Inventory how-to

How to keep a purchase order history

Keep every purchase order in one system, tied to the supplier and the SKUs on it, and never delete old ones.

Short answer: Keep every purchase order in one system, tied to the supplier and the SKUs on it, and never delete old ones. A clean history lets you check what you ordered, when it arrived, and how accurate your forecasts were, so you can order better next time.

Why history matters more than a single PO

A single purchase order tells you what you ordered once. A history tells you patterns: which supplier is always late, which SKU gets over-ordered, which case pack size keeps causing leftover stock. Without history you are guessing from memory, and memory is unreliable after a few months.

What to record for each PO

At minimum, keep the order date, supplier, SKUs and quantities ordered, cost per unit, expected delivery date, actual received date, and whether the delivery was full or partial. If you ever had to split a shipment because the supplier only sent part of an order, note that too, since it affects how reliable that supplier's lead time really is.

Keep it in one place, not scattered

Do not let POs live in a mix of email threads, spreadsheets, and supplier text messages. Pick one system as the record of truth. If a PO started as an email and got revised by phone, write the final version down in that one system so there is no ambiguity about what was actually agreed.

Step by step

  1. List every PO with date, supplier, SKU, quantity, cost, and status.
  2. Mark each PO as draft, sent, partially received, or fully received.
  3. Log the actual receive date against the expected date, every time.
  4. Note partial deliveries separately so you can see which suppliers under-ship.
  5. Review old POs before placing a new one with the same supplier.
  6. Keep at least a year of history so you can compare the same season year over year.
  7. Do not delete or overwrite old POs, archive them instead.

Worked example

A small homeware store orders ceramic mugs from one supplier every six weeks. Over four POs, the store notices the supplier quoted a 10-day lead time but actually took 14, 16, 13, and 15 days. Looking at the history, the owner raises the safety days on that supplier from 3 to 7 so future order-by dates stop running too late.

How SteadyShelf helps

SteadyShelf drafts your purchase orders, emails them to suppliers, and records when stock is received, including partial receipts, so each PO's full lifecycle is saved automatically. It does not do landed cost tracking or accounting integration, so if you need PO history tied to invoices or true landed cost per unit, you will still need to match that up in your bookkeeping system separately.

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

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FAQ

Can I see how accurate a supplier's lead time has been over multiple orders?

Yes, if you log expected versus actual receive dates for every PO. Over several orders this shows you the supplier's real average lead time, not just what they quoted you, which is what you should use for setting order-by dates.

Should I keep POs for discontinued products?

Yes, keep them archived rather than deleted. They still show supplier reliability and cost history, which is useful if you ever bring a similar product back or negotiate with the same supplier again.

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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