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Stock control feature

Stocktaking Without Stopping Sales

A stock count describes the shelf at one moment. TrueSKU records that moment when the stocktake starts, lets you count while orders keep coming in, then applies only the difference it found to your current stock, so the sales recorded in the meantime are kept rather than overwritten.

You don't have to count everything, you don't have to pause selling, and every adjustment ends up in your stock movement history with who made it and when.

What this is, and what it isn't

TrueSKU stocktakes are point-in-time counts. Each one has a start time, a list of SKUs and a warehouse, and it is reconciled against the stock TrueSKU expected at that start time.

  • Selected SKUs, not the whole catalogue. Count one shelf, one supplier's range, or everything held directly, whichever suits the day.
  • Rolling counts are possible, but you run them. Start a stocktake for one aisle today and another tomorrow. Each is its own point-in-time count. TrueSKU does not schedule, rotate or suggest counts for you.
  • It is not perpetual inventory counting. Nothing is counted unless someone starts a stocktake.

How a TrueSKU stocktake works

  1. Start the stocktake

    Someone in the office chooses the SKUs and the warehouse, names the count and, if wanted, sets a tolerance. TrueSKU stamps the start time and records the stock it expects for each SKU at that moment. Nothing is locked.

  2. Count

    Counts can be entered on desktop, scanned on a phone, or sent through the API. Sales and other stock movements continue to be recorded as usual.

  3. Review the differences

    Each line shows the expected figure, the counted figure and the difference. You accept the lines you are happy with. Lines outside your tolerance wait for a decision.

  4. Reconcile

    For every accepted line, TrueSKU applies counted minus expected at the start to the current stock. It is recorded as a stock movement referenced to the stocktake, dated at the stocktake's start time and attributed to the person who reconciled it.

A worked example

One SKU, counted while two orders arrive. This is an illustration, not customer data.

Timeline of a stocktake with two sales during the count
Time What happens TrueSKU stock
10:00 Stocktake starts. TrueSKU records 20 as the expected figure. 20
10:05 An order for 1 arrives. Its stock is taken off. The item stays on the shelf for now. 19
10:12 A second order for 1 arrives. Again the item stays on the shelf for now. 18
10:30 The shelf is counted: 19. One unit that should have been there is missing. 18
11:00 Reconcile. Difference = counted 19 − expected 20 = −1, applied to the current 18. 17
11:15 The two ordered items are picked and shipped. The shelf now holds 17, the same as TrueSKU. 17

The result is current stock + (counted − expected at the start) = 18 + (19 − 20) = 17. An approach that simply overwrote the stock with the counted 19 would have forgotten both sales and been out by two. This example assumes the goods for the two new orders were still on the shelf when it was counted, which is the one rule below.

The one rule that keeps a count honest

Pick the goods for orders placed before the stocktake started, then count. Leave the goods for orders placed after it started on the shelf until their SKU has been counted.

TrueSKU takes stock off when an order is recorded, not when it is picked. Goods for an earlier order that are still on the shelf would be counted as spare stock, and goods for a later order that have already left would be deducted twice. Selling, order import and channel updates all carry on; it is the picking order that needs a little discipline. A count can take a day, or longer, as long as this holds. The start time is shown on the stocktake and on the phone count screen.

Edge cases TrueSKU handles or flags

  • Orders that were placed before the start but imported late. The count has already lost those units, so deducting the sale again would count it twice. TrueSKU holds that sale as Needs review in the Sales Inbox instead of applying it automatically.
  • Sales still catching up when you press Start. The Start screen tells you if sales are still being collected or applied, so you can wait. It never blocks the stocktake.
  • An empty shelf with orders still waiting. A count of zero means the stock really is nil, so the shortfall is forgotten. Sort out the unfillable orders first, or leave that SKU out of the count.
  • Two people counting. The desktop screen shows who counted last and warns before reconciling if someone else has counted recently.
  • Part-finished counts. Only accepted lines are reconciled. Lines that are not yet counted or accepted stay open for later.
  • Bundles. A bundle has no stock of its own: its availability comes from its components, so you count the components.

Tolerances, discrepancies and review

When you start a stocktake you can set a tolerance as a number of units, a percentage, or both. Counts sent through the API are accepted automatically only when they fall within it. On the review screen, one click accepts every counted line within a tolerance you choose, and you can accept or reject lines one at a time. If you set no tolerance, every difference needs a person to accept it.

Nothing changes your stock until you reconcile, and only accepted lines are applied. The remaining lines can be closed without changes.

Why this helps

  • Less disruption. You don't switch off sales or channel updates to count.
  • Smaller, more frequent counts. Counting selected SKUs means a stocktake doesn't have to be a whole-warehouse event.
  • A record you can audit. Every adjustment is a stock movement with a reference to the stocktake, the person who reconciled it, and the expected and counted figures.
  • Counting by phone. Warehouse staff can count with their own name and PIN, without a paid seat and without being able to change a stock total themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Do sales stop being recorded while a stocktake is open?

No. TrueSKU does not lock stock. Orders carry on arriving and are recorded as normal. What matters is the order in which goods are picked: goods for orders placed before the stocktake starts should be picked first, and goods for orders placed after it starts are best left on the shelf until that SKU has been counted.

How do sales that arrive during the count affect the result?

When the stocktake starts, TrueSKU records the stock it expects for every SKU being counted. When you reconcile, it takes the difference between what was counted and that starting figure and applies it on top of the current stock. Sales and other movements recorded since the start are therefore kept, not overwritten.

Do I have to count every SKU?

No. You choose the SKUs for each stocktake, so you can count a single shelf, a supplier's range or everything held directly. A stocktake counts one warehouse, so if you use multiple warehouses you start one per warehouse.

What happens if a difference is bigger than my tolerance?

It is not accepted automatically. You can set a tolerance (a number of units, a percentage, or both) when you start the stocktake. A counted line outside it stays waiting for review, and only lines you have accepted are applied when you reconcile. The remaining lines stay open.

Is this the same as cycle counting or perpetual inventory?

No. Each TrueSKU stocktake is a deliberate point-in-time count that someone in the office starts. You can run many small ones, for example one aisle a day, but TrueSKU does not schedule or rotate counts automatically.

Can warehouse staff count on their phones?

Yes. Anyone with access can enter counts from a phone by scanning a barcode or typing a code. The phone screen does not show the expected quantity, so the count reflects what is really there. Starting and reconciling a stocktake stay with the office.

Read on

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