For any cannabis license—cultivator, distributor, or manufacturer—transfers are the lifeblood of the business. They are also one of the most common sources of compliance headaches in METRC.
When a transfer is stuck in the wrong status, it means your inventory is in limbo. Product that you think is gone might still be on your books, and product you’re waiting for isn’t officially yours yet. Let’s break down what each status means and what you need to do.
Outgoing Transfers: “Did They Get It?”
You’ve created the manifest and sent the product out. Your job is done, right? Not quite.
-
The Problem: Your transfer sits in an “unaccepted” state because the receiving licensee is busy and hasn’t logged in to METRC to accept it. For days, or even weeks, that inventory is in a state of compliance purgatory. It’s a loose end that auditors notice.
-
What to Do: Look at your “Outgoing” transfers tab in METRC daily. If you see transfers that have been sitting for more than a couple of business days, a simple phone call or email to the recipient is usually all it takes to get them to accept it.
Incoming Transfers: “Is It Mine Yet?”
This is one of the most critical daily checks for any operator receiving product.
-
The Problem: A distributor drops off a delivery, but you don’t “Accept” it in METRC immediately. Until you do, you cannot legally process, repackage, or sell that product. It’s physically in your building, but according to METRC, it’s not in your inventory.
-
What to Do: Make it part of your daily opening or closing procedure to check the “Incoming” transfers tab in METRC. Accept any deliveries that you have physically received and verified. This step officially brings the inventory onto your license. It is critical to ensure that your team is meticulously verifying the physical inventory before accepting the transfer.
Rejected Transfers: “What Went Wrong?”
Rejections happen, but they require immediate attention to fix the data trail.
-
The Problem: The recipient of your transfer rejects a package, either because the weight was wrong, the product was incorrect, or for another reason. That rejected package is now “returned” to your inventory in METRC, but you might not realize it. It can lead to your digital inventory not matching your physical inventory.
-
What to Do: Keep an eye on your “Rejected” transfers tab. When a package is rejected, you need to understand why, confirm you have the product back, and ensure your inventory is updated accordingly. Ignoring a rejected transfer is an easy way to create a compliance mess.
Keeping Track of It All is Tough
Staying on top of incoming, outgoing, and rejected transfers requires constant manual checking in METRC. It’s a simple but time-consuming task that is easy to forget when you’re focused on running your business.
The Mello Pocket Advisor is designed to be your automated transfer manager. It connects to your METRC account and constantly monitors the status of all your transfers.
-
It alerts you the moment you have an incoming transfer that needs to be accepted.
-
It notifies you if an outgoing transfer has been sitting unaccepted for too long.
-
It flags any rejected packages so you can deal with them right away.
Instead of you logging in to check on everything, Mello brings the items that need your attention directly to you. It’s a simple way to make sure your transfer data is always clean and compliant.