Overview
When a shipment is expected to remain in storage for an extended period (often more than 30 days), SmartMoving recommends using separate opportunities for the Storage Inbound and the Storage Outbound work. Importing Descriptive Inventory lets you resume the inbound inventory on the outbound opportunity so your crew can continue checks without starting over.
This workflow is designed to help crews:
Reuse the original item list, notes, photos, and exceptions captured on the inbound job
Perform outbound checks (for example, a warehouse cross-reference check) using the same inventory set
Clearly indicate which items are being moved out now vs. which items are still in storage
Before You Start
To see the Import Descriptive Inventory option, these conditions must be true:
You have two separate opportunities for the same customer:
Opportunity A: includes a Storage Inbound job
Opportunity B: includes a Storage Outbound job
A Descriptive Inventory already exists on the Storage Inbound opportunity (created through normal Descriptive Inventory workflows, not imported).
The Storage Outbound opportunity is eligible to import:
The Import option only appears when SmartMoving finds at least one eligible inbound opportunity for the same customer.
❗️Note: You cannot import from an opportunity whose Descriptive Inventory was itself imported (SmartMoving only allows importing from the original/source Descriptive Inventory).
How To Import Descriptive Inventory
Step 1: Confirm your opportunities and service types
Open the customer record and confirm you have:
A Storage Inbound opportunity (with completed Descriptive Inventory work), and
A Storage Outbound opportunity (where you want to reuse the Descriptive Inventory)
Confirm both opportunities are for the same customer.
💡 SmartTip: When creating the outbound opportunity, be sure you select the existing customer so SmartMoving recognizes it as eligible for import.
Step 2: Import Descriptive Inventory from the outbound opportunity
Open the Storage Outbound opportunity.
Go to the Estimate Editor page.
Open the Actions / More menu (drop-down menu on the opportunity).
Select Import Descriptive Inventory.
If the option is not visible, review the eligibility checklist in Before You Start.
Step 3: Choose a source opportunity
In the import window, select the Storage Inbound opportunity to import from.
SmartMoving only shows eligible Storage Inbound opportunities for the same customer.
Step 4 (Optional): Select specific items for a partial import
If you choose Select specific items:
Click Select items.
Use the list (and search, if available) to find items.
Check the items you want to move out now.
Click Import.
After import, SmartMoving confirms success and updates the outbound opportunity.
What Happens After Import
Where you’ll see the imported inventory
On the Storage Outbound opportunity, SmartMoving displays an Imported Descriptive Inventory card on the Estimate tab. This provides a report-style view of what was imported into the outbound opportunity.
What carries over
When the inbound Descriptive Inventory already has a generated Sheet PDF, SmartMoving generates a matching Descriptive Inventory Sheet PDF for the imported Descriptive Inventory so the outbound job includes the same components (such as origin details, checks, and signatures).
Signatures captured on the original (inbound) Descriptive Inventory are retained and included on the imported Descriptive Inventory for the outbound job.
You can also continue Descriptive Inventory workflows from the imported inventory in the Crew App:
The imported inventory appears under the job’s Inventory area
Crews can start a new check using the imported items (for example, a warehouse check during vault pull)
Rules and limitations to know
The imported Descriptive Inventory is a copy used for the outbound job; it does not keep updating the inbound Descriptive Inventory.
How Partial Imports Display on Documents and Reports
If you import only some items:
Imported (included) items behave normally for checks and reporting on the outbound job.
SmartMoving in Descriptive Inventory indicates omitted items by:
Graying them out in the Descriptive Inventory document/report view
Calling them out in shipment-level notes (so the customer and team can see what remained in storage)
High Value Items (HVI) and Firearms during partial import
If an item marked as HVI or Firearm is omitted:
The item remains labeled with its HVI/Firearm badge
The item is grayed out to show it was not included in this move-out
If it was previously highlighted (for example, HVI visual emphasis), the “omitted” styling takes priority so it’s clear it wasn’t moved out in this job
Best Practices
Use separate opportunities for long-term storage
When a shipment will remain in storage for an extended period (commonly more than 30 days), use a dedicated Storage Inbound opportunity and a separate Storage Outbound opportunity. This keeps inventory history, checks, and documentation clear and reliable.Use partial imports when only some items are moving out
If only part of the shipment is leaving storage, use Select specific items during import so the outbound opportunity includes only the items being moved at that time.Rely on omitted-item handling during checks
Items omitted from a partial import are automatically excluded from outbound checks. They do not appear during the check workflow and are not treated as missing, ensuring crews cannot mistakenly count still-in-storage items as exceptions.
Troubleshooting
“Import Descriptive Inventory” doesn’t appear
This usually means at least one requirement isn’t met:
The opportunity doesn’t include a Storage Outbound Job.
There is no eligible opportunity for the same customer that includes a storage inbound job.
The inbound opportunity doesn’t have a Descriptive Inventory created through normal workflows
The only available inbound Descriptive Inventory is itself an imported Descriptive Inventory (not eligible as a source)
Customers are confused about “missing” vs. “still in storage”
Use partial imports so omitted items remain visible as omitted (grayed out + called out in notes). This helps prevent omitted items from being interpreted as missing.