Before the school season a book depot orders hundreds of titles from each publisher, and they rarely arrive in one go. A purchase order records what you ordered and at what cost; each delivery is received against it, and BooksPOS shows what is still to come and whether the supplier billed what was agreed.
How to place an order
- Open New receipt and choose the supplier.
- Choose Orders ("Purchase orders to this supplier; receive a delivery against one"). The Purchase orders window lists this supplier's open orders.
- Choose New order.
- Add each item (Add an item: title, ISBN or SKU) with its Unit, Qty and Agreed cost.
- Optionally type the expected date (dd-mm-yyyy) and Notes for the supplier.
- Choose Place order.
The order gets a number such as MAIN-PO000004. Placing an order does not change stock or what you owe: nothing is owed until goods arrive.
To know what to order for the school season, look at each class list's demand (To buy) on School sets. See School course sets.
How to receive a delivery against an order
- In New receipt, choose the supplier, then Orders.
- Choose the order and Receive a delivery.
- The receipt fills in with every line still to come, at the agreed cost: "Receiving against MAIN-PO000004: lines show what is still to come; change them to what arrived."
- Change each Qty to what actually came in this delivery. Remove lines that did not come. Add Free copies if the publisher sent bonus copies.
- If the bill's cost differs from the agreed cost, type the bill's Unit cost: the difference shows in the match (below).
- Type the Supplier's bill no., what you paid now, and Post receipt.
The order becomes partly received until every line has arrived, then received. Receive as many deliveries as needed.
You cannot receive more than is still to come. A line beyond what was ordered is refused. If the publisher sent extra copies you want to keep, receive the extra on a separate receipt without the order.
Closing an order short
When the rest will never come (out of print, the publisher cancelled), choose the order, type To close short: why the rest will not come and choose Close short. The reason is kept with the order. Nothing more can be received against it.
Reading an order
For each line the window shows what was Ordered at what cost, Received, still To come and Billed, and a Match:
| Match | Meaning |
|---|---|
| not received | Nothing has arrived yet. |
| partly received | Some arrived and was billed at the agreed cost; more is to come. |
| matched | Everything arrived and was billed at the agreed cost. |
| price differs | The bills charged more or less than the agreed cost of the copies received, shown as Rs … vs order. |
Free copies never look like a price difference. Bonus copies are counted apart; only paid copies are compared with the agreed cost.
The top of each order shows the total ordered, the total billed so far, and the value still to come. Show closed adds received and closed orders.
Purchase orders. An order received in parts; each line matched against what the bills charged. Screenshot of the current build (28 Sep 2026), synthetic demo data.
Who can do this
Placing, receiving and closing orders needs the purchasing permission: owners, managers and warehouse staff.
Common questions
How do I send the order to the publisher?
Send the publisher your list the usual way, by phone, WhatsApp or their own order form. The order in BooksPOS is for receiving and matching what arrives.
What if the publisher sends a different edition from the one I ordered?
Do not receive it against the order line: the order names one item. Receive it on its own receipt as the edition it is, and close the ordered line short if the right edition will not come.
Can I change an order after placing it?
No; placed orders keep what was agreed. Close it short with a reason and place a new one.
Does a purchase order reserve stock or money?
No. It only records what you expect. Stock and what you owe change when the delivery is received.
Related guides
Last updated 30 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.