Why 3PL inventory is different from your own inventory
A business managing its own stock only has to answer "how many do we have, and where?". A third-party logistics provider has to answer a third question on every line: "whose is it?". Two clients can store the same kind of product, sometimes with the same supplier SKU, in the same aisle. If the system cannot tell them apart, a stock count, a pick or a monthly storage invoice can be wrong without anyone noticing until a client complains.
That is why many small 3PLs end up running one spreadsheet per client, or a separate software account per client. Both work for a while, and both break when the same people have to receive, move and ship for every client in one shared warehouse, because every action has to be done in the right file or the right account.
Separate stock per client, in shared locations
StockFlow records the owner on the product itself. You add each client once as a contact and assign their products to them, one at a time on the product page or in bulk from the Client Inventory report. Products with variants only need the client set on the parent; the variants inherit it unless you give a variant its own client.
Because ownership lives on the product and not on the shelf, clients can share storage. Bin A-01 can hold stock for two clients, and the report still shows each client's quantity in that bin separately. Your own stock simply stays unassigned, so a 3PL that also sells its own products can run both from one account.
- Client (stock owner) field on every product, with variants inheriting from the parent
- Bulk assignment of many products to a client at once
- Clients can share bins and shelves without their quantities being combined
- Unassigned products stay your own stock, so mixed operations work in one account
Warehouses, bins and the same SKU in several places
Each warehouse can hold up to 200 bin or shelf locations, each with its own scannable code. Stock is tracked per bin, so receiving, moving and picking all update the exact shelf rather than only a warehouse total. Moving stock between two bins, or transferring it to another warehouse, is recorded in the stock history with who did it and when.
When the same SKU sits in more than one warehouse, the product page shows a "Same SKU in all warehouses" breakdown: the quantity per warehouse and per bin, next to the total. That answers the everyday 3PL question of where a client's stock is right now without opening every warehouse one by one.
Receiving and shipping records per client
Inbound stock is received against a purchase order or booked in directly with a barcode scan, into the bin where it is put away. Outbound stock leaves through sales orders and pick lists. Every movement lands in the stock history with the product, quantity, location and reference number, and because each product carries its client, every movement is automatically attributable to that client.
The Receipts and shipments tab of the Client Inventory report filters those movements by client, warehouse and date range, and labels each one as received, shipped, transferred or adjusted. That is the record you need when a client asks what arrived last week, or disputes a quantity.
Client inventory reports and billing input
Most 3PLs invoice storage by volume or location and handling by movement. StockFlow is not a billing system, but the Client Inventory report gives you the underlying numbers: stock on hand per client, per product and per bin, how many locations each client occupies, and every receipt and shipment in the period. Each view exports to CSV, ready to price in a spreadsheet or your accounting software.
A summary view lists every client with their number of products, number of locations used and total quantity, which is a quick way to spot a client whose stored volume has grown faster than their storage fee.
- Stock by client, product, warehouse and bin, filterable by client, warehouse and location
- Receipts and shipments per client for any date range
- Summary per client: products, locations used, total quantity
- CSV export of every view as input for storage and handling invoices
StockFlow vs. one spreadsheet per client
| Feature | StockFlow | Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|
| Stock owner (client) on every product | One file per client | |
| Clients sharing the same bins | Manual, error-prone | |
| Quantity per bin, updated on every scan | ||
| Receipts and shipments per client | Typed in by hand | |
| Same SKU across all warehouses in one view | ||
| CSV export for client invoicing | ||
| Client login portal |
When StockFlow fits, and when you need an enterprise 3PL WMS
StockFlow fits small and growing 3PLs and fulfillment businesses that need each client's stock kept separate and reportable, barcode receiving and picking, and several warehouses, without a long implementation. It also fits businesses moving off a tool where separating clients meant separate accounts or one spreadsheet per client.
It is not the right tool if you need clients to log in to their own portal, automated invoicing from storage and pick activity, carrier rate shopping, or wave planning across very high daily order volumes. Those are the domain of dedicated 3PL warehouse management systems, which are priced and implemented accordingly.
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