> This page is for Developer.

> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.bigcommerce.com/_mcp/server.

# Inventory

BigCommerce's V3 REST Inventory API endpoints expose location-aware, item-level inventory data to API consumers. These API resources allow developers to create BigCommerce apps and in-house API-driven solutions that can do the following:

* Track inventory across multiple locations
* Display location-level inventory to shoppers
* Provide multi-location fulfillment options
* Facilitate *Buy Online Pickup in Store* (BOPIS)
* Manage order fulfillment post-checkout

## Items

All product variants whose inventories are tracked by variant are inventory items. You can reference these inventory items using a variant's `variant_id` or `sku`. If a product has no variants, use `product_id`.

* **Inventory Settings**: You can apply and get inventory settings for the inventory at a specific location or at all locations. You can update inventory settings for a specific location.
* **Inventory Quantities**: You can get inventory levels at all locations or specific locations. You can update inventory levels at a specific location using relative or absolute adjustment endpoints.

## Adjustments

There are two ways to adjust an item's inventory:

* **[Absolute](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/management/inventory/adjustments/put-absolute-adjustment)**: Override existing inventory with a new count (Ex: set current inventory to `30`). Use absolute adjustments as the default method for updating inventory. Absolute adjustments are batched, making them more resource friendly than the [Catalog API](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/catalog/products/update-products). Absolute adjustments have lower complexity than relative adjustments, which synchronize with orders.
* **[Relative Adjustments](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/management/inventory/adjustments/post-relative-adjustment)**: Change to item's inventory relative to existing inventory (Ex: add `10` current inventory). Use relative adjustments only when you do not know absolute quantities. For example, making order-related inventory changes through a third-party may require relative adjustments. Otherwise, use absolute adjustments for updating inventory.