Stock In and Stock Out – How to Track for Your Shop
Stock in and stock out are the basics of inventory. Here’s how to track them for your shop.
Part of our inventory management guide.
What Is Stock In?
Stock in = items entering your shop:
- Purchases – From wholesaler or distributor
- Returns – Customer returns, supplier replacements
- Transfers – From another location (if you have multiple)
What Is Stock Out?
Stock out = items leaving your shop:
- Sales – Sold to customers
- Damage – Broken, expired, spoiled
- Transfers – To another location
- Samples – Free giveaways (track these too)
Simple Tracking Method
- Opening stock – What you had at start of day
- + Stock in – Add what came in
- - Stock out – Subtract what went out
- = Closing stock – What you have now
Do this daily for fast-moving items, weekly for slow movers.
When to Use an App
Manual tracking works for 20–50 items. Beyond that, an app saves time and reduces errors. Stockkeeper automates stock in/out with barcode or manual entry, and links it to GST billing.
[Join the waitlist](/ “#waitlist).