Transfer between locations
Move stock from one location to another — draft it, ship it, receive it, with the books following the parts.
Do this when stock needs to move between shops or service trucks — a branch is out of a filter the main shop has three of, or you're restocking a mobile van before it heads out. A transfer moves in three stages: you draft it, ship it (stock leaves the source and rides "in transit"), and receive it at the destination. Meridian keeps each location's on-hand and its inventory value honest at every step.
Transfers need at least two active locations. If your shop has only one, the New Transfer page shows a notice instead — add a second location under Settings → Locations first.
Open Inventory Transfers. In the sidebar, click Parts & Inventory, then Inventory Transfers. Click New Transfer in the top-right.
Pick the route. Choose the From Location and the To Location. They have to be different — the To dropdown greys out whatever you picked as From.
Add the parts. In each line, type a part number or description in the Part # or search box and pick the part. Meridian shows Available at from-location under the line so you don't promise stock the source doesn't have — the count turns red if your Qty is more than what's on the shelf there.
Set quantity and cost. Enter the Qty to move. Leave Unit Cost on "auto" to use the part's own cost, or type a value to override it. Click Add Line for more parts, and add Notes if whoever receives the box needs a heads-up.
Click Create Draft Transfer. Meridian issues a transfer number like TR-2026-0001 and opens the transfer. Nothing has moved yet — a draft is just the plan.
Ship it when the box is packed. On the transfer, click Ship, then Ship Transfer to confirm. On-hand drops at the source, the destination's on-order rises by the same amount, and the status flips to In Transit.
Receive it at the other end. When the box arrives, open the transfer at the destination and click Receive. Each line defaults to the shipped quantity — change any line that came up short or over, add a note if you like, then click Receive Transfer. Stock lands on the destination's shelf and the transfer is Received.
Back one out if you need to. Click Cancel on a Draft to drop it cleanly, or cancel an In Transit transfer (with a reason) to reverse the ship — the stock returns to the source and the books reverse with it. A Received transfer can't be cancelled.
What happens behind the scenes
- Draft moves nothing. Creating the transfer just reserves a number and records the plan. On-hand doesn't change until you ship.
- Shipping moves the value, not just the parts. On-hand drops at the source and the destination's on-order rises. Meridian posts a cost-only journal pair — inventory value moves from the source location's books to the destination's — so each location's inventory value stays accurate. No money is made or lost on a transfer; it just changes shelves.
- Receiving settles the quantity. On-hand rises at the destination and the on-order it was holding clears. No new money posts here — the cost basis already moved when you shipped, so receiving just confirms the parts physically arrived.
- Short and over receipts are allowed. If you receive a different quantity than shipped, Meridian records the variance on the line for you to chase down; the books stay balanced either way.
- Cancelling in transit fully reverses the ship — stock goes back to the source, the destination's on-order is cleared, and a reversing journal pair unwinds the value move.
Troubleshooting
Transfers move stock between locations, so your shop needs at least two active ones. Add another under Settings → Locations, then come back — the form will let you build the transfer.
The source location doesn't have enough on-hand to cover a line. Check the Available at from-location count on each line against the Qty you entered. Lower the quantity, or receive or count more stock into the source first, then ship.
Receive what actually showed up — type the real quantity on each line instead of the pre-filled shipped amount. Meridian accepts the short receipt and records the variance on the line so you can follow up with whoever packed the box.
Open the transfer while it's still In Transit and click Cancel, then enter a reason. That reverses the ship — the stock returns to the source location and the value move is unwound. Once a transfer is Received, it can't be cancelled; move the stock back with a new transfer instead.