A stock count compares what BooksPOS says is on the shelf with what is really there, and corrects the differences in one step. In a book depot you rarely get a day with the shutter down, so BooksPOS counts while the shop stays open: sales made after a line was counted never look like losses. This guide covers the Stock counts page, making a count sheet, counting, printing a sheet to count on paper, and posting.
Before you start
- Choose the scope. A shelf (Shelf R5), a class (Class 5 books), a category, a title, or everything. Smaller sheets are easier to finish and check.
- Choose the place. The shop floor, or a godown or back store you added under Move stock. Each sheet counts one place.
- Split the work. One person reads titles and editions from the shelf, another types, or print the sheet and write on it.
- Keep editions apart. Count the 2025 and 2026 editions of a title separately: they are different items.
The Stock counts page
Open Stock counts in the menu under Stock (the Count button on the Stock page opens it too). It lists every count sheet, newest first, with:
- its name, number (MAIN-SC000002) and place;
- its status: Counting, Posted or Cancelled;
- when it was started and by whom;
- how many lines are counted (2 of 7);
- the result: the differences so far, or, once posted, how many lines differed and the value found and missing.
Choose Every sheet, Still counting, Posted or Cancelled to narrow the list. Excel, CSV, PDF and Print export the list. Choose a sheet to open it on its own page.
How to make a count sheet
- On Stock counts, choose New count sheet.
- Type a Name, for example Shelf R5.
- In Items to count, type a shelf, class, category or title to count only those items. Leave it empty to count everything.
- Choose the Place: the shop floor (the till sells from here) or another place such as the godown.
- Choose Create sheet. The sheet opens on its own page.
The sheet lists every matching item with what the books show now for sellable copies at that place. Items marked discontinued are left out. A sheet can hold up to 3,000 items; if more match, count by shelf, class or category instead.
How to count
- On the sheet's page, use Find on this sheet to jump to an item, and the list next to it to show Every line, Not counted yet, Counted or Differences.
- Type what you find in Counted, in the item's base unit (copies or pieces). Five boxes of 12 are 60.
- Leave a line empty if you did not count it. It is not changed.
- Type 0 for an item that is not on the shelf at all.
- Choose Save counts as you go. The page says how many counts are not saved yet. A count can run over several days; what you saved is kept.
When a count is saved, BooksPOS records the books' quantity at that moment in At count. The Difference is what you counted minus that figure. A copy sold ten minutes later changes Books now, but not the difference, so it is not taken for a loss.
If two people type on the same sheet at once, the second save is refused: "Someone else entered counts on this sheet meanwhile. Reload it and enter yours again."
A count sheet. Each counted line keeps the book quantity at that moment; only real differences are posted. Screenshot of the current build (28 Sep 2026), synthetic demo data.
Counting on paper
While a sheet is still being counted, Print (or PDF) gives a list to count on paper: each item with its SKU, unit and what the books show now, and an empty Counted column. It prints the lines the page shows, so choose Not counted yet first to print only what is left. Type the figures in afterwards and save. Excel saves the same list as a workbook.
How to post the count
- Check the lines with a difference (choose Differences). Recount anything that looks wrong, such as a whole carton missing.
- Type who counted in When posting: who counted, for example year-end count by Bilal and Sana.
- Choose Post differences. Anything typed but not saved is saved first. "… posted: only the differences were adjusted."
BooksPOS then:
- adds or takes out only the real differences, at the average cost, to the Stock adjustments account (so they show in profit and loss);
- changes stock only at the sheet's place;
- leaves uncounted lines untouched;
- records the count's number on every movement it made, with who posted it.
Cancel sheet abandons a count without changing any stock; BooksPOS asks first.
Consigned copies
Copies on sale or return stand on the same shelf, so the books' quantity on a sheet includes them. A shortfall is taken from the shop's own copies first. If more are missing than the shop owns, some of the missing copies are a consignor's, and posting is refused until you keep them: "… of the missing … belong to a consignor. Keep them from the consignment first (New receipt, Consignment, Keep), then post the count." A consignor's copies are never written off silently. See Consignment (sale or return).
Who can count
Anyone who can see stock can open the Stock counts page and read the sheets. Creating, entering, posting and cancelling counts needs the stock-adjustment permission: owners, managers and warehouse staff.
Common questions
Do I have to close the shop to count?
No. That is the point of the snapshot per line: keep selling while you count.
Can I count the godown?
Yes. Choose the godown as the Place when you make the sheet. The sheet shows the godown's copies, and posting changes only the godown's stock. Damaged copies are not on a sheet.
I counted a line wrong and saved. Can I change it?
Yes, until the sheet is posted: type the right figure and Save counts again.
What if a book is found that is not on the sheet?
Make a new sheet with its title, or use Found stock under Adjust. See Stock adjustments.
Where do I see what a count changed later?
On the item's own page (open it from Catalog or Stock), under Movements, or on Stock movements with the kind Stock counts. Each movement shows the sheet's number and who posted it.
Related guides
Last updated 27 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.