Manual fulfilment: External shipment vs external collection

Use these actions when an order is completed outside the normal ParcelPilot shipping flow, but you still need ParcelPilot to stay operationally correct:

• Inventory is deducted correctly
• Reservations are cleared
• Reporting and Monthly Operations still reflect the fulfilment work

ParcelPilot provides two bulk actions on the Orders list:

• Mark as shipped (external)
• Mark as collected (external)

They are intentionally similar, but are used for different real-world situations.

Which one should I use?

Use "Mark as shipped (external)" when

The order left the warehouse via a carrier shipment, but the label or booking was created outside ParcelPilot.

Typical examples:

• client purchased the label themselves and sent tracking
• a carrier booking was done externally

Use "Mark as collected (external)" when

The order was collected by the client or their courier and no ParcelPilot shipment was created.

Typical examples:

• warehouse pickup or customer collection
• client-arranged courier collection where you do not want ParcelPilot to book the courier

What these actions do

Both actions:

• deduct inventory using the standard shipment-deduction logic
• clear reserved stock for the order
• optionally create a basic Shipment record
• optionally set the order status to Despatched

Inventory behaviour

The deduction uses the same inventory logic as normal shipping, so it is safe and auditable:

• creates inventory adjustment rows
• serialised items require correct serial allocations
• will fail if there is insufficient on-hand stock

What the options mean

Create a Shipment record

When on, ParcelPilot creates a lightweight Shipment record so the fulfilment is visible in:

• shipment history and reporting
• Monthly Operations operational charges

Important billing note:

• the shipment is marked as an external shipment, so it is excluded from courier and shipping charges in Monthly Operations

Tracking number

Available only when:

• exactly one order is selected
• Create a Shipment record is on

Use this when the client provides tracking and you want it stored for visibility.

Collection reference

Available only when:

• exactly one order is selected
• Create a Shipment record is on

Use this for a practical reference like a collector name, vehicle registration, or job number.

Set order status to Despatched

When on, this updates the warehouse status so the order clearly shows it has left the building.

Common workflows

External shipped with tracking

1. Select the order.
2. Bulk actions -> Mark as shipped (external).
3. Leave Create a Shipment record on.
4. Enter Tracking number.
5. Leave Set order status to Despatched on.

Warehouse pickup or client collection

1. Select the order.
2. Bulk actions -> Mark as collected (external).
3. Leave Create a Shipment record on.
4. Optionally enter Collection reference.
5. Leave Set order status to Despatched on.

Correct inventory only

1. Select the order.
2. Choose the appropriate action.
3. Turn Create a Shipment record off.
4. Confirm.

Use this sparingly because you lose the clear shipped or collected shipment footprint.

How to tell shipped vs collected later

If a Shipment record was created, you can differentiate them by the Service shown on the Shipment:

• shipped externally: Client provided shipment
• collected externally: Client collected shipment

Both are marked as external shipments.

Troubleshooting

• Already deducted: stock was already reduced
• Insufficient on-hand: investigate stock accuracy before retrying
• Serial allocation error: allocate or pick missing serials, then retry
• Skipped: cancelled / virtual / no permission: the action intentionally will not process these