In Inventory, Purchase orders is where you order stock from your suppliers, and Receiving is where it comes in. What you receive goes into stock, and each item's cost follows what you paid.
Suppliers
Your suppliers are organizations (or people) in People, with Supplier ticked: open People, then Organizations, choose New organization, and tick Supplier. See People.
On an item (in Inventory, then Items), Usual supplier says who you normally buy it from: type part of the supplier's name and choose them.
Order stock
- Open Purchase orders and choose New order, or New purchase order on a supplier's page. A supplier's Purchase orders tab lists everything ordered from them.
- Find the supplier by typing part of their name, and, if you like, enter when you expect it.
- Under Add a product, type part of a product's name, SKU or barcode and choose it. It comes in as a line with what it last cost. For anything else, choose Add a line and describe it.
- Enter the quantity and cost each, and tick the taxes you'll pay on it.
- Choose Save draft.
Send the order to the supplier yourself for now (by email, for example), then choose Mark as ordered.
A draft can be changed or deleted. An order can be changed until something has been received against it.
Receive a delivery
When stock arrives, open Receiving: it lists the orders waiting for stock. Choose Receive beside the order (or Receive on the order itself).
- Check the day and, with more than one location, where it's going.
- For each line, enter how many came in good shape (everything still to come is filled in to start) and how many came damaged.
- For a case that breaks down into smaller items, Open now opens that many on arrival, for example a case into 20 bags.
- Choose Receive.
What happens next:
- In good shape: goes into stock, and each item's cost becomes what you paid.
- Damaged: never goes into stock. It stays on the order with a damage claim.
- Anything that didn't come: stays still to come (back-ordered), and the order shows as Partly received.
Each delivery is listed on the order's Deliveries tab. If you entered one by mistake, choose Undo: its counts come off the order and its stock comes back out.
Damage claims
On the order, beside the damaged ones:
- Credited: the supplier gave you a credit. Nothing more is expected.
- Being replaced: the supplier is sending replacements, so they're expected again. Receive them like any other delivery.
Purchase orders, then Damage claims, lists every order with a claim still open.
Back orders
Anything still to come stays on the order until it arrives. If it never will, choose Cancel back order on that line, or Cancel what's still to come for the whole order. What has already arrived stays.
Stock that came without an order
Open Receiving and choose Receive without an order. Enter the supplier (optional), the day it came, and each item with its quantity and cost, plus any damaged ones and cases to open. It's kept as an order received that day.