GetPaid > Item Inventory

How many minutes you hold a unit for someone who has not paid

You have one workshop seat left. Someone requests it, their invoice is generated, and they go to find their card. Another interested person arrives and the seat is no longer available, even though nobody has paid yet. Selling limited stock has this awkward moment: the unit is not sold, but it is not free either.

Item Inventory, the GetPaid add-on for tracking stock per item, settles it with a number. The Hold Stock setting holds the units of unpaid invoices for the minutes you specify. When the limit is reached, it releases the units and cancels the pending invoices.

That second part is the one to think about: that number is also the time you give people to pay. With a short value, the unit returns to sale quickly and whoever pays at leisure loses their invoice. With a long one, you protect that customer and keep the unit off sale for longer. Decide based on how your customers pay, not on whichever value looks tidiest.

A stock counter for each item

The add-on brings stock control to GetPaid and its own screen under GetPaid, Settings, Inventory:

• Stock per item: each item carries its own stock level.
• Visible status: an item can show that it is running low or out of stock.
• Information on the button: an option displays stock data on Buy Now buttons.
• Format on the site: you choose how quantities appear to your visitors.
• Email alerts: separate low-stock and out-of-stock notifications, sent to the address you specify.
• Refunds: stock goes up when an invoice is refunded.

Three thresholds with three different jobs

The numeric fields on the settings screen look alike, but each one controls something different:

• Low Stock Threshold: when stock reaches this amount you get an email. It is your cue to restock.
• Out of Stock Threshold: when stock reaches this amount, the item changes to out of stock and you also get an email.
• Backorder Threshold: sets the maximum number of backorders allowed.

Keep selling without units or stop the order

When an item runs out, there are two paths. It can show as out of stock or accept backorders, by enabling Backorders. Choose according to what you sell. If you can restock, a backorder keeps the sale, and the threshold limits how many you accept. If the quantity is real and closed, like workshop seats, it is better to leave it off.

With backorders off, the add-on prevents over-ordering: if a customer tries to order more units than you have, a warning shows and the order does not go through.

Setting it up on top of GetPaid

You need GetPaid installed: the add-on works on top of that plugin and does not run on its own. Then follow these steps:

1. Install and activate Item Inventory alongside GetPaid.
2. Go to GetPaid, Settings, Inventory and enable Manage Stock.
3. Enter the email for Notification Recipients and enable the alerts you want.
4. Set the low-stock and out-of-stock thresholds.
5. Decide whether you accept backorders and enter the Hold Stock minutes.
6. Assign stock to each item and run a test purchase to see the status, the warning and the hold.

When a counter is no longer enough

Item Inventory keeps one quantity per item inside GetPaid. Its features do not include multiple warehouses per item or supplier management. If you sell with WooCommerce and need to split one product across several places, ATUM Multi Inventory turns the single stock figure into several inventories per product, each with its own information.

If you stay on GetPaid and want to reward larger orders, Simple Quantity Discounts adds prices by quantity. And to collect in euros with SEPA transfer or iDEAL, Mollie Payment Gateway adds that gateway to GetPaid. If you use it, check that your Hold Stock window fits those methods.

What happens to the units in each case

What happens when the Hold Stock limit is reached?

The held units are released and the pending invoices are canceled.

Can I stop someone ordering more than I have?

Yes. Without backorders, the customer sees a warning and the order does not go through.

Do units come back after a refund?

Yes, stock goes up when an invoice is refunded.