Operator glossary
Reserved inventory
Units temporarily uncountable as available — pending customer orders, FC transfers, or processing — the status that explains why sellable stock looks lower than what you shipped.
Reserved status covers three states: units attached to pending customer orders, units moving between fulfillment centers (FC transfer), and units at an FC being processed. All are normal; transfers in particular spike after inbound receipt and during Q4 network rebalancing.
It matters for two reasons: restock math (reserved-transfer units are coming back to available — do not double-order against them) and diagnosis (a large, static reserved count for days can flag a processing stall worth a support case). The Inventory Ledger reconciles what reserved resolves into.
The numbers
- Three reserved sub-states: customer orders, FC transfers, FC processing — visible in inventory reports.
- Transfer reservations rise after every inbound and during peak rebalancing; persistent stalls are case-worthy.
Related terms