When a jewelry count disagrees with a screen, separate two clocks: when an event physically affected the stock and when the system recorded it. A late receipt, a duplicate posting, and an order commitment can all distort a quick comparison in different ways. Build an event-level bridge before interpreting the difference as surplus or shortage.
Choose the cutoff and preserve both clocks
This worked case is entirely hypothetical. At 9:00 a.m., the verified opening physical and recorded on-hand balances are both 20 units of one exact variant at one location. The count cutoff is 9:15. A saved screen at that cutoff shows 21 on hand; the physical count is 22.
The raw difference is therefore +1, but it is not yet evidence of one extra unit. Keep event time, posting time, reference, physical effect, and recorded state effect in separate columns. If an event time is unknown, mark it unknown; do not substitute the posting time. The inventory worksheet guide covers the basic counting method, which this example assumes has already been completed.
Build the event and posting table
| Reference and event time | Posting time and effect | Physical effect by 9:15 | Cutoff treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-11: four units arrive, 9:04 | 9:18: on hand +4 | +4 | Late posting: include arrival physically, not in saved 9:15 screen |
| D-8: three units depart, 9:08 | 9:09: on hand −3 | −3 | Both clocks before cutoff; already included |
| C-9: two units allocated, 9:10 | 9:10: available −2, committed +2; on hand unchanged | 0 | No physical departure; exclude from physical subtraction |
| R-12: two units arrive, 9:11 | 9:12: manual on hand +2 | +2 | One supported arrival and posting |
| R-12 again: no second arrival | 9:14: imported on hand +2 | 0 additional | Verified duplicate posting, not another receipt |
| D-9: one unit departs, 9:17 | 9:17: on hand −1 | 0 before cutoff | After cutoff; exclude from the 9:15 physical balance |
The duplicate finding requires evidence that both R-12 postings concern the same received units, not merely equal quantities. Compare shipment and receipt references. Faire documents delivery-triggered POS updates and linkage conditions; only investigate such an automatic update if that integration and setting actually apply. This table does not assert that every receipt is imported or that an RJC integration exists.
Calculate the bridge without counting events twice
The saved recorded balance is 20 − 3 + 2 + 2 = 21. Bring it to the supported physical cutoff by adding the unposted R-11 arrival and removing the duplicate R-12 posting: 21 + 4 − 2 = 23 expected units.
Check independently from physical events: 20 + 4 − 3 + 2 = 23. The count of 22 is therefore one below the supported expectation, not one above it. The unresolved difference is 22 − 23 = −1. The bridge explains the recording distortion; it does not explain that remaining unit.
Do not treat every negative entry as an exit
Shopify's adjustment history identifies activity and state-column changes. Read the affected column before interpreting the sign. C-9 changed allocation, not physical custody. Subtracting its two units again would produce a false expected count of 21.
Shopify's state definitions explain why available and on-hand movements differ. Record physical handoff evidence separately when a system event alone does not establish when goods left.
Rebuild the bridge when a delayed posting arrives
At 9:20, after R-11 posts and D-9 departs, the still-uncorrected system shows 24: 21 + 4 − 1. To reconstruct 9:15 from that newer balance, reverse the later departure and remove the duplicate: 24 + 1 − 2 = 23. Do not add R-11's four again; they are now inside the starting number.
This is why a saved reconciliation must name its starting snapshot. Reusing adjustments from the earlier bridge against a newer screen can create another error. Carry the unresolved −1 and its evidence to the authorized decision maker without treating the explained posting errors as lost jewelry.
Keep the case attached to the exact option
The oval-accent necklace listing has separate red and green options. A timeline for one option should not absorb events from the other merely because both appear in one photograph.
Use the wholesale inquiry page for unresolved product-option identification. The completed bridge should retain its cutoff, both snapshots, event evidence, included and excluded postings, and the residual difference—not simply a replacement total.