Stock Adjustments
Add returned or found units, remove damaged or written-off inventory — one at a time or in bulk via CSV.
When to use stock adjustments
Customer return— A customer returned an item, you’ve inspected it, and it’s sellable again. Add it back to stock so it’s available for sale.
Damaged or defective— Product was damaged in the warehouse or found defective during inspection. Remove it from sellable stock.
Found inventory— You found units during a walkthrough that weren’t in the system. Add them with a note so the discrepancy is documented.
Shrinkage write-off— Periodic reconciliation revealed missing units. Remove them to align your system with reality.
How it works
Stock adjustments come in two modes:
Single adjustment— Use the dialog on the Inventory page to adjust one SKU at a time. Select the SKU, location, whether to add or remove, enter a quantity, and provide a reason. The reason is recorded in the Activity Ledger for full traceability.
Quick count correction— Click a stock number on the Inventory page, or use the pencil action on Reorder Suggestions, to fix one SKU at one location. Set it to an exact on-hand count, or add or subtract units — a live preview shows the resulting count. The reason defaults to “Manual Update” and can be edited before saving.
Bulk CSV— Upload a CSV with multiple adjustments. Positive quantities add stock, negative quantities remove stock. All adjustments are applied to a single location.
Under the hood
Adding stock — creates a Receiptledger entry with source type “Return.”
Removing stock — creates an Issueledger entry with source type “Manual Adjustment.”
Channel sync— runs automatically after every adjustment. Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay quantities update on their next sync.
Accounting posting— if live accounting is connected and enabled, manual adjustments post an inventory adjustment journal entry. Without a connected accounting provider, the inventory change still saves normally.
Single adjustment step-by-step
Open the Adjust Stock dialog
Navigate to the Inventory page and click Adjust Stock in the toolbar.
Search for the SKU
Use the search field to find the SKU by code or product name.
Select the location
Choose the warehouse or location where you’re adjusting stock.
Choose Add or Remove
Select “+ Add” or “− Remove” to set the direction of the adjustment.
Enter the quantity
Enter the number of units as a positive number — the type toggle you chose in the previous step determines whether units are added or removed.
For adds, a Unit Cost field appears next to the quantity. Leave it blank to use the SKU’s current average cost, or enter a specific cost to value these units differently (e.g., enter the standard cost for bonus units from a supplier, or 0 for truly free samples). The cost you enter affects your weighted average cost and inventory valuation.
Enter a reason (required) and submit
A reason is required for every adjustment. Select a suggested reason (Return, Damaged, Shrinkage, Found inventory, Other) or type your own. The reason is recorded in the Activity Ledger for full traceability. The form keeps the location selected after each adjustment, so you can process multiple returns quickly.
Quick count correction
Use quick correction when the number on the screen is wrong — set the exact count, or add or subtract a few units and let the preview do the math.
Click the count
On the Inventory page, click the stock number for the SKU and location you want to correct. On Reorder Suggestions, click the pencil action on the row.
Set, add, or subtract
A Subtract / Set to / Add toggle sits above the field. Set to (the default) opens with the current count selected — type the exact number on the shelf. Or pick Add or Subtract and enter how many units to change by, and a live “New on-hand will be …” line shows where you'll land, so you never do the math yourself. Subtracting can't take a SKU below zero. Either way, Carpe Inventory IQ records the adjustment behind the scenes.
Save with a reason
The reason defaults to Manual Update. You can keep it, type your own note, or choose a suggested reason before saving.
Bulk CSV format
The CSV is intentionally simple. Location is selected in the dialog, not per-row. Positive quantities add stock, negative quantities remove stock.
| Column | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
SKU Code | Yes | Must match an existing SKU in your account (case-insensitive) |
Quantity | Yes | Positive to add stock, negative to remove stock |
Reason | Optional | Defaults to "Stock adjustment" if omitted |
Example CSV:
SKU Code,Quantity,Reason WIDGET-100,5,Return - inspected sellable GADGET-200,-1,Damaged - written off PART-300,3,Return - repaired
The importer also recognizes alternative column headers: Qty, Adj, Adjustment, Note, and Notes.
Bulk CSV step-by-step
Open the Bulk CSV tab
Click Adjust Stock, then switch to the Bulk CSV tab.
Select the location
Choose the location for all adjustments. Every row in the CSV will be applied to this single location.
Upload your CSV
Drag and drop your file into the upload zone, or click to browse.
Review the preview
Green rows are additions, red rows are removals. Check the “New Total” column to verify the resulting quantities before applying.
Apply the adjustments
Click “Apply” to process all adjustments. The results screen shows the success count and any errors.
Adjust Stock vs. Import CSV vs. Physical Count
Three tools, three different jobs. Pick the right one for your situation.
| Adjust Stock | Import CSV | Physical Count | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Add/remove specific quantities | Set inventory to exact target | Full or partial recount |
| How quantity works | +5 means add 5, -2 means remove 2 | 500 means “set to 500” | You count what’s on the shelf |
| Best for | Returns, damage, found stock | Migration, initial setup, bulk corrections | Cycle counts, audits |
| Ledger entry | Receipt (add) or Issue (remove) | Receipt or Adjustment | Adjustment (variance) |
Activity Ledger
Every stock adjustment is recorded in the Activity Ledger with full traceability:
Returns show as Return with a green receipt indicator.
Removals show as Adjustment with the quantity deducted.
The reason you entered is preserved in the ledger notes, so you always know why a change was made.
Your accountant can export adjustments from Reports → Inventory Adjustments for reconciliation and audit purposes.
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