In Metrc, every package is tied to a Metrc item, which corresponds to a Product in GrowFlow. When you receive a package on an inbound transfer, the external Metrc item follows the package into GrowFlow. GrowFlow shows these packages as External Products so your GrowFlow inventory always matches what Metrc has on record.
Product Mode allowed you to assign a GrowFlow product by relabeling received packages as your own products in GrowFlow, while Metrc still retained Metrc item. Because of that, your product assignment and strain were lost the next time the package was sub-lotted or repacked. External Products work directly with the external Metrc item instead of around it, keeping your edits, sub-lots, and Marketplace listings consistent with Metrc. External Products replace Product Mode, which has been removed.
What Is an External Product?
An external product is a Metrc item that belongs to the licensee who sent you a transfer. When you accept an inbound transfer in Metrc, the received packages carry the sender's item, and Metrc does not create a matching item in your account. GrowFlow syncs those items into your account as external products.
On the Inventory page, external products appear in yellow with an (ext) prefix in front of the product name, so you can tell them apart from your own products at a glance.
Click an external product's name to open Product Details, the same as any other product. The External Product badge identifies it as external, and the View On Admin link takes you to the External tab, where you can edit it.
How External Products Work With Metrc
Because the sender owns the Metrc item, what you can do with an external product depends on whether the action keeps that item or creates a new one.
Edit details such as strain, brand, THC/CBD, or photos: Changes save in GrowFlow only. The sender’s Metrc item does not change. A strain you set carries over to new packages split from it.
Sub-lot or pack a sales order line and keep the external product: The new package stays on the same Metrc item and keeps the same Retail ID.
Sub-lot into one of your internal products, or convert the package: GrowFlow creates a new Metrc item under your product. The new package becomes your own product and receives a new Retail ID.
Convert into an external product, or sub-lot into a different external product: Not allowed. These actions would create a new Metrc item, and you can’t create a new item under the sender’s catalog.
Delete: Removes the product from GrowFlow only. If the product is still on active inventory, it returns on the next sync.
Note: Keeping the sender’s item preserves the package’s Retail ID, also called the Finished-Good ID. If you sell or distribute finished goods and need that ID to stay the same, keep the external product when you sub-lot. Choosing one of your own products creates a new Metrc item and replaces the Retail ID. Metrc allows this, so only do it when you intend to make the product your own.
What Happened to Product Mode?
Product Mode let you reassign an external package to one of your own products. You opened it from Other > Product Mode on the Inventory page or by clicking an (ext) product name. It has been removed because it only changed the product in GrowFlow. Metrc kept the sender’s item, so the next sub-lot or repack sent the new package back to the sender’s item, and your product and strain were lost.
If you used Product Mode for one of these tasks, here is what to do now:
To fix the name, strain, or other details: Edit the product under Admin > Products > External. A strain set here fills in on the inventory and carries over to new packages split from it.
To sell the package as your own product under your brand: Convert the package, or sub-lot it into one of your internal products. This creates a new Metrc item and a new Retail ID.
To list the package on Marketplace: You no longer need to reassign it. External products can be listed directly. See Selling External Products on Marketplace below.
Note: Packages that were reassigned with Product Mode before it was removed keep that product.
The External Product Tab
External products are managed under Admin > Products in the External tab. Like your Product Catalog, it includes Summary, Packaged, and Bulk sub-tabs, each with a live count.
Note: The External tab only lists external products tied to active inventory. If a package is no longer active, its product drops off the tab unless another active package still uses it. If the sender deactivates their item in Metrc, your external product stays active in GrowFlow. Edits and deletes made in the External tab only affect GrowFlow. They never change or delete the item in Metrc.
Edit an External Product
1. Navigate to Admin > Products > External.
2. Find the product and click Edit.
3. Update the fields you need, such as the strain, brand, THC/CBD, or photos.
4. Click Modify. The row updates in place.
Pro-Tip! A strain you set on an external product fills in on its inventory and carries over to any new packages you split from it.
Delete an External Product
1. Navigate to Admin > Products > External.
2. Click Del on the product's row.
Note: Deleting removes the product from GrowFlow only. Nothing is deleted in Metrc. If the product is still on active inventory, it is restored the next time GrowFlow syncs automatically.
Pro-Tip! Use Delete to clear out external products from one-time transfers or from senders you no longer work with.
Selling External Products on Marketplace
You can list external products in your Marketplace store just like your own products. To appear on your storefront, an external product needs active stock in a sellable room and must be marked Public.
1. From the Inventory page, move the package into a sellable room.
2. Navigate to Marketplace> Store Setup.
3. Set the Source filter to External.
4. Verify the available quantity, then check the Public box.
Note: External products without stock in a sellable room, and deleted or inactive external products, do not appear on your storefront.
Pro-Tip! Store Setup has two filters you can combine. Type filters by All, Bulk, or Packaged, and Source filters by All, Internal, or External. Both default to All. For example, External with Bulk shows only bulk products from a sender’s catalog, while Internal with Packaged shows only your own packaged products.
Sub-Lotting an External Package
When you sub-lot a package whose product is external, GrowFlow pre-selects that external product as the destination. Keeping this default reuses the same Metrc item, so the new package keeps the same Retail ID.
1. Open the Inventory page and find the external package.
2. Click Edit > Sub-lot.
3. The Split Inventory window opens with the external product pre-selected and a note explaining that this selection reuses the same Metrc item.
4. Choose how to complete the sub-lot:
To keep the Retail ID: Leave the external product selected and complete the sub-lot. The new package uses the same Metrc item and keeps the same Retail ID.
To make it your own product: Select one of your internal products and complete the sub-lot. This creates a new Metrc item, so the new package becomes your product and receives a new Retail ID. Only choose this if you intend to stop using the sender’s Retail ID.
Note: You can sub-lot into the package's own external product or into one of your internal products. You cannot sub-lot into a different external product.
Packing a sales order line for an external product follows the same rule and keeps the same Metrc item.
Where External Products Can't Be Used
External products can’t be used in any action that would create a new Metrc item, because you can’t create a new item under the sender’s catalog. GrowFlow hides external products in these places and blocks them if one is submitted.
Convert or Production Batch: External products are not listed as a destination. If one is submitted, you’ll see the message External products cannot be used as a conversion destination. Select one of your own products instead.
Sub-lot into a different external product: Other external products are not selectable. If one is submitted, you’ll see the message External products can only be used to sub-lot their own parent package. Keep the package’s own external product or select one of your internal products instead.
Other product lists: External products don’t appear in the Convert Into product picker on new sales orders, in pricing group product lists, or in standard product dropdowns.
Running the External Product Sync
If an external product is missing from your External tab or from Store Setup, run the External Product Sync. Active inventory linked to an external product will always sync into GrowFlow.
1. Navigate to Admin > Sync.
2. Run the External Product Sync.
Note: If your account received transfers before External Products were released on June 22, 2026, some older external products may show as inactive. Run the External Product Sync once to activate them.
Troubleshooting External Products
An external product isn’t showing on my Marketplace storefront.
Check that the package is in a sellable room, has available stock, and is marked Public in Store Setup with the Source filter set to External. If the product is missing from Store Setup entirely, run the External Product Sync.I can’t select an external product when converting or creating a production batch.
This is expected. These actions create a new Metrc item, which has to be your own product. Select one of your internal products instead.An external product I deleted came back.
It is still tied to active inventory, so the next sync restored it. Deleted external products stay gone only when no active package uses them.Older external products show as inactive.
Run the External Product Sync from Admin > Sync once to activate them.If you have any questions regarding external products, please reach out to support!