A transfer order moves inventory from one of your warehouses to another. When you create one, ShipHero generates an outbound order for the sending warehouse and a purchase order (PO) for the receiving warehouse, so inventory stays accurate at both locations. While the transfer is on the way, you can see which products are in transit, which helps prevent overselling.
Before You Begin
- Multi-warehouse required: Your account must have the Multi-Warehouse feature turned on, with more than one warehouse set up. See How to Set Up Multiple Warehouses in ShipHero.
- Multi-Warehouse Allocation (MWA) rules: If you use MWA rules, create a rule for transfer orders so they allocate from the correct sending warehouse. See How to Create an MWA Rule for Transfer Orders.
- Separate documents after creation: The transfer order and its PO are separate once you save. Edits to one do not update the other, so make every change on both.
How to Create a Transfer Order in ShipHero
You create a transfer order on the Create an Order page. ShipHero gives the outbound order and the PO the same name, starting with TO-, so you can find both easily.
- Go to Orders > Create an Order.
- Select Transfer Order as the order type.
- In the Warehouse section, select the warehouse sending the inventory in Warehouse, and the warehouse receiving it in Transfer To.
- (Optional) In the Order Tags section, type a tag and press Enter. Repeat for each tag. Each tag must be at least 3 characters. Automation rules and MWA rules can use these tags as soon as you save the transfer order. ShipHero adds the transfer_from_ and transfer_to_ tags automatically, so you don't need to add them. Tags go on the outbound transfer order only, not on the transfer order PO. See How to Use Order Tags in ShipHero.
- Select a Profile and a Shipping Option (Carrier and Methods) for the transfer order.
- (Optional) Select Allow Partial to let the sending warehouse ship part of the transfer order when it doesn't have all the inventory available. This works the same way as partial shipping on any other order.
- Add products to the transfer order:
- Select Auto Add Products to add the products the receiving warehouse needs, based on backorder quantity or reorder level.
- To add products yourself, search for each product and enter a Quantity. Use the From Available and To Available columns to check stock at each warehouse.
- Select Save Order. ShipHero opens the transfer order's Order Details page.
What Happens After You Save a Transfer Order
After you save a transfer order, ShipHero creates the matching PO for the receiving warehouse. A green banner at the top of the transfer order's Order Details page links to that PO.
To find the PO later, search for the transfer order's TO- name on the All Purchase Orders page.
Processing a Transfer Order at Each Warehouse
Each warehouse handles its half of the transfer order the same way it handles any other order or PO.
| Warehouse | What to do with the transfer order |
|---|---|
| Sending warehouse | Pick, pack, and ship the transfer order like any other outbound order. |
| Receiving warehouse | When the inventory arrives, receive the transfer order PO like any other PO. This adds the inventory to stock at the receiving warehouse. |
Using Sell Ahead with a Transfer Order
Sell Ahead lets your store show products from a transfer order as available before they arrive at the receiving warehouse, so customers can order items that are still in transit. To use Sell Ahead, apply the quantities on the transfer order PO after ShipHero creates it. See How to Sell Inventory Before It Arrives (Sell Ahead).