Turning stock control on
To turn stock control ON, you'll need to subscribe to one of our stock modules. Visit Setup:Configuration and billing, then click "change my pay plan".
To manage stock levels for a product, make sure the "manage stock control" for the item is set to "yes" in the product edit screen. You can have some items where stock is managed, and some items where it's not. If you are managing stock for an item, then you can only sell and buy it in full units.
Levels of stock control
We have 3 levels of the stock control module. Note that Purchase Orders are in a separate Purchasing module.
| Basic | Standard | Premium | |
| Maximum warehouse locations | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Item SKUs |  |
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| Track qty in stock | |
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| Minimum stock levels | |
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| Batch process re-ordering | |
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| Ecommerce support | |
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| Option stock tracking (group items) | |
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| Brands | |
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| Bundles (kits) | |
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| Allocate stock before shipment | |
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| Auto-split sales into back-orders | |
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| Consolidated picking lists | |
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| Drop ship | |
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| SKUs per price list | |
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| Volume discounts | |
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| "Collections" (sub-brands) | |
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| Part-ship orders (row-based fulfilment) | |
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| Serial number tracking | |
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| Stock locations (aisle bay shelf bin) | |
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| Template per shipping method | |
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| Batch goods note processing screens | |
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| Goods note API access | Soon |
This video show how to manage items in Basic stock control:
Processes that add stock
- Creating a Purchase Order then receiving the stock for it
- Creating a Sale Order with negative stock quantities and posting to accounts or clicking "update stock"
- Using the manual stock adjust screen
- From a spreadsheet using the data manager
Processes that remove items from stock
- Create a Sale Order and posting to accounts or clicking "update stock"
- Using the manual stock adjust screen
- Creating a Purchase Order with negative quantities
- From a spreadsheet using the data manager
Customer returns and exchanges
If a customer is returning one item for another you need to create a sale order on the system to reflect this. It may not have a total value, but must be done for stock control purposes.
Create a sale in the normal way, and for the item coming back into stock, enter negative quantity. If you are sending out a replacement, then enter another row with the quantity to be sent.
If you're exchanging one item for another, then when this sale is Invoiced (even if it has no value) then the returned item will be put back into stock and the new item(s) will be removed from stock. If you have Cost of Sales turned on, then accounting entries will also be made to adjust for cost of goods sold.
Stock valuation
Stock is valued using the price actually paid, excluding tax, in your base currency.
When stock on a Purchase Order is received, the cost value as shown for each item on the Purchase Order is entered into the stock database, using the base currency. If an invoice has not been entered yet for this Purchase Order, then this cost is only provisional.
When the invoice is later received for the Purchase Order, Brightpearl will update the cost value of each remaining item in the database and mark the prices as confirmed. The total value of the stock is then entered into the accounts ledgers.
When a supplier invoice is allocated against a Purchase Order before stock is received, then the items are received into the stock database as "stock in transit", with confirmed prices, and the value is added to the accounts ledgers. Since you have received the invoice, you own the stock but it is not yet in your posession. When the stock is received, it is transferred from "stock in transit" to the relevant warehouse location.
Note that the accounting ledgers are only affected when you receive a Purchase Invoice against a Purchase Order and some or all items on the order are set to manage stock, and have been set a stock code.
Drop-ship purchase orders
You can set a Purchase Order to be "drop-ship" (direct to customer), in which case the stock will never be received. You can't have items on a drop-ship Purchase Order affecting the stock asset accounts, so Brightpearl will use the Purchase code (5xxx) for the product even if you have Cost of Sales switched on. Non drop-ship Purchase Orders (where you are receiving stock into the warehouse) will amend your stock code (1xxx) when receiving a Purchase Invoice.
Drop-ship sales
The same principle applies for sales - you can mark the sale as "drop ship" in the "other" tab - and Brightpearl will not update the stock quantities when posting to accounts. If a sale is marked as drop-ship, then if you have Cost of Sales switched on, no Cost of Sales entries will be posted into the Sales Invoice journal (you have not removed any stock from the warehouse as Cost of Sale).
Cost of Sales
There are two ways to track the cost of sales with Brightpearl. Choose one, and stick with it.
1. Perpetual, live Cost of Sales
Switch this on at Setup:Finance. Each and every sale made affects the accounting ledgers, moving stock value from your Asset codes to your Purchases codes depending on the value of stock sold.
2. Periodic Opening and Closing stock balances
This method requires that you do a stock take at the end of each month to establish your current stock asset value. Any difference in stock value since the last month end should be transferred from your stock code to a Cost of Sales code using the manual journal entry screen. Please see your accountant for more information.
