---
title: "Transfer Orders"
description: "A transfer order is a planned movement of inventory from one warehouse to another."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.beelocity.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transfer Orders

A **transfer order** is a planned movement of inventory from one warehouse to another. Unlike a generic stock movement, transfer orders include logistics tracking — shipping method, tracking numbers, and estimated arrival times — making them ideal for managing inter-warehouse shipments.

## Transfer Order Lifecycle

Transfer orders move through stages that mirror the physical process of shipping goods between warehouses:

```
DRAFT --> PICKING --> IN TRANSIT --> RECEIVING --> COMPLETED
                                          \-> CANCELLED
```

| Status         | What is happening                                                                                                             |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Draft**      | The transfer is being planned. Source and destination warehouses are set, items are listed, but nothing has physically moved. |
| **Picking**    | Items are being collected from their locations in the source warehouse.                                                       |
| **In transit** | Items have left the source warehouse and are on their way to the destination. Shipping deducts the picked quantities from the source warehouse's available stock — if the source doesn't have enough available stock for a line, the shipment is refused with an error so your records never go negative. |
| **Receiving**  | Items have arrived at the destination warehouse and are being checked in.                                                     |
| **Completed**  | All items have been received and verified. Stock has been moved from source to destination.                                   |
| **Cancelled**  | The transfer was cancelled. If the shipment had already left the source warehouse, the picked quantities are automatically restocked at their original locations, so no inventory is lost.                                        |

The **road** at the bottom of a transfer's page walks these five steps from left to right: the ones already passed are ticked, the one the transfer is at is filled, and the next one is a button — every move is yours to make. Rest on a step to see when it was reached and by whom. Clicking the step it is at opens the map instead: every status with an arrow for each move, the ones you can reach from here clickable. **Cancelled** hangs off the step the transfer left from.

## Creating a Transfer Order

1. Go to **Transfers** in the sidebar under **Inventory** and click **New**.
2. Fill in:
- **Transfer number** — a unique identifier (e.g., `TRF-2026-001`).
- **Source Warehouse** — where the goods are coming from.
- **Destination Warehouse** — where the goods are going (must be different from source).
- **Estimated Departure** — when you expect the shipment to leave.
- **Estimated Arrival** — when you expect the shipment to arrive.
- **Shipping method** — how the goods will be transported (e.g., company truck, courier, freight).
- **Tracking Number** — the carrier's tracking reference, if applicable.
3. Save the transfer order. Its details are on the left of the page and its **Lines** are beside them on the right.

## Finding Transfer Orders

Use the search bar on the transfers list to find an order by transfer number, tracking number, or notes. The **filter button** beside it narrows by **Status** — in-flight transfers, completed transfers — by the **Source** or **Destination** warehouse, or by an estimated **Departure** or **Arrival** window ([Working with lists](../getting-started/working-with-lists.html#narrowing-the-list)).

## Logistics Tracking

Transfer orders track four key timestamps:

| Field                   | When to set it                                                  |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Estimated Departure** | When planning the transfer — your expected ship date.           |
| **Estimated Arrival**   | When planning — your expected delivery date at the destination. |
| **Actual Departure**    | When the goods physically leave the source warehouse.           |
| **Actual Arrival**      | When the goods physically arrive at the destination warehouse.  |

Comparing estimated vs. actual dates helps you identify delays and improve logistics planning over time.

## Transfer Lines

The lines sit beside the transfer's details, and can be written while it is still a draft. Each one lists a specific item being moved:

- The product or variant being transferred.
- Source and destination locations within the respective warehouses.
- **Quantity Requested** — how many items should be transferred.
- **Quantity Picked** — how many items have been collected from the source. The warehouse fills this in when the transfer starts picking.
- **Quantity Received** — how many items have been checked in at the destination. The warehouse fills this in when the transfer is received.

Discrepancies between picked and received quantities (e.g., from transit damage or miscounts) are automatically flagged when the transfer completes: each affected line is reported with its shortfall, and the loss stays visible in the [stock journal](stock-journal.html) as the difference between what left the source and what arrived at the destination.

> **Tip:** For routine transfers between the same pair of warehouses, establish a consistent transfer number format (e.g., `TRF-ALG-ORN-001`) to make them easy to search and filter.

Source: https://docs.beelocity.com/en/inventory/transfer-orders/index.mdx