Shopify Available vs. On hand: what inventory sync means

Available and On hand answer different questions

When you compare stock between Shopify stores, first check which inventory column you are looking at. Available describes sellable units. On hand includes Available plus stock that is Committed or Unavailable. Incoming stock is still on its way and is not yet sellable.

These quantities can differ without indicating a failed inventory update. Different orders or reservations in each store affect the relationship between sellable stock and physical stock.

A simple example of the difference

In this illustrative example, both stores have the same Available quantity. Their On hand totals differ because their Committed quantities differ. Copying a sellable quantity between stores does not copy their underlying orders.

What StockBridge currently syncs

StockBridge currently synchronizes Available inventory for mapped variants and locations, according to the connection’s direction and enabled rules. It does not separately synchronize On hand, Committed, Unavailable, or Incoming states. There is currently no selector for switching the sync quantity to On hand.

To check whether a StockBridge update did what you expected, compare Available at the specific mapped locations. A product’s total across all locations can hide the warehouse-level update you are trying to inspect.

When two stores share a physical warehouse

Two Shopify stores can represent the same building while maintaining separate product records and separate order commitments. Connecting Available inventory is useful for related storefronts, but it does not turn those records into one shared order or warehouse ledger.

If staff fulfill orders from both accounts, agree on the operational workflow before expecting every inventory column to match. Define where restocks are recorded, which variants and location pairs represent the same stock, and which store can make adjustments.

A requirement to keep both On hand and Available locked together needs a separate review of orders, commitments, fulfillment, and other inventory-writing systems. It should not be assumed from the presence of bidirectional sync.

Restocks and transfers: inspect the affected state

A Shopify adjustment to On hand also changes Available by the same amount. Receiving a transfer can make incoming units Available. The relevant question for an Available-sync connection is whether sellable stock changed at its mapped location—not only whether a transfer or adjustment entry exists.

In StockBridge, review the exact variant and location involved, then inspect the Activity Log. An update at another warehouse may have a different relationship to the mapped pair you are investigating.

What to collect when a quantity looks wrong

• Source and destination store domains, plus the selected connection.
• The SKU and exact product variant in each store.
• The mapped source and destination location names.
• Available, On hand, and Committed quantities at the time of the discrepancy.
• The change’s approximate time and time zone, plus its inventory-history entry.
• Relevant Activity Log results and any enabled sync rules.

Send these details to StockBridge support. They make it possible to distinguish a different inventory state from a missed update or an incorrect mapping.