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Fulfilling, collecting and cancelling store orders
Fulfilling is the only action that moves stock. Marking as paid moves nothing.
What actions are available on a store order?
Three: Mark as paid, Fulfill order, Cancel order. Each does something entirely different, and only one of them moves stock.
All three need shop_orders:manage.
The short version
| Action | Stock | Sales invoice | Reservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark as paid | Unchanged | A payment is recorded against it | Unchanged |
| Fulfill order | Deducted | Submitted | Becomes fulfilled |
| Cancel order | Unchanged | Becomes cancelled | Released |
1. Mark as paid
Click this when the money for the order reaches you.
What happens:
- A payment entry of type Receive is created for the order's value, allocated to the order's invoice.
- The invoice updates: paid rises, outstanding falls, payment status changes.
- The order becomes Paid, with a paid at timestamp.
- A journal entry is posted like any other payment.
What does not happen: stock does not move at all.
You will find that payment linked in the order's stats strip under Payment entry.
2. Fulfill order
Click this when the goods actually go out. This is the important one.
What happens:
- The sales invoice is submitted if it is still a draft.
- That submission is what deducts the quantities from the store warehouse and writes the stock ledger rows.
- The reservation changes from reserved to fulfilled.
- The customer balance and accounting entries update as for any submitted invoice.
- The order becomes Fulfilled, with a fulfilled at timestamp.
If you do not fulfil your orders, your stock will never go down. Not even for orders that are paid and delivered. Make fulfilling part of your daily routine.
Order does not matter. You can fulfil an unpaid order — normal for cash on delivery.
There is no unfulfil, because fulfilling submits the invoice and submitting is final.
3. Cancel order
Click this when an order falls through before it is carried out.
What happens:
- The reservation is released — the quantity becomes available to sell again immediately.
- The sales invoice becomes cancelled.
- The order becomes Cancelled.
Cancelling is blocked when
| Situation | Why |
|---|---|
| The order is paid or partially paid | Money has changed hands — it needs handling as a return |
| The order is fulfilled or delivered | The stock has already left |
In both cases the correct route is a return invoice against the linked sales invoice.
Fulfilled an order by mistake?
There is no undo. Raise a return invoice against the sales invoice:
- Open Transactions → Sales Invoices.
- Find the order's invoice (the link is in the order details).
- Click Return.
- Pick the items and quantities and submit.
The quantities go back into the warehouse and the customer balance drops.
The right routine
| Situation | Order of actions |
|---|---|
| Cash on delivery | Fulfil the order → mark as paid when the courier settles up |
| Paid up front | Mark as paid → fulfil the order |
| Shopper cancelled before shipping | Cancel order |
| Shopper returned after delivery | Return invoice |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does marking as paid move stock?
No. Marking as paid creates a receipt allocated to the order's invoice and updates the payment status only. Stock does not move. Fulfilling is the only action that deducts stock.
Why can I not cancel the order?
Cancelling is blocked in two cases: the order is paid or partially paid, or it has already been fulfilled. In both, the correct route is a return invoice against the linked sales invoice.
What if I fulfilled an order by mistake?
There is no unfulfil. Fulfilling submits the sales invoice, and submitting cannot be undone. Raise a return invoice against it — the quantities go back into the warehouse and the customer balance drops.
Do I have to mark as paid before fulfilling?
No, the order does not matter. You can fulfil an unpaid order — which is normal for cash on delivery. What matters is recording the collection when the money reaches you.
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