How to Reconcile Inventory After a Trial Import

A trial import can match product counts while getting available stock wrong. Inventory reconciliation checks the unit that can actually be sold: each SKU or variant at the correct location, with reservations and backorders understood.

How to make the decision

Export stock from the source at a known timestamp. Map stable SKU, variant, location, on-hand quantity, committed quantity, available quantity and backorder setting to the destination field. Compare exact quantities for an acceptance sample and totals by location, then investigate every exception. Separate a mapping error from stock that legitimately changed after the snapshot. Freeze or capture stock movement during the final window. Have the warehouse owner approve the final reconciliation and complete a test purchase to see whether quantity changes correctly.

Worked example

Synthetic trial has 500 SKUs. Totals match at 2,000 units, but SKU-19 has 20 units in Dubai and zero in Abu Dhabi in the source, while the destination has the locations swapped. A total-only check passes. A location-level comparison flags the error, the team corrects the warehouse mapping, and a test order from Abu Dhabi shows the item unavailable as intended. The warehouse owner signs the result before launch.

What to verify

• Are variant and location keys stable?
• Are stock types mapped consistently?
• Are every difference and its cause logged?
• Has a test order changed quantity correctly?

Limits and ownership

Do not overwrite live stock with an old export merely to make totals agree. Preserve timestamps and reconcile movements after the snapshot.

What to hand over

Give the warehouse owner a difference report by SKU and location, not a single total. Include snapshot time, movements since export, mapping error and correction status. A signed reconciliation should identify remaining exceptions explicitly, so the team can decide whether launch risk is acceptable. Keep the signed record for post-launch support.

Common question

Is a matching total stock count enough?

No. The wrong units can sit on the wrong product or location while the total remains unchanged.

Next useful step

Use Keeping Customer Emails Working During a Store Domain Move for the adjacent decision. For an implementation review, see Megvi’s ecommerce website development service and bring the source records, proposed checks and open exceptions.

Source checked 28 October 2026: WooCommerce: product CSV import stock fields. Check current platform settings before changing a live store or report.

The worked example is illustrative and is not presented as a Megvi client outcome.