Stock across multiple locations

Before you start

A location is any physical place where you sell products, fulfill orders or stock inventory, such as a warehouse, a retail store or a pop-up. Some apps, like dropshipping apps and third-party logistics services, also count as locations¹. With more than one location, Shopify tracks stock separately at each one¹.

Your plan sets how many active locations you can have²:

• Starter: 2
• Basic, Grow and Advanced: 10
• Shopify Plus: 200

Deactivated locations don't count toward the limit. Neither do apps that stock inventory for you; they appear under App and custom fulfillment locations². You always need at least one active location².

Example: a candle shop with a warehouse in Ohio and a small shop in Toronto. Both hold stock, but only the warehouse ships online orders.

Steps

1. Add the location. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Locations. In All locations, click Add location².
2. Enter the name and address. In Location details, click the edit icon next to Name, enter a name and click Done. Click the edit icon next to Address, enter the address and click Save². Google verifies the address. An unverified address can block local delivery and shipping label purchases².
3. Decide whether it ships online orders. The setting Inventory at this location is available to fulfill online orders is on by default. Turn it off for a location that should only sell in person². If you sell in person, you can also turn on List this location as a physical store to help customers find it under Physical storefront. Click Save².
4. Change the online setting later if needed. Go to Settings > Locations, click the location and use the Use inventory at this location to fulfill online orders toggle in the Fulfillment section. Click Save³. When it's off, that stock no longer counts toward the product's online quantity, but draft orders and other sales channels can still use it³.
5. Stock products at the new location. A new location starts with no inventory⁴. Go to Products, click a product, and in the Inventory section click Edit locations. Select the locations that stock it, enter a quantity for each, click Done, then Save⁴. For many products, use the bulk editor (up to 50 products at a time) or an inventory CSV file, which Shopify recommends for more than 100 products⁴.
6. Set your default location. Go to Settings > Locations. In the Default location section, click Change, select a location and click Save³. Only an active location can be the default. If you have not moved to shipping profiles, the default location also sets your shipping rates³.
7. Rank which location ships first. Order routing needs at least two active locations⁵. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery. In the Shipping section, click Order routing, then the right arrow icon. Click Add rule, then Use ranked locations⁶.
8. Arrange the ranking. Drag the new rule's handle to the top of the list. Click its pencil icon, drag your preferred warehouses into the top group and leave the rest in the bottom group. Click Done⁶. With several warehouses, add Ship from closest location at the end to break ties, then click Save⁶.
9. Move stock between locations. Go to Products > Transfers and click Create transfer. Choose a location in Select origin and Select destination, add products with Search products, and enter quantities in the Move column. Click Save⁷. The transfer is saved as a draft.
10. Send and receive the transfer. Open it from the Transfers page. Click Move to in transit to show the stock as incoming at the destination, or use Mark as transferred only if the items have already moved⁷. You can't change the origin or destination after processing⁷.

Check your work

• Open a product and confirm the Inventory section lists a quantity at each location that stocks it⁴.
• Go to Settings > Locations and check how many active locations you use against your plan's limit².
• Place a test order to an address near each warehouse and confirm it is assigned to the location your routing rules rank first⁶.

Common problems

• "The product shows a dash at one location." The product is inactive there. Click Edit locations again and select that location⁴.
• "I received a transfer but can't sell the stock there." Receiving adds quantity but doesn't make the product sellable at that location. Activate the product there or stock the items when you receive them⁷.
• "I can't add another location." You've reached your plan's limit. Deactivate a location you don't use, since deactivated locations don't count².
• "I can't deactivate my main location." You can't deactivate the default location. Change the default first².
• "One order is split across two warehouses." If no single location can fulfill the whole order, Shopify splits it or assigns it to the highest-priority location³. Ship from closest location also ships from the nearest location even if the order splits⁶.
• "I can't remove a product from a location." It has unfulfilled orders or active transfers there. Finish those first⁴.

Further reading

• Setting up order fulfillment for locations³
• Setting up order routing⁶