Many book depots keep most of the school-season stock in a godown or a back store and bring it to the counter as the shelves empty. BooksPOS keeps each place's stock apart: the Stock page says where every copy is, and the till sells only what is on the shop floor. This guide covers adding places and moving stock between them.
Places in a branch
Every branch starts with one place: the Shop floor. Deliveries arrive there, the till sells from there, and adjustments work there. Count sheets can be made for any place.
You can add others: a Godown, a Back store, an upstairs room. Stock in them belongs to the same branch and is in the same totals, but it is not for sale at the counter until it is moved to the shop floor.
How to add a godown
- Open Stock and choose Move stock ("Move stock between the shop floor and the godown").
- If the branch has only the shop floor, the window says so: "Add the other place where you keep stock, such as a godown or back store."
- Type the name, for example Godown, and choose Add place.
More places can be added the same way (Another place, e.g. Back store).
How to move stock
- On Stock (or on Transfers), choose Move stock. On an item's own page, Move opens the same window with that item already added.
- Choose From and To. Swap the two places turns the direction round.
- Add each item (Add an item: title, ISBN or SKU). The line shows how many are in the from place.
- Set the Unit and Qty.
- Add a Note if useful, for example new session stock to the counter.
- Choose Move stock. "MAIN-TR000003: 4 item(s) moved from Godown to Shop floor."
Recent moves lists the last transfers.
Moving stock between places. From the godown to the shop floor; the copies keep their cost. Screenshot of the current build (28 Sep 2026), synthetic demo data.
What a move does
- Copies keep their cost. A move changes where stock is, not what it is worth, so nothing is posted to the books and the stock value does not change.
- Stock can never go negative in any place: you cannot move more than is there.
- Each move is its own document with a number and a note, in both places' movement ledgers.
- A move sent twice by accident (for example after a network hiccup) is recorded once.
Where you see places
- Stock shows a row per item, with Where it is when some copies are off the shop floor. Choose a place in the Every place list to see only that place's stock.
- An item's own page (choose its row on Catalog or Stock) has Stock by place: sellable, damaged and consigned copies and their value at each place.
- Transfers (in the menu under Stock) lists every move between places, with who made it; a move opens on its own page with its lines and values.
- Reports › Stock value covers every place, and the total equals the inventory account.
- The till offers only shop-floor stock. A bill for more copies than the shop floor holds is refused, even if the godown has plenty: move them first.
Rules worth knowing
- Deliveries and adjustments work on the shop floor. To correct godown stock, move it to the shop floor first. A count sheet can be made for the godown itself: see Stock counts.
- Consigned copies (sale or return) stay on the shop floor and cannot be moved to the godown.
- Transfers from another branch arrive on the shop floor. Move them to the godown afterwards.
- Who can move stock: owners, managers and warehouse staff.
Common questions
Why does the till say "Only 2 in stock" when the godown has 50?
The till sells only from the shop floor. Move copies from the godown with Move stock, then bill.
Can I sell straight from the godown?
No. Bring them to the shop floor with a move first. It takes a few seconds and keeps both places' figures right.
Does moving stock change profit?
No. Moves carry the copies' cost with them; nothing is bought, sold or lost.
Can I rename or remove a place?
Not from the screen today. Choose names carefully when you add a place.
Related guides
Last updated 27 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.