The quick answer
Open the item and read its Inventory Detail subtab to see where the stock sits. Then enter a Bin Transfer, choose the location, add the item and quantity, and open Inventory Detail on the line. An item with no lot has no lot column there. Choose the From Bins and To Bins, leave the statuses as they are, enter the quantity, click Add and OK, and save. Open the item again and read the subtab. The From bin falls by the quantity you moved and the To bin rises by the same amount.
This example moves 5 shipping cartons, item CTN-120, from bin PK-04 to bin PK-09 at Eastgate Warehouse. The item has 95 cartons, all in PK-04. The company, user, warehouse, bin and item names in the screenshots are fictional example data.
Before you start
This procedure uses the Inventory Detail dialog, which comes with Advanced Bin and Numbered Inventory Management. Basic bin management puts From Bins and To Bins on the transaction line and does not follow these dialog steps. The location itself has to use bins, and so does the item. The stock has to be assigned to a bin already, because stock with no bin needs a putaway first. The From bin needs at least the quantity you move, and the To bin has to belong to the same location. A bin that your warehouse fills through a separate putaway step can be the wrong choice for a plain transfer. Your role needs to enter bin transfers and to view items, the location and the bins.
Page names and columns depend on your version, role and form. From Status and To Status appear only when inventory status is turned on. The account observed had it on, and in that account To Bins started with the item's preferred bin. Your form can start blank or show another bin. A 2019 demo that this example also follows had no status columns. The example assumes that no other transaction, status change or unit conversion touches CTN-120 between your save and your check.
01 · Read where the stock sits
Open Lists > Accounting > Items, click CTN-120, and open the Inventory Detail subtab. In the account observed the View read Bin/Status On Hand. One row shows PK-04, status Good, at Eastgate Warehouse with On Hand 95 and Available 95. PK-09 has no row yet. Use On Hand for the check later. Available can drop below On Hand because of commitments, allocations and status settings, so confirm that the source bin and status hold enough for your quantity.
02 · Start the Bin Transfer
Go to Transactions > Inventory > Bin Transfer and choose Eastgate Warehouse in Location. NetSuite fills in today's date and the subsidiary. The Transaction Number and the Bin Transfer # read To Be Generated until you save.
03 · Enter the item and quantity
On the Items sublist choose CTN-120 Shipping Carton and enter 5 in Quantity. In the account observed the row also shows the item's preferred bin, PK-04, and its units. Click the Inventory Detail icon at the end of the row.
04 · Assign the bins
The dialog has no lot column because CTN-120 has no lot or serial number. In the account observed it shows From Bins, To Bins, From Status, To Status, Available and Quantity. Choose PK-04 in From Bins. In that account From Status filled with Good and Available showed 95, so check the status and the quantity in yours. To Bins started with PK-04, the item's preferred bin, so change it to PK-09. A transfer from a bin to itself moves nothing. If you see the status columns, choose the statuses on purpose. Keeping both on Good keeps the status, and changing To Status would reclassify the moved quantity. Enter 5 in Quantity and click Add. Check that the row quantity matches the line, click OK, and then click Add on the item line.
05 · Save and read the saved transfer
Click Save. The account observed showed a Confirmation and the Bin Transfer BINT41 for Eastgate Warehouse with a quantity of 5. The number follows your numbering setup. Click the Inventory Detail icon on the line. The row reads PK-04 to PK-09, Good to Good, Quantity 5. The saved transfer shows what NetSuite recorded. It does not show today's balance, so the next step checks that separately.
06 · Check the balances on the item
Reopen or refresh CTN-120 and click the Inventory Detail subtab. In this example PK-04 shows On Hand 90 and PK-09 shows On Hand 5. Added together, On Hand at Eastgate Warehouse is still 95. The move changed where the cartons sit and left the location's On Hand alone. If a number is off, look for another transaction, a status change or a unit conversion on the item, or a bin that was already out of balance.
Check the result
- Transfer: BINT41 moved 5 Each of CTN-120 from PK-04 to PK-09 at Eastgate Warehouse, Good to Good.
- Source bin: PK-04 went from 95 to 90 on hand.
- Destination bin: PK-09 went from nothing to 5 on hand, and Eastgate still adds up to 95.
Common questions
How do I move stock between bins for an item that has no lot number?
Enter a Bin Transfer for the location, add the item and the quantity, and open Inventory Detail on the line. Choose the From bin and the To bin, choose the statuses if your account shows them, enter the quantity, add the row and save. Keeping both statuses the same keeps the status. The detail quantities have to add up to the line quantity. This is the Inventory Detail dialog of an Advanced Bin account, and basic bin management puts the bins on the line instead.
Why does the Inventory Detail dialog not show a lot column?
The columns follow the item. A lot numbered or serialized item needs a lot or serial number on every row, and a plain item does not, so the dialog drops that column. In the account observed the dialog still had From Status and To Status because the account uses inventory status. Yours can differ.
Why does To Bins already contain a value?
In the account observed, To Bins started with the item's preferred bin. Your form can start blank or show another eligible bin. When the preferred bin is the bin you are moving from, change To Bins. Choose the From bin yourself and check that it holds enough stock.
Does a bin transfer change the quantity on hand at the location?
No. A bin transfer moves stock between bins at one location, so On Hand at that location stays the same, and the transfer does not post to the general ledger. To move stock between locations you use an Inventory Transfer or a Transfer Order, depending on whether you need shipping, receiving, approval or in-transit tracking. Commitments and status settings can change what is available, even when On Hand does not move.
Where can I see how many units are in each bin after the transfer?
On the item record. In the account observed the Inventory Detail subtab listed On Hand by bin and status. A Bin Numbers subtab or another view can show it on other forms, depending on the enabled bin feature, the item type, your role and the form. The Locations list on Purchasing/Inventory shows a total for each location and is not a per-bin view. Reopen or refresh the item when you validate, because other transactions can change a bin's balance.
Why is Available different from On Hand in my account?
On Hand is the physical quantity. Available is calculated from commitments and status rules, and a per-bin Available column does not exist on every form. In the account observed it matched On Hand on the moved rows. Use On Hand to check the quantity that moved, and use your account's bin and status inquiry to check availability.