If you run more than one warehouse, transfers and restocks are unavoidable. You ship a batch from warehouse A to warehouse B, or top up one location with a fresh delivery from your supplier. As a physical task it is routine — but once Shopify syncing is involved, there is a trap waiting.
This article is for operators who use Google Sheets as the master for multi-location inventory. We will lay out simple rules for moving and restocking stock without contradicting your sync. No heavy API talk — just steps and habits.
How Transfers Collide With Your Sync
The most common accident goes like this. Someone edits inventory directly in the Shopify admin — minus 10 at warehouse A, plus 10 at warehouse B. The next morning the scheduled sync runs, but the master sheet still holds the old numbers, so Shopify gets overwritten back to the sheet values. The transfer is erased as if it never happened.
When the sheet is your master, Shopify is simply where the sheet contents land. Any change you make directly in Shopify will be rolled back at the next sync unless you also fix the sheet. That is not a bug — it is correct single-source behaviour. The problem is that on the floor it feels like moving stock in Shopify means the job is done.
Make “Fix the Sheet Before You Move” a Rule
There is a simple way to wipe out rollback accidents for good. Before — or at the same moment as — you physically move stock, update the numbers in the master sheet first. Make this an iron rule for the whole team. As a procedure it looks like this:
- 01Decide the move or restock (which product, from which location, to where, how many)
- 02Edit the quantities in the master sheet (minus at the source, plus at the destination)
- 03Run the sync, or let the scheduled sync do it
- 04Confirm each Shopify location now matches the sheet
- 05Then, or in parallel, carry out the actual packing, shipping and shelving
The key is to never touch the Shopify numbers by hand. Fix the sheet, let it sync, and Shopify lands on the right figures automatically. Editing both by hand only blurs which one is correct and invites mistakes. An app like Sync Master, which writes from a master sheet into multiple locations, lets you settle both the source and the destination in one edit.
Handling the In-Transit Limbo
The tricky part of a transfer is the in-transit window — stock sitting on a truck. It has already left the source shelf but has not reached the destination. If you do not decide how to treat those few days, your counts drift away from reality.
We recommend subtracting from the source at the moment of dispatch, and only adding to the destination when it is physically shelved. That way the in-transit quantity cannot accidentally be sold twice. If you want extra safety, hold a conservative number in the sheet that temporarily leaves out the units on the road.
Where Shopify Transfers and the Sheet Each Belong
Shopify has its own way of handling stock movement between locations and recording how much you shift. It is handy, but in a sheet-as-master setup, making it the star creates tangles. Even if you confirm a move inside Shopify, an old number in the sheet will overwrite it at the next sync.
Here is the clean division of roles. The sheet decides the correct quantities; Shopify movement features serve as a floor record or a picking instruction. Final reconciliation always goes through a sheet-driven sync. Draw that line and the two systems stop fighting.
- Source of truth for counts : the master sheet decides
- Shopify movement features : a supporting record and instruction sheet
- When to reconcile : one route only — fix the sheet, then sync
Build Restock Lead Time Into Your Counts
A restock — a delivery from a supplier or another warehouse — always carries lead time. Placing an order does not magically raise your stock that instant. If you fail to account for this, you sell goods that have not arrived yet, effectively borrowing against future stock.
The basic rule is to keep incoming deliveries out of the sheet. The quantity you sync should reflect only what is on hand and ready to ship right now. Track expected dates and quantities in a separate column or note, and fold them into the count on the day they actually hit the shelf. This small habit all but eliminates oversells caused by lead time.
Keep a Transfer Log So Moves Stay Traceable
Finally, always log your transfers and restocks. When, by whom, which product, from which location to which, and how many. A single dedicated log tab in the sheet is enough. When numbers stop adding up, this log lets you trace the cause in minutes.
It also pays to run Sync Master’s connection test before writing to live inventory, so you can confirm your column mapping. Verifying up front that the source and destination locations are tied to the right columns prevents the classic mix-up where a move you thought you entered lands in the wrong location.
Transfers and restocks are as much about when you fix the sheet as about the physical work. Fix the sheet before you move, keep incoming deliveries out of the count, and log every move. Make those three a habit and the gap between your sync and reality shrinks fast. Try the flow on a small move first.