Inventory Rules & Lead Times
If you master only one setting in PSS, make it this one. Inventory Rules tell PSS which distributor warehouses to use, how long each takes to ship, and when to drop-ship. They decide what stock and handling time your buyers see on every listing.
🎥 Insert video here: setting up an inventory rule for one warehouse.
What you'll learn
- How PSS decides which source fills each listing
- How to set lead times, drop-ship cutoffs and buffers for each warehouse
- How shelf stock and Lightspeed fit in
- How to figure out why a listing shows the stock it does
How PSS inventory works
Every inventory update runs the same four steps automatically:
- Pull: Every morning, PSS gets current stock from every warehouse you're connected to.
- Apply rules: Your lead times, exclusions, drop-ship cutoffs, and buffers filter the data.
- Consolidate: When several distributors carry the same product, PSS picks the best source.
- Update listings: The winning source's quantity and lead time go to your marketplace listings every morning at 7:00 AM Pacific.
Your job is to set the rules. PSS does the rest.
Which source wins
When a product is available from more than one place, PSS uses this order:
| Priority | Source | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelf inventory or Lightspeed (stock you have in-store) | 1 day |
| 2 | Fulfillment Preference (a distributor you've assigned to a brand) | Varies |
| 3 | Fastest lead time among warehouses with stock | Varies |
| 4 | Default distributor ranking, used only to break ties | Varies |
When lead times and stock are tied, the default ranking is Parts Unlimited, Western Powersports, Helmet House, Sullivans, Scorpion, Bell Powersports, Castle, then Automatic.
Create an inventory rule
- Go to Settings > Inventory Rules.
- Click Create Rule.
- Select the distributor.
- Set the lead time, drop-ship cutoff and buffer for the warehouse.
- Make sure Exclude Warehouse is unchecked.
- Click Submit, then repeat for every warehouse you want to use.
📷 Screenshot here: the Inventory Rules screen with one warehouse configured.
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Lead Time | Days until you can get tracking into the marketplace. For orders that ship through your store, include the days it takes the part to reach you. |
| Drop-Ship Cutoff | The MSRP at or above which PSS treats a product as drop-shipped, with a 1-day lead time |
| Exclude Warehouse | Removes the warehouse from all inventory calculations when checked |
| Minimum Buffer | The minimum quantity a warehouse must have before its stock counts as available |
Set realistic lead times
Lead time is the number of days between an order and tracking reaching the marketplace. It's not shipping speed. It covers the distributor shipping to you, plus your time to receive, repack and reship.
💡 Pro Tip: If a warehouse usually reaches your store in 3 business days and you need 1 day to reship, set its lead time to 4. To estimate transit time, plug the warehouse's zip code and yours into the UPS or FedEx transit calculator.
Set your drop-ship cutoff
Drop-shipping means the distributor ships straight to your buyer. Products with an MSRP at or above the cutoff get a 1-day lead time. Products below it use the warehouse's standard lead time and ship through your store.
| Cutoff | Product (MSRP) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | Valve stem seal ($6) | Below cutoff: ships through your store at your standard lead time |
| $150 | Exhaust system ($425) | Above cutoff: drop-ships with a 1-day lead time |
| $1 | Anything | Everything drop-ships |
| $9,999 | Anything | Drop-ship is effectively off. Use this for distributors that don't drop-ship. |
📌 Key Point: If you only want to drop-ship, set every cutoff to $1. If a distributor doesn't drop-ship, set it to $9,999 and make sure its standard lead time is accurate.
Shelf stock and Lightspeed
Stock you have in your store always wins, with a 1-day lead time. You can enter shelf quantities on a product's detail page, upload them by CSV, or sync them from Lightspeed daily.
⚠️ Warning: PSS lowers shelf quantities for online sales only. In-store sales aren't tracked, so update shelf stock regularly to avoid overselling.
Why a listing shows what it shows
Use the Calculate Inventory button on any product. This read-only report shows the latest stock pulled from each warehouse, which rules applied, what was filtered out, and which source won.
Two automatic rules also affect what you see:
- 3-day freshness: Stock data older than 3 days is treated as unavailable, so a dead distributor feed can't cause oversells. Turn14 is the only exception.
- SKUs under review: If a product has an open data revision request, its inventory is zeroed until the review finishes.
Best practices
- Don't use the same lead time everywhere. Give nearby warehouses shorter lead times so PSS favors them.
- Start conservative, then tighten lead times once you've seen a month of real fulfillment.
- Make sure at least some of your listings qualify for drop-ship or a 1-day lead time. Buyers shop for fast shipping.
- Review your rules a couple of times a year to account for warehouse changes.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Out of stock, but the distributor has it | Warehouse excluded, stale data, buffer not met, or SKU under review | Run Calculate Inventory to see which applies |
| Sourced from the "wrong" distributor | A Fulfillment Preference, faster lead time elsewhere, or shelf stock | Check Fulfillment Preferences, compare lead times, check shelf quantity |
| Lead time longer than expected | Fastest warehouse excluded or stale, or drop-ship cutoff too high | Run Calculate Inventory, then adjust the cutoff or warehouse |
| Lead time shows 0 days | Shelf or Lightspeed stock exists for the product | Clear the shelf quantity if you no longer have it |
Next step
Continue to Lightspeed, or skip ahead to OEM Catalog Shipping Rules if you don't use Lightspeed.