised or sent; Add to stock on a purchase order, or a registered purchase, puts it back in.

  3. Step 3Review and correct

    Read Stock mutations to see every movement on a product, and use Add stock mutation whenever a physical count disagrees with the system.

Stock management questions, answered

How do I start tracking stock for a product?
Turn on the Enable stock management switch on the product page — it is a single setting. Once it is on, the product carries its Stock quantity, Stock location and Minimum stock, and starts responding to the documents and purchases that move it.
Does stock update automatically when I send a document?
Yes, and you control which documents take stock out. The Stock reduction setting on a product picks those document types, and the reduction is applied as soon as a document of that type is finalised or sent. Inbound documents work the other way and need no setting: credit notes and purchases always put stock back.
Do purchase orders and purchases update my stock levels?
Finalising a purchase order does not — it is a promise to a supplier, not goods in the building. When the delivery arrives, choose Add to stock on the finalised purchase order to book in what you received. Finalising a purchase also puts stock back for each product on it. Use one or the other for the same delivery, not both, or the stock goes up twice.
Can I book in a partial delivery?
Yes. Add to stock works per line, so you book in only what actually arrived and the rest stays outstanding. The purchase order’s Delivery status moves from Not delivered to Partial delivery, and to Full delivery once everything is in.
What happens when I sell more than I have in stock?
Switch on Backorder in your company settings and an order confirmation reserves the stock it needs. Whatever you cannot cover is split into backorder, stock coming in on a purchase or credit note goes to the oldest open order first, and the Backorder report lists what is still to deliver.
Can I get alerts when stock runs low?
Yes. Set a Minimum stock level on the product and you receive a notification automatically when stock reaches it, which is what lets you prevent shortages rather than react to them.
Can I record where stock physically sits?
Yes. Each product carries a Stock location, so you know where to find it and not just how much of it exists. Once a location is entered it can also be shown on packing notes and pick lists, which is what makes it useful to the person actually picking the order.
How do I correct a stock discrepancy?
Use Add stock mutation on the product. Whether you are adjusting a position after a count or fixing a difference someone spotted, the change is quick to make and is recorded in Stock mutations alongside every automatic movement.
Does stock management need a paid plan?
Yes. The Stock section on a product is a Pro feature: stock only moves when you finalise a document yourself on a Pro license, Add to stock on a purchase order needs Pro too, and the stock and Picklist dashboards, the Backorder report and the Stock workflow status editor and its history are part of it as well. The exception is orders arriving through a connected webshop or marketplace — those are entitled when the connector is set up, so imported orders keep moving stock on their own.

More answers in our FAQ and help center.

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