Warehouse transfers: move stock between warehouses with tasks

Create a transfer order for one client, get it approved, and the system creates a Transfer Out task at the source warehouse and a Transfer In task at the destination. In-transit stock stays visible to both warehouses but cannot be used until received.

Open WMS → Inventory → Transfer. A transfer moves stock BETWEEN warehouses in the same organization. Moving stock between locations inside one warehouse is a Move task, not a transfer. One transfer order covers one client (owner of the goods) only — if goods of two clients need to move, create two orders.

1. Create the order: client first, then lines#

1. Click "+ New transfer". Pick the From warehouse and the To warehouse — they must be different warehouses.
2. Pick the Client (required for 3PL operations). Products and pallets you can add afterwards are filtered to this client, so goods of another client can never slip in.
3. Add product lines: product + quantity (+ lot # if a specific batch must go). You do NOT pick the source location here — the system reserves stock and suggests picking locations when the order is approved.
4. Or add whole-pallet lines: switch the line to "Pallet" and pick an LPN from the source warehouse. The pick list only shows pallets that can be transferred (in the source warehouse, available, single-client content); a mixed-client pallet must be split first.
5. Product lines and pallet lines can be mixed on one order. Optionally set the Expected arrival date (helps the destination plan receiving) and a pre-assigned putaway location if you already know where the goods should land.
6. Click Create — the order is saved as Draft and nothing is reserved yet. Then Submit it for approval (if your organization turned approval off, the order takes effect right after creation).

2. Approval: stock is reserved and the Out task appears#

The approver opens the order and clicks Approve (or Reject). Approving does three things at once: the stock is reserved for this order (available becomes allocated, so other orders cannot take it), a Transfer Out task is created at the source warehouse, and the order detail page shows both tasks with their numbers, statuses and assignees — click a task number to jump to the task. If some line cannot be fully reserved, approval stops with a plain message saying which line is short and by how much; fix the quantity and approve again. On the order detail you also see per-line Planned / Shipped / Received / Variance quantities.

3. Source warehouse: do the Transfer Out task on mobile#

1. In the WMS mobile app, open Tasks and find the Transfer Out task (the order number TRF-… is shown on the task home). Tap Start task.
2. Pick line by line following the suggested locations. For storage locations you must scan the pallet first, as everywhere in the app. If a line has a required lot, scanning a wrong lot is blocked on the spot — get the right batch.
3. Whole-pallet lines: scan the LPN to confirm — the pallet ships as-is, no item-by-item counting. Loose product lines can also be packed onto an outbound pallet if you want them received as a pallet at the other end.
4. Move the goods to the outbound staging area, then tap Confirm dispatch. Stock now shows as In transit — the destination warehouse can already see what is coming.

Shipped less than planned?

Enter the actual shipped quantity for that line and pick a shortage reason (the reasons are maintained under Master data → Reason codes). The unshipped part is released back to available stock right away, and the order continues with the shipped quantity — a transfer ships once; anything left over needs a new order. Every line must be filled in before confirming — lines you cannot ship at all get quantity 0 plus a reason.

4. Destination warehouse: do the Transfer In task#

As soon as the source confirms dispatch, a Transfer In task is created at your warehouse — treat it as the arrival notice: its home page lists everything on the way (products, pallets, quantities, expected arrival date). If your warehouse uses desktop direct mode instead, the order detail offers one-click receive for the full shipped quantity.

1. Open the Transfer In task and tap Start task. Whole-pallet lines: scan the LPN — contents are known, no item counting. Product lines: scan the product and enter the actual received quantity.
2. Choose the putaway location: the system suggests 2–3 locations by the same putaway rules as normal receiving (a location pre-assigned on the order is offered first) — scan or pick to confirm; you can change it on site.
3. Tap Confirm receipt. Received stock becomes available at your warehouse immediately.

Damaged goods, or the count is wrong?

• Damaged: enter the damaged quantity separately and pick a damage reason; take a photo as evidence. Damaged stock is booked as damaged at your warehouse — never into available stock, and never quietly mixed back in.
• Short or over: enter what you actually received and pick a variance reason. Never change the planned or shipped quantity to "make it match" — the difference stays open for a supervisor to decide (next section), and the order shows Exception until then.
• Your part ends there: the task completes with the quantities you confirmed. Open differences do not block the worker — they wait on the order, not on you.

5. Supervisors: decide variances on the order detail#

Orders with open differences sit in Exception. A supervisor of either warehouse opens the order detail (WMS → Inventory → Transfer → the order) and uses the variance section on the differing line: Write off (goods lost in transit — a reason code is required and the write-off is booked against the in-transit stock), Reopen receiving (the goods turned up later — a new Transfer In task is created to receive the rest), Confirm overage (the source really shipped extra — the frozen quantity becomes available at the destination), or Keep on hold (origin unclear — the quantity stays frozen and is handled by counting/adjustment). Every decision, with its reason, lands on the order timeline. When all differences are decided, the order completes.

Goods still on the road and you want them back: recall

An in-transit order cannot be cancelled the normal way. If the goods physically return to the source warehouse, a supervisor uses Recall on the order detail (a reason code is required): the in-transit stock goes back to available at the original locations, the pallet (if any) returns with it, the Transfer In task is cancelled, and the order closes as Cancelled (recalled). Only recall when the goods really are back — the stock becomes available again the moment you confirm.

Status flow#

Status names#

• Draft (draft)
• Submitted (submitted)
• Approved (approved)
• In transit (in_transit)
• Exception — variance pending decision (exception)
• Completed (completed)
• Rejected (rejected)
• Cancelled (cancelled)

FAQ#

• Can I use a transfer inside one warehouse? No — from and to warehouses must differ. Inside one warehouse, use a Move task (or Quick Move on mobile).
• Where is my stock while it is on the road? In Inventory you can filter by "In Transit" — it stays booked at the source locations, and the destination sees it under the incoming view. It cannot be picked or sold by either side until received.
• The worker closed the task by mistake / the task is gone. A supervisor can regenerate the missing task from the order detail ("Generate task" for the out or in side) — stock and quantities are not affected, and no duplicate open task is created.
• Goods of two clients in one shipment? Not on one order — one order, one client. Create one order per client; they can still travel together physically.
• Transfer vs. Move vs. platform inbound transfer orders: Transfer (TRF-) moves your own stock between your warehouses; Move shifts locations inside one warehouse; Marketplace Transfer Orders (TO-) send stock into platform fulfillment warehouses (e.g. Amazon FC) — a different flow, do not mix them up.

Docklify features used in this article#

• WMS → Inventory → Transfer: create orders (client + product/pallet lines), approve, order detail with tasks, line quantities and variance decisions
• WMS mobile app → Tasks: Transfer Out and Transfer In tasks with dedicated execution pages (picking, LPN scan, staging, putaway)
• WMS → Inventory: "In Transit" filter and the incoming view at the destination warehouse
• Master data → Reason codes: shortage (transfer_short) and variance (transfer_variance) reason sets used on the execution pages and in decisions
• WMS → Task Rules → SLA: the 8-hour default SLA for Transfer Out / Transfer In tasks