Symptom
You notice that the inventory quantities shown in Luminous do not match what another system is reporting. This could be:
- Your warehouse, 3PL, or WMS (such as ShipHero or a TrackStar-connected location) is showing a different on-hand quantity than Luminous.
- A sales channel (Shopify, TikTok Shop, an EDI trading partner, etc.) is advertising a quantity lower or higher than what Luminous shows as Available.
- An external reporting tool, BI dashboard, accounting system, or Excel export shows inventory values or COGS totals that don't reconcile with Luminous's reports.
Because each of these scenarios has a different root cause and a different resolution path, the first step is to identify which type of discrepancy you have.
Why it happens — and how to identify your scenario
Luminous tracks inventory through several interconnected systems. A discrepancy can appear at any of the hand-off points between them:
| Where the gap appears | Most likely cause | Jump to |
|---|---|---|
| 3PL / warehouse / WMS shows a different on-hand count than Luminous | Inbound shipments not yet reconciled, 3PL sync variances auto-posted as adjustments, or units adjusted in the 3PL without a matching Luminous entry | Scenario A |
| Sales channel (Shopify, TikTok, EDI) shows a different available quantity than Luminous | Buffer or cap settings, pending inflation from orphaned fulfillment orders, Push Inventory disabled, or stale on-hand from a delayed warehouse sync | Scenario B |
| External reporting tool (Excel, BI dashboard, accounting system) shows different inventory value or COGS totals than Luminous's own reports | COGS recognition basis mismatch between Luminous reports | Scenario C |
Before investigating: run a quick internal check
If Luminous Core is enabled for your account, open Luminous Core's Current Stock page [link TBD — it isn't served on your app domain; confirm the customer-facing URL with product]. The Current Stock tab shows On hand (core), Existing on hand and Delta for each SKU. Use By product / By warehouse to switch views, and click a row for the transaction-by-transaction breakdown.
A zero delta means the gap is in the external platform. A non-zero delta means Luminous has an internal inconsistency to resolve first. If you don't have Luminous Core, skip to your scenario below.
Scenario A — Discrepancy with a warehouse, 3PL, or WMS
This includes situations where:
- On-hand in Luminous is negative, or lower/higher than your physical count.
- After a 3PL sync, inventory jumped unexpectedly.
- The Adjustment drilldown shows entries labelled External 3PL Sync Variance.
- Available Quantity in the Stocks Grid is negative (more units reserved than physically exist).
Resolution: Follow the full step-by-step guide in How do I investigate and resolve oversold inventory quantities and discrepancies between Luminous and my warehouse or 3PL? That article walks you through:
- Tracing variance entries in the Adjustment drilldown.
- Using Insights → Accounting → Resolve Inventory Discrepancies to post corrections as Shipment COGS, Inventory Loss, or Surplus.
- Creating inventory adjustments for units received but never recorded.
- Creating a Purchase Order when stock simply needs replenishing.
Scenario B — Discrepancy on a sales channel (Shopify, TikTok, EDI, etc.)
This includes situations where:
- A channel is advertising fewer (or more) units than Luminous's Available Quantity.
- The channel stopped accepting orders for a SKU even though Luminous shows stock.
- A kit or bundle SKU always shows zero on the channel.
Resolution: Follow the full step-by-step guide in Why does my sales channel show a different available quantity than Luminous, and how do I investigate it? That article walks you through:
- Using the Explain Stock Push panel (Channels → Product Mapping → three-dot menu) to see the exact quantity Luminous calculated and why.
- Checking and correcting buffer/cap settings that may be holding back more stock than intended.
- Running Resync Pending to refresh inflated pending quantities caused by orphaned fulfillment orders.
- Enabling kit quantity calculation on the warehouse group.
Scenario C — Discrepancy in an external reporting tool, accounting system, or BI export
This includes situations where:
- The Stock Snapshot report and the Transaction COGS report show different sold quantities or values for the same date range.
- Exporting either report to Excel or a BI dashboard produces numbers that cannot be reconciled to each other.
- COGS appears in the wrong accounting period.
Resolution: Follow the full step-by-step guide in Why does inventory valuation differ between the Stock Snapshot report and the Transaction COGS report, and how do I reconcile discrepancies with external reporting tools? That article walks you through:
- Checking your COGS recognition basis (Order Date vs. Order Ship Date vs. Per Shipment).
- Saving Per Shipment as the company-wide default so both reports use the same date logic.
- Using the Missed COGS tab to find shipment lines recorded at $0 cost that are widening the gap.
- Exporting both reports consistently so they reconcile in your external tool.
When to contact support
Contact the Luminous support team via the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen if:
- The Luminous Core delta column shows a persistent non-zero gap across many SKUs that you cannot trace to a specific transaction.
- Discrepancies appeared suddenly across a large number of SKUs at the same time following an integration event.
- You need help planning a full warehouse reset or a cost layer rebuild — both are irreversible operations that support should help you sequence safely.