Inventory how-to

How to follow up on a late purchase order

Check the order-by date and promised lead time against today's date, then contact the supplier with the PO number and exact SKUs affected.

Short answer: Check the order-by date and promised lead time against today's date, then contact the supplier with the PO number and exact SKUs affected. Ask for a new ship date in writing and update your reorder plan so you are not double-ordering stock that is already on its way.

Confirm it is actually late

Look at the purchase order date and the supplier's stated lead time. Add safety days if you built them into your reorder point. If today is past that date, the order is late. If it is within a day or two, wait before chasing, since suppliers often ship on the last allowed day.

Gather the details before you contact the supplier

Pull the PO number, the SKUs and quantities ordered, and the original expected date. Check if any partial shipment has already arrived. This makes the follow-up faster because the supplier does not have to look everything up themselves.

Contact the supplier and get a firm new date

Email or call and ask directly: has it shipped, and if not, when will it ship. Ask for tracking if it has shipped. Get a specific new delivery date, not a vague "soon". Put the new date somewhere you will see it, so you know when to follow up again if it slips further.

Protect yourself while you wait

If the delay is long, check your current stock on hand against daily sales to see how many days of cover you have left. If you are close to running out, decide whether to place a smaller backup order with another supplier or ration the stock across channels. Do not place a duplicate order with the same supplier unless you cancel or reduce the original.

Step by step

  1. Check the PO date plus lead time and safety days against today
  2. Confirm no partial delivery has already arrived
  3. Email the supplier with the PO number, SKUs, and quantities
  4. Ask for a firm new ship or delivery date in writing
  5. Calculate current days of stock on hand to see how urgent the gap is
  6. Decide if a backup order elsewhere is needed before the new date
  7. Note the new date and follow up again if it passes

Worked example

A store ordered 200 units of a candle SKU with a 14-day lead time, placed on March 1, so expected by March 15. On March 18 nothing has arrived. The store had 40 units on hand and sells 5 a day, so that is 8 days of cover left, meaning they run out around March 26 if nothing changes. They email the supplier with the PO number, get a new ship date of March 20 with a 10-day transit, landing March 30. Since that is past their stockout date, they place a smaller backup order of 60 units from a second supplier with a 5-day lead time to cover the gap.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf drafts and emails your purchase orders on approval, so the PO number, SKUs, and quantities are already in one place when you need to follow up. It does not track supplier replies or delivery promises for you, so you still need to email the supplier directly and update the expected date yourself.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

SteadyShelf is launching on the Shopify App Store. Join early access to get the install link first.

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FAQ

What if the supplier does not respond to a follow-up email?

Call them directly if email gets no response within a day or two. If they are consistently unresponsive, treat it as a signal to line up a backup supplier for that SKU before you need one urgently.

Should I cancel a late order if I find a faster supplier?

Only cancel if the supplier confirms they have not shipped yet and you are certain the new supplier can deliver sooner. Otherwise you risk receiving both orders and ending up overstocked.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

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