Stock numbers look wrong

Most “my stock is wrong” reports turn out to be a misread number rather than a missing one. Confirm what each figure means, then trace the movement that surprised you.

Confirm which number you’re reading

Fiddle tracks four quantities, and available is not the same as on hand:

Quantity	Meaning
On hand	Physically in stock now
Reserved	On hand but committed to orders
Incoming	On open purchase orders, not yet received
Available	On hand minus reserved

If available looks low but on hand is fine, stock is reserved for a sales or work order.

Check the usual causes

1. Wrong location — each location has its own counts. Confirm you’re viewing the right one, or the total across all locations.
2. A pending transfer — stock in transit between locations isn’t fully counted at either end yet.
3. A PO received into the wrong location — the units exist, just not where you expected.
4. An unposted count or adjustment — a stock count in progress can mask the live figure.

Trace the exact change

1. Open the item and go to its activity log (inventory history).
2. Read the entries newest-first to find the movement that changed the number.
3. Each entry shows the order, transfer, count, or adjustment responsible.

Reconciling a count? Run a stock count for that location so adjustments are recorded with a clear reason, instead of editing quantities by hand.

For definitions in depth, see Inventory.