Checklist
10 things to check on every wholesale PO before you invoice
A wrong size, a missed cancel date or a duplicate order costs more to fix after the invoice goes out than before. This is the checklist to run on every buyer's purchase order, whether you enter it by hand or software does it for you.
Key takeaways
- Check the buyer and PO number first, so a resent or revised PO doesn't become a duplicate order.
- Check every size run, price and total against the PO. Matching totals catch most typing mistakes.
- Check dates, stock and ship-to. These cause the costliest problems because they surface after the goods leave.
The checklist
1. Is this a new order, a repeat or a revision?
Search your orders for the PO number before anything else. Buyers resend POs, forward them twice, or send a revised version with the same number. A revision should change the existing order, not create a second one. If you find a match, compare the two line by line.
2. Is the buyer the right account?
Match the store name and buyer to the right customer record. Stores with several locations, or a buyer who has moved to a new store, are easy to attach to the wrong account, which sends the invoice to the wrong place.
3. Is every style on your current line sheet?
Buyers order from whatever line sheet they have open, sometimes last season's. Check each style number and name against what you are actually selling this season.
4. Is every color and size real for that style?
Check each size in each color exists. If a color is cut in a shorter size run, an order for a size outside it needs a decision. See how to read an apparel size grid for the common traps, including prepacks.
5. Do the quantities match, size by size?
Compare each size's quantity with the PO, not just the line total. A size row that slid one column over still adds up to the right total.
6. Are the prices right?
Check the unit price on each line against your wholesale price list, and against the price printed on the buyer's PO. If they differ, find out why before invoicing: an old price list, a promised discount, or a typo on either side.
7. Do the totals match?
Total units and the merchandise total on your order should equal the PO's. If both match and every line is accounted for, most data-entry mistakes are already caught. If they don't, the gap usually points at the wrong line.
8. Can you meet the ship and cancel dates?
The ship date (or start ship date) is the earliest the buyer wants the order to leave. The cancel date is the last day they will accept it. Record both on the order. If the window is tight or already past for some items, tell the buyer now.
9. Is everything in stock, or coming in time?
Check stock for every variant, or the production date for at-once versus pre-book orders. Items you can't fill should be agreed with the buyer before invoicing, not discovered at picking.
10. Are the ship-to address, terms and minimums correct?
Confirm the ship-to address (it is often different from the bill-to), the payment terms you agreed, the shipping method, and that the order meets your opening or reorder minimum if you have one.
A printable version
Copy this into your order notes or a sticky note by the desk:
- PO number searched: new, repeat or revision?
- Right buyer and store account
- Styles on the current line sheet
- Colors and sizes exist for each style
- Quantities match size by size
- Unit prices match the price list and the PO
- Total units and total amount match the PO
- Ship and cancel dates recorded and achievable
- Stock or production confirmed for every line
- Ship-to, terms, shipping and minimums confirmed
Doing this on every PO
The checklist is simple, but in the middle of a busy season it is the first thing to get skipped. That is why Orderseam builds most of it into the draft order: it checks each line against your catalog, compares unit totals with the PO, notes ship and cancel dates and flags tight ones, spots revised POs and updates the same draft with a list of what changed, and leaves anything unclear for you to decide. You still review and send every invoice yourself.
Common questions
- What is a cancel date on a wholesale purchase order?
- The cancel date is the last day the buyer will accept the shipment. If the order ships after it, the store can cancel the order or refuse the delivery. The ship date, or start ship date, is the earliest day the buyer wants the order to leave.
- What should I do if a buyer orders an item that is sold out or discontinued?
- Don't silently drop or swap it. Tell the buyer before you invoice, offer a substitute or a later ship date if you have one, and let them decide. Record the decision on the order so the invoice matches what will actually ship.
- What is a revised PO?
- A revised PO is an updated version of an order the buyer already sent, usually with the same PO number and changed quantities, sizes or dates. It should update the existing order, not create a second one, so compare it line by line with the original.
Get every PO checked before it becomes a draft
Orderseam turns wholesale POs into Shopify draft orders and flags what needs your decision. Your first 10 POs are free, up to 30 days, with no card and no contract.
Start free: 10 POs, no card