Negative stock quantity
If your stock database is out of sync with your real stock, you may find that you have sold an item where there are none in stock. Brightpearl still allocates a Cost of Sale figure to the sale, using the last price paid, or if no Purchase Order exists for the stock, the cost price as defined by the "cost price list" on that sales order will be used.
First-in-first out
Each stock item purchased has a value, and this value may vary between Purchase Orders so items are tracked by the date they arrive. The oldest items are sold first (First In First Out - FIFO). So say for example you have purchased 10 items at £10.00, then purchase another 5 of the same item at £15.00.
Your stock database will show:
1st Jan : 10 x Item @ £10.00 = £100.00
5th Jan : 5 x Item @ £15.00 = £75.00
Total stock value is £175.00, Last price paid is £15.00
If you then sell 12 items, all 10 of the first delivery will be removed, along with 2 of the second delivery (first in first out). The total value removed from stock is:
10 x £10.00 = £100.00
+ 2 x £15.00 = £30.00
Total £130.00
This is the Cost of Sale, which is applied to the accounting database for this sale of 12 items.
Viewing current stock levels
To view a list of ALL your current stock and it's value, click Products - Stock - Stock report from the main menu.
To see if a particular item is in stock, search for the product using the products quick search box. Existing stock quantity will be shown, less any allocated stock, giving a "stock on hand" figure. If you have multiple warehouses set up, hover over the figure to see what stock you have in each warehouse.
Amending stock values
If for any reason you want to change the value of stock already received into the stock table, then you can visit the stock report and edit the values directly. Warning : There is no change tracking for this, and your accounting ledgers are not affected.
Adjusting stock: a variant of a bundle
If you wish to sell a bundle, but switch one of the subproducts for another. Add the original bundle to the order, but also enter two adjusting lines to the order. For example a computer bundle may normally come with a Monitor X, but the customer wants to switch this for Monitor Y. Add the computer bundle to the sale, then add two rows to reflect the switched subcomponent.
-1 Monitor X
and add another line
1 Monitor Y
Add any price adjustment if required.
Stock is only removed from the system when the sale is posted to accounts.
Stock take: manually updating the stock of products
This method will be removed from Brightpearl shortly. Please see the method using the Data Manager (further below).
Every stock system gradually has errors introduced via human error, losses, theft and excess, so it's important to do a full stock take as often as you can to verify that your Brightpearl system contains the most up to date information. A stock take is done by exporting a list of products, amend the stock quantity, and re-import the file.
- Visit the Products : Import/Export screen
- Export your stock file (or just one category or brand if you like). Make sure you tick the "include stock qty" box, which will only output items where stock is managed.
- Save the original file.
- Save a copy as the "edited version" before you go any further!
- Format the spreadsheet so that it prints nicely. Don't delete any columns ... you can choose to "hide" them in Excel.
- Print out the file and check each item against your actual stock levels. This is often much much easier with two people.
- Amend your Excel file with the corrected quantities.
- Save a copy as "checked" - and keep this somewhere since it's handy to have for future analysis.
- Re-import the spreadsheet using the Products import-export screen, making sure that you tick the "update stock quantities" for the relevant warehouse.
Brightpearl will check the number in your spreadsheet against the number in the stock table (for that warehouse), and if there is a difference and adjustment posting will be made. Note that the adjustment will only be made to the stock table, and not your ledgers.
Note that you should not amend the stock levels this way if you have given stock away as a prize, gift etc. Create a sales order and set the value to be zero. Then your Profit and Loss account will show that you purchased the stock, it has an asset value and you have now written it off properly.
Updating stock levels using the Data Manager
This method should be used to update stock from a simple 2 or 3 column spreadsheet.
- Visit Setup:Import Data from the main menu
- Click "Import using Data Manager"
- Build a new data map as follows:
A : Product SKU (or product ID)
B : Product qty
C : Product cost value - Export the stock category/brand that you want to check from the Products:Import/Export screen
- Alter the spreadsheet to match your data map columns
- Run around your warehouse and check the stock, enter it into your stock spreadsheet.
- Import the data map!
If there is less stock than Brightpearl has on record, items will be removed from Brightpearl. Accounting ledgers are not affected, but Brightpearl will give you a cost of stock removed should you wish to enter a journal. Write this down now!
If there is more stock in the spreadsheet than in Brightpearl, then stock will be added, using the cost given in the import file. If you don't give a cost in the import file, then the last price paid will be used.
Also see product management by Excel.
Intangible (non stock) products, such as labour and time
It is possible that you will want to create Sales Invoices for customers for items such as time, labour or services. These should be created on Brightpearl as a normal product, but make sure that “manage stock” is set to “no”. Alternatively if you don’t want to track sales of this item in future reports, you can use the “misc item” and change the name on each sale.
