Reorder Points and Stock Alerts in QuickBooks

QuickBooks does not have built-in features specifically labeled as “Reorder Points” and “Stock Alerts.” However, you can set up reminders and alerts to manage your inventory levels effectively. Here’s how you can create a system in QuickBooks to track and receive notifications for reorder points and stock alerts:

1. Use Item Quantity Alerts:

In QuickBooks, you can set up quantity alerts for your inventory items to notify you when stock reaches a specific level. Follow these steps:

QuickBooks Online:

1. Go to the “Sales” menu and select “Products and Services.”
2. Edit the inventory item for which you want to set a stock alert.
3. In the “Product/Service Information” section, you can set a “Reorder point” or a “Service date” (which can be used as a stock alert date).
4. Save your changes.
5. As your inventory decreases and reaches the specified reorder point or service date, you can manually check the item list for items that require reordering or attention.

QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Go to the “Lists” menu and select “Item List.”
2. Edit the inventory item for which you want to set a stock alert.
3. In the “Custom Fields” section, create a custom field called “Reorder Point” or “Stock Alert.”
4. Enter the desired reorder point or stock alert level in this field.
5. Save your changes.
6. As your inventory decreases and reaches the specified reorder point or stock alert level, you can manually check the item list for items that require reordering or attention.

2. Use Custom Reports:

While QuickBooks does not have a specific stock alert feature, you can create custom reports to monitor inventory levels. This method requires more manual work but allows you to set up a visual system for tracking stock levels:

QuickBooks Online:

1. Go to the “Reports” tab.
2. Search for and select a relevant inventory report, such as “Inventory Valuation Summary” or “Inventory Stock Status.”
3. Customize the report to include the columns and data you need, such as the “Reorder Point” or “Service Date” (if you’ve set them up as custom fields).
4. Save the customized report.
5. Regularly run this report to monitor inventory levels and identify items that require attention based on your reorder point or service date.

QuickBooks Desktop:

1. Go to the “Reports” menu.
2. Choose “Custom Reports” and select “Item QuickReport” or “Inventory Valuation Detail.”
3. Customize the report to include the columns and data you need, such as the custom “Reorder Point” or “Stock Alert” field.
4. Save the customized report.
5. Regularly run this report to monitor inventory levels and identify items that require attention based on your reorder point or stock alert level.

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While QuickBooks can help you track inventory and set up basic alerts using the methods described above, for more advanced inventory management and automated reorder points, you might consider using third-party inventory management software that integrates with QuickBooks or exploring QuickBooks Commerce (formerly known as TradeGecko), which offers advanced inventory features, including automated reorder points and stock alerts.