Inventory management using POS and online sales

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A merchant is seeking a solution for tracking inventory across Shopify’s online store and multiple POS locations used for pop-up events in different states. Each event requires a separate location setup to handle varying sales tax requirements.

Current Workaround:

  • Create new POS locations for each event without assigning inventory upfront
  • After the event, deactivate the location
  • During deactivation, Shopify forces inventory transfer, which creates negative inventory levels
  • These negative amounts automatically subtract from the main online store inventory, reflecting actual sales

Suggested Solution:

  • One user recommends trying Prediko, an app they use for similar multi-location inventory tracking needs

Status: The discussion remains open with no definitive best-practice solution identified, though the workaround appears functional despite being described as “crude.”

Summarized with AI on October 28. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I sell online and use Shopify POS when we go to an event (like a popup store). I use the same inventory for fulfilling online orders and in person sales at pop-up events. The popup events are in different states, so we typically set up a new location in POS to manage the different sales tax collection requirements each state has. Is there a way to track inventory across the different platforms and locations without having to transfer inventory back and forth between Shopify online and each location? Or are there any good add-on apps that can handle this seemlessly?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

1 Like
2

Hi JMFG,

Did you figure a way out of this? I am setting up our first POS location and having trouble with the same.

Thanks!

1 Like
3

Hey @JMFG try Prediko.

In our case at Second Aid we go to a lot of events that pop ups in India. and we had a similar situation - Inventory that is sold online and at events should be tracked in a single place.

4

Here is what I am currently doing. As we go to a new event, I set up that event as a separate location without any inventory (mainly so we comply with Sales tax collection). Once that event is done, I deactivate that location. As you deactivate a location, Shopify makes you transfer the inventory to a new location prior to deactivating. Since I don’t set up inventory initially, Shopify transfers negative inventory levels back to my main online store. Therefore it actually subtracts everything that I sold from the inventory levels in my main store. Kind of a crude workaround (as with many things in Shopify) but it works for us. Hope this helps you too.