Collections — Book a collection
Use Create Collection to request a pickup from a supplier or third-party address and have it delivered into a ParcelPilot warehouse.
Use Collections when the pickup itself needs to be arranged or tracked. If you only need to register a new expected delivery without a pickup leg, use Registering and receiving an expected delivery.
Before you start
Have these details ready:
- Pickup contact name + phone/email
- Full pickup address + postcode
- Preferred pickup window (date/time)
- What items are being collected (SKUs + quantities)
Step-by-step
- Go to Operations → Collections.
- Click Create Collection (top right).
- In Details, review the generated Collection Reference.
- Add an External Reference if you want to keep your own PO, ASN, supplier, booking, or legacy reference.
- Confirm the Client.
- Choose the Warehouse where the stock should be delivered.
- Choose Customer / Pickup from.
- Leave Pickup address same as customer on if the pickup should use the customer address. Turn it off only when the pickup address is different.
- Set the Pickup window start and Pickup window end.
- Add Notes if the driver or warehouse team needs opening hours, access instructions, or booking-in details.
- In Expected items, click Add line and add each SKU with its Expected qty.
- If you see Send email notification to warehouse team, leave it enabled when you want the warehouse team notified immediately.
- Click Create.
What happens after you submit
- Your collection is created in Draft status.
- If notifications are enabled for your client account, the warehouse team is emailed about the new collection request.
- The warehouse team will review the details and then usually:
- create the pickup shipment so tracking, labels, attachments, and cost can be recorded
- create or open the linked pre-receipt
- receive the goods using the linked receipt, counting quantities manually in most cases
- use the collection's Mobile stock-in QR/link when they want to jump straight into receiving, especially for serialised items
- post the receipt once quantities, locations, and serials are confirmed
Some older collection records still use the older pre-receipt route. For normal new warehouse planning without a pickup, use the expected-delivery workflow instead.
Inventory / stock note
Collection workflow updates are operational tracking only (timestamps + audit trail).
- No inventory is added just because the collection exists or a pickup shipment is booked.
- A pickup shipment is only an inbound transport record. It does not create reservations, deduct stock, or auto-create a receipt.
- Inventory is only added when the warehouse team creates a Receipt and posts it to inventory (after confirming quantities, locations, and serials where required).
Tips and common issues
- If you can’t find the pickup contact under Customer / Pickup from, ask your account manager to add the customer record (or provide the full pickup address in the Notes).
- Make sure the Warehouse is correct if you use multiple warehouses. Only eligible client-assigned warehouses will be available.
- If quantities change after you submit, update the collection lines and add a note so the warehouse team has the latest information.
- Best practice is to list the actual SKUs on the collection, because those lines can be copied into the linked pre-receipt.
- If the supplier has only told you something broad like "1 pallet" and you do not know the SKU breakdown yet, record that in Notes and/or External Reference. The warehouse/admin team can still manage the collection, but they should update the linked receipt with the real inbound lines before scanning/posting stock.