Turning off Lot Tracking for specific products or your account does not remove lot data already recorded on your products. Products that still have a lot linked to a location can behave unexpectedly, even after the setting is off.
| If you leave lot data in place and... | What happens |
|---|---|
| A lot's expiration date passes | The location shows as available in inventory but will not be usable for picking. |
| The same SKU has quantity in two locations tied to two different lots | ShipHero will not let you combine that quantity into one location, since the lot link is still active in the background even though the setting is off. |
Complete cleanup before disabling
If you disable Lot Tracking, at the account level or for a specific product, before completing the cleanup steps below, you will not be able to pull the reports needed to find the affected locations. If this happens, re-enable Lot Tracking, complete the steps below, then disable it again once cleanup is finished.
Before You Begin
- Who this applies to: Accounts that used Lot Tracking on one or more SKUs and want to turn the product or account setting off.
- Access needed: Permission to run CSV inventory uploads and to delete item locations.
- Sync Inventory: Consider turning off the Sync Inventory setting for your stores during this process. Your store will keep tracking inventory on its own, but ShipHero will not push 0 available quantity to your store platforms while locations are temporarily emptied.
- Timing: Complete this process outside warehouse operating hours so it does not impact active batches or other ongoing processes.
Table of Contents
- Export Item Locations with Lot Data
- Clear Existing Inventory Before Turning Off Lot Tracking
- Turn Off Lot Tracking
- Restore Inventory After Turning Off Lot Tracking
How to Clean Up Lots Before Turning Off Lot Tracking
Complete these four phases in order: export the affected locations, clear their existing inventory, turn off Lot Tracking, then restore the inventory.
Export Item Locations with Lot Data
- Go to Inventory & Locations > Item Locations.
- Remove the default Stocked filter. This brings 0-quantity locations into the list, which you'll need in a later step.
- Sort the Lots column. This brings every location with a lot to the top of the list.
- Export the list.
Clear Existing Inventory Before Turning Off Lot Tracking
- Use the export to fill in the Inventory Upload CSV template. See How to Use Inventory Upload in ShipHero.
- Run the CSV upload to set the quantity to 0 for those locations.
- Delete those locations, including any at 0 quantity from your export. A location keeps its lot link until it's deleted, even at 0 quantity. See How to Delete Item Locations in ShipHero.
Turn Off Lot Tracking
Turn off Needs Lot Tracking at the level you're changing:
- Single product: Use the pencil icon on the Product Details page, or the Bulk Edit tool on the Inventory > Products page.
- Entire account: Go to My Account > Settings > Lot Tracking and turn off Lot Tracking.
Note for 3PLs: Select the client from the account dropdown first, then go to My Account > Settings > Lot Tracking. A 3PL client cannot turn this off for themselves, so the 3PL does it for them.
Restore Inventory After Turning Off Lot Tracking
Run a second CSV inventory upload to add the products back to the same locations. This restores the location and quantity without linking it back to the original lot.