Understanding Inventory States in Zelph
Zelph is fully integrated with Shopify’s inventory system — including Shopify’s Inventory States model. To keep stock levels accurate and in sync across multiple storefronts and suppliers, Zelph specifically uses Shopify’s "Available" inventory state when calculating and syncing quantities.
🧾 What Are Inventory States?
Shopify defines inventory using four distinct states:
- Available – Inventory that is in stock and ready to sell
- Committed – Inventory that is part of a placed order but not yet fulfilled
- On hand – The total physical inventory (Available + Committed)
- Incoming – Inventory that’s expected to arrive (e.g. via purchase order)
More info: Shopify – Managing Inventory States
✅ What Zelph Uses: "Available"
Zelph exclusively uses the Available inventory state when:
- Syncing product inventory to connected retailer stores
- Calculating whether a product is in stock
- Determining if an item can be ordered or not
- Performing inventory deductions when a sale occurs
🧠 “Available” = Inventory that’s actually in stock and not reserved for existing orders
This ensures that retailers only sell items that are truly ready to ship — reducing overselling and fulfilment delays.
🔄 How This Works in Practice
If a supplier has:
- 10 units on hand
- 3 committed to pending orders
Then:
- Available inventory = 7
Zelph will sync 7 units to any connected retailer storefronts — not the full 10.
This protects against double-selling and ensures stock accuracy across the platform.
📦 Do We Use "Incoming" or "Committed"?
No — Zelph does not include Committed or Incoming inventory in availability calculations.
We only sync and surface Available inventory to ensure retailers can only sell products that are immediately fulfilable.
🔁 Inventory Sync Recap
| Shopify Inventory State | Used in Zelph? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Available | ✅ Yes | Synced to retailers, used for stock visibility and order logic |
| Committed | ❌ No | Not factored into available stock |
| On Hand | ❌ No | Only used internally by Shopify |
| Incoming | ❌ No | Not synced or exposed via Zelph |
✅ Summary
- Zelph uses Available inventory only
- This ensures accurate real-time stock syncing across retailers and suppliers
- Inventory committed to other orders or awaiting delivery is not included
- This approach helps prevent overselling and keeps your sales channels aligned