Transferring Serials Between Locations

When to Transfer a Serial

Use serial transfers when a physical serialized item moves from one of your business locations to another. Common examples include:

• Moving a laptop from your downtown store to the warehouse for storage
• Sending a piece of equipment from your main location to a branch that needs it for a customer order
• Redistributing high-value inventory between locations to balance stock levels

Serial transfers are different from regular stock transfers. Regular stock transfers move quantities — for example, moving 5 units of an item from one location to another. Serial transfers track exactly which unit moved where, giving you a complete chain of custody for each individual item.

How to Initiate a Transfer

You can start a serial transfer from two places:

1. Serial Detail form — Open the serial record and click the Transfer button on the toolbar
2. Serial Lookup results — Select a serial in the lookup results grid and click the Transfer button

The Transfer button requires the INV_TRANSFER_SERIAL permission. If you do not see the Transfer button, contact your administrator to have this permission assigned to your role.

The Transfer Dialog

When you click Transfer, a dialog opens with the following fields:

• Current Location — Displayed at the top of the dialog as a read-only label showing where the serial is right now
• Destination Location — A dropdown list of available locations. You only see locations that you have access to through your user account. The serial's current location is automatically excluded from the list so you cannot accidentally transfer a serial to the location it is already at.
• Transfer Notes — An optional text field where you can explain the reason for the transfer. Examples: “Customer requested pickup at north branch”, “Returning to warehouse after demo period”, “Balancing stock for upcoming sale”

Select the destination location, optionally enter transfer notes, and click Transfer to confirm.

What Happens When You Transfer

When you confirm the transfer, AccuArk performs the following steps automatically:

1. The serial's location is updated to the new destination location
2. The serial's status changes to Transferred
3. A transfer event is recorded in the serial's event history with the following details:
   • Source location (where it was)
   • Destination location (where it is going)
   • Transfer notes (if provided)
   • Your user ID and the date and time of the transfer

All of these steps happen in a single operation. If any step fails, the entire transfer is rolled back and no changes are made.

After the Transfer

Once the transfer is complete:

• The serial now appears in the destination location's inventory. Staff at that location can see the serial in their Serials tab and Serial Lookup results.
• The serial retains its association with the original inventory item. It is still the same product — it has just moved to a different location.
• If the serial was associated with a customer (for example, it was previously sold and returned), that customer association is preserved through the transfer.
• The serial's status is Transferred. Depending on your workflow, you may want to change the status back to In Stock at the destination location once the physical item has been received and verified.

Viewing Transfer History

To review a serial's transfer history:

1. Open the Serial Detail form for the serial
2. Scroll down to the Event History grid
3. Transfer events are listed with the event type Transfer

Each transfer event shows the destination location and any notes that were entered at the time of transfer. The event history is displayed in reverse chronological order, so the most recent transfer appears at the top.

Serial Transfers vs. Stock Transfers for Multi-Location Businesses

If your business operates multiple locations, you likely already use stock transfers to move inventory quantities between locations. Serial transfers add an additional layer of tracking on top of this.

• Stock transfers move quantities — “Move 5 units of Widget A from Location 1 to Location 2”
• Serial transfers track individual units — “Move Widget A with serial number SN-12345 from Location 1 to Location 2”

For high-value or warranty-tracked items, serial transfers give you the ability to answer the question: “Where is this specific unit right now, and how did it get there?” The complete transfer history provides an audit trail that is essential for accountability, warranty verification, and loss prevention.