Choosing the right tool
Luminous offers two distinct ways to move inventory. Picking the wrong one can leave your counts inaccurate.
| Instant Inventory Transfer | Transfer Order | |
|---|---|---|
| Found under | Manage → Locations | Inventory → Transfer Orders |
| Best for | Moving stock between bin locations with no lead time | Shipping inventory from one warehouse to another when there is any lag between departure and arrival |
| Tracks in-transit stock | No | Yes |
| Creates a linked PO + Sales Order | No | Yes (automatically on posting) |
| Updates incoming & pending counts | No | Yes |
Rule of thumb: If the stock is not yet physically at the destination — or if there is any gap between when it leaves one warehouse and when it arrives at another — use a Transfer Order. If you are simply reorganizing bins within your warehouse right now, use an Instant Inventory Transfer.
Part 1 — Instant Inventory Transfer
An Instant Inventory Transfer moves stock from one bin location to another immediately. No in-transit period is recorded, no purchase order or sales order is generated, and your warehouse-level on-hand count stays the same — only the bin-level breakdown changes.
Method A: Web interface (Manage → Locations)
Step 1: Navigate to the source bin
- In the left navigation, go to Manage → Locations.
- Select the warehouse you are working in.
- Click on the bin location where the inventory currently lives (the source bin).
Step 2: Select the SKUs to move
- On the bin's detail page you will see a list of SKUs stored there.
- Check the box next to each SKU (or lot) you want to move. You can select multiple SKUs at once.
- Once at least one SKU is checked, the Transfer SKUs (n) button appears at the top of the table.
Step 3: Start the transfer
- Click Transfer SKUs.
- A transfer form opens showing each selected SKU, its current on-hand quantity in that bin, and a quantity field.
- Adjust the quantity to move for each row (the default is the full on-hand amount; you can enter a partial quantity down to 0).
- In the destination field, search for and select the bin location you want to move the stock into.
Step 4: Confirm
- Click Transfer.
- Luminous immediately deducts the specified quantity from the source bin and adds it to the destination bin. The transfer is recorded in the Quantity Log for both locations.
- If you moved the entire quantity out of a bin, that bin's entry for the SKU is automatically removed.
Method B: Warehouse Mobile App (barcode scan)
- Open the Warehouse Mobile App and scan (or enter) the barcode for the source bin location.
- View the SKUs stored in that location, select the item(s) you want to move, and enter the quantity.
- Scan (or enter) the barcode for the destination bin location.
- Confirm the transfer. Inventory counts update in real time.
What gets logged
Every Instant Inventory Transfer creates a transaction record of type Location Transfer in the SKU's Quantity Log, stamped with the user who performed it, the source and destination bins, the lot (if lot-tracked), and the quantity moved.
Part 2 — Transfer Order (between warehouses)
When inventory needs to physically travel from one warehouse to another — even if only for a few hours — use a Transfer Order instead. On posting, Luminous:
- Creates a linked Sales Order on the source warehouse (inventory deducts when that SO is marked shipped).
- Creates a linked Purchase Order on the destination warehouse (inventory arrives when you create a Receiving Report against that PO).
- Immediately updates incoming and pending counts at both warehouses.
- Preserves FIFO cost layers and moves them to the destination warehouse.
For full step-by-step instructions on creating a Transfer Order and receiving inventory at the destination, see How do I move or transfer inventory between warehouses in Luminous?.
For information on channel requirements when creating a Transfer Order, see How do transfer orders work, and does a warehouse group need to be associated with a channel?.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transfer a partial quantity with an Instant Inventory Transfer? Yes. The quantity field defaults to the full on-hand amount in that bin, but you can reduce it to any amount between 0 and the current on-hand. The remainder stays in the source bin.
Can I use an Instant Inventory Transfer to move stock between two different warehouses? Technically the form lets you pick any bin in the system as the destination. However, if stock is physically traveling between warehouses and there is any lead time, you should use a Transfer Order so that in-transit inventory is tracked and incoming/pending counts are updated correctly.
Will an Instant Inventory Transfer affect my overall warehouse on-hand count? If you transfer within the same warehouse, the warehouse's total on-hand does not change — only the bin breakdown updates. If you select a bin in a different warehouse as the destination, the source warehouse count decreases and the destination warehouse count increases immediately, with no in-transit period recorded.
Does an Instant Inventory Transfer sync to QuickBooks Online or Shopify? No. Instant Inventory Transfers are internal bin-level movements only and do not trigger any external sync.