An EDI 846 tells a retailer how many units of each SKU you can sell. It's the feed that keeps dropship listings from overselling, and retailers often want it every day.
The EDI 846 is the X12 inventory inquiry/advice. In apparel it's almost always sent by the supplier to report available inventory by item, so the retailer knows what it can sell on its website or reorder.
It matters most in dropship, where the retailer sells your product online and you ship straight to the customer. The retailer's site shows what your 846 says is available. If the feed is stale or too generous, the site sells units you don't have, and you take the cancellation.
The 846 starts the cycle and keeps running. Every order you ship should show up as a lower number on the next 846.
An 846 has a short header and then a loop for each item. Each item gets a LIN segment that identifies it, then one or more QTY segments that say how many units there are and what kind of quantity it is.
| Segment | Name | What it carries in an apparel 846 |
|---|---|---|
| BIA | Beginning segment for inventory inquiry/advice | Purpose code, report type code, a reference number and the report date |
| DTM | Date/time reference | When the inventory snapshot was taken, or when on-order stock is due |
| REF | Reference identification | Vendor number or other references the retailer requires |
| N1 | Name | Supplier, warehouse or ship-from location |
| LIN | Item identification | UPC, vendor style, color and size |
| PID | Product description | Item description, if the retailer asks for it |
| CTP | Pricing information | Cost or retail price, if the retailer uses the 846 for pricing too |
| QTY | Quantity | The quantity and its type: available for sale, on hand, on order |
| SCH | Line item schedule | Quantity and date for future availability, such as goods still in production |
| CTT, SE | Totals and trailer | Item count and the end of the transaction set |
Which segments and codes are required, and how often to send, is set by each retailer's 846 implementation guide. Dropship platforms such as Rithum (formerly CommerceHub and Dsco) publish their own specs too.
BIA02 says what kind of report the 846 is. Suppliers usually send one of these, whichever the retailer's guide names.
| BIA02 code | X12 meaning |
|---|---|
| MM | Manufacturer inventory report |
| MB | Manufacturer/distributor inventory report |
| DD | Distributor inventory report |
| SI | Seller inventory report |
BIA01 matters too. Some retailers want a full file with purpose code 00 (original) on a set day and smaller change files with code 04 in between. JCPenney's factory ship 846 works that way.
QTY01 says what kind of number follows. These are the ones that come up in apparel.
| QTY01 code | X12 meaning | What to put in it |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Quantity available for sale (stock quantity) | What the retailer can sell right now. This is the number most dropship programs list on their site. |
| 17 | Quantity on hand | Everything in the building, including units already committed elsewhere |
| 63 | On order | Units on order from your factory, often with an SCH date |
| 37 | Work in process | Units in production |
A style in three colors and seven sizes is 21 items on the 846. A brand with a few hundred styles can send thousands of LIN loops in one file, and each one has to carry the exact UPC the retailer set up.
Units allocated to wholesale orders, held in QC or reserved for your own site aren't available to the retailer. Sending on-hand as available is the quickest way to oversell.
If the same units are offered on your website, a marketplace and three dropship retailers, each of them can sell the last unit at the same moment. Most brands hold back a buffer or give each channel a share, so no single 846 promises the whole pool. Our guide to dropship inventory sync covers how to set that up.
An 846 is a snapshot. If it's built at 6 a.m. and sent at noon, it's six hours old when it lands. Send the newest snapshot you have, and make sure an older file can't overwrite a newer one.
Dropship retailers track cancellations on the vendor scorecard. An order cancelled because the 846 promised stock you didn't have counts against you, even though nothing shipped.
As often as the retailer requires, and for dropship that's usually at least once a day. DSW's drop ship vendor FAQ, for example, lists the 846 inventory file as required daily. Some programs accept several updates a day.
On hand is everything in the building. Available is what's left after you subtract units already allocated to other orders, on hold or damaged. Dropship retailers want available.
No. The 846 only reports inventory. Each dropship order still needs its own acknowledgment or status update, ship notice and invoice.
Yes, the 846 can go either way. In apparel, though, retailers more often share store sales and stock with the 852 product activity report.
How Rithum, CommerceHub and Dsco fit together, and how to keep one inventory pool straight across channels.
Read the guideHow to confirm, change or reject order lines, with the BAK and ACK codes retailers use.
Read the guideThe order that draws your inventory down, including size runs and store splits.
Read the guideEvery X12 document an apparel brand is likely to see, what it does and who sends it.
See the listWe trace overselling back to where the available number goes wrong, usually allocations or timing, and fix the feed so retailers only sell what you can ship.
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