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Purchase Orders

Purchase Orders let you track what you're buying, manage approvals, and update your inventory automatically when items arrive. Create a PO from scratch, add items through the Restock flow, or kick one off directly from a saved Product Link on any item.

Finished POs can be exported to PDF or sent directly to QuickBooks Online.

Ultra
Premium
Enterprise

Overview and permissions

Each Purchase Order shows the following fields in the PO list view:

  • PO Number
  • Created by / Submitted by
  • Status: Draft, Ready to Review, Approved, Ordered, Received
  • Last Updated
  • Ship To / Vendor
  • Pricing and cost information

The Purchase Order list view

You can also check whether an item has already been ordered before creating a new PO. Items with an active order display a shopping cart icon with a checkmark in Grid view, List view, Advanced Search, and the Low Stock Report. Hover over the icon to see the Ordered label.

The Ordered icon shown on an item

View full PO history for any item on its detail page, in the Workflow tab, or directly from the Restock modal.

Purchase Order history on an item detail page

Permissions

By default, Owners and Admins have full access to Purchase Orders. Team Members can be granted access by going to Settings, then Manage Permissions, then Purchase Orders.


Create and manage a Purchase Order

Create a Purchase Order

  1. 1Go to Workflows, then Purchase Orders

    Navigate to Workflows and click Purchase Orders, then click New Purchase Order.

    Creating a new Purchase Order from Workflows

  2. 2Enter the PO number, status, and dates

    Fill in the PO number, set the status, and enter the Submitted By, Date Expected, and Approved By fields.

    Entering PO number, status, and dates PO date fields

  3. 3Add items

    Search for items by name, or click Bulk Add Items to add many at once. The maximum is 100 items per PO. You can also add an item to a PO directly from its item card.

    Adding items to a Purchase Order Adding an item to a PO from its item card

  4. 4Add vendor and shipping details, then save

    Choose an existing vendor with Select Vendor or enter information manually. Fill in Ship To and Bill To, then click Save.

    Adding vendor details to a PO Adding Ship To and Bill To details

Add multiple items at once

Using Bulk Add Items: on the PO creation page, click Bulk Add Items instead of searching, select your items, then click Add to Purchase Order.

Bulk Add Items on the PO creation page Selecting items to add to a Purchase Order

Via Advanced Search: apply filters, use the bulk-select checkboxes to choose items, then click Add To, then Purchase Order. Choose a quantity for each item, then select a new or existing PO.

Adding items to a PO from Advanced Search Choosing quantities and a PO from Advanced Search

Via a Folder: open a folder, select items with the bulk-select checkboxes, and follow the same steps as Advanced Search above.

Adding items to a PO from a folder

Edit or delete a Purchase Order

Go to Workflows, then Purchase Orders, and click the PO you want to update. Click the three-dot menu and choose Edit, make your changes, then click Save.

🗑️ Only Owners can delete Purchase Orders, and deletion is permanent. Owners can delete a PO in any status.

Editing or deleting a Purchase Order

💡 You can also start a Purchase Order directly from an item's saved Product Link. Learn more about Product Link.

Approvals, receiving, and closing

Submit for approval

Open the PO and click Edit. Change the status to Ready for Review and click Save. The approver can then log in, review the PO, and change the status to Approved.

Setting a PO status to Ready for Review Approving a Purchase Order

Receive items

  1. 1Click "Receive Items" on the Purchase Order

    The Receive Items button on a PO

  2. 2Choose whether to update quantity

    Select Update quantity or Do not update quantity. Updating quantity is recommended.

    Choosing whether to update quantity when receiving

  3. 3Choose receiving folder and confirm quantities

    Click Next, select the receiving folder, and enter the quantity for each item. If you receive only some items, the PO moves to Partially Received status. Repeat the process when the rest arrive.

    Selecting the receiving folder Confirming received quantities

  4. 4Export the completed PO

    Once all items are received, export the PO to PDF to share with your supplier or for your records.

    Exporting a completed PO to PDF

Close a Purchase Order

Once a PO is fully or partially received, you can mark it as Closed to indicate no further updates are needed.

🗑️ Once a Purchase Order is marked as Closed, it cannot be reopened.
  • If the PO is in Ordered or Partially Received status, open the three-dot menu in the upper right and select Mark Closed.
  • If the PO is already in Received status, click the red Mark Closed button on the PO page.

Marking a PO closed from the three-dot menu The Mark Closed button on a received PO 


QuickBooks Online

Premium
Enterprise

Connect your QBO account

You only need to do this once.

  1. 1Go to Purchase Orders and click Manage

    The Manage option in Purchase Orders

  2. 2Follow the prompts to connect your QBO account

    Connecting a QuickBooks Online account

Once connected, a Send to QuickBooks Online button appears on each PO.

The Send to QuickBooks Online button on a PO

Send a Purchase Order to QBO

  1. 1Open the PO and click "Send to QuickBooks Online"

    Fill in the fields to match your QBO account and click Send to QBO.

    Filling in fields to send a PO to QBO

  2. 2Confirm the success notification

    A confirmation appears with a link to open the PO directly in QBO. The last-synced timestamp updates on the PO in Sortly.

    QBO send confirmation notification

💡 To update a PO already sent to QBO, edit it in Sortly and click Send to QuickBooks Online again. The changes will sync across.

Vendor management

Saving vendors in Sortly lets you pull their details directly into any Purchase Order without re-entering them each time.

  1. 1Go to Settings, then Vendors, and click "New Vendor"

    Enter the vendor's contact and company information, then click Save.

    Creating a new vendor in Settings Entering vendor contact and company details

  2. 2Add the vendor to a PO

    Open a PO, click Select Vendor, choose your vendor, and click Save. The vendor will appear on the PO and in the main Purchase Orders list.

    Adding a saved vendor to a Purchase Order


Purchase Orders on mobile

From the Sortly mobile app, you can add items to an existing PO, create a new PO (saved as Draft), and receive items, all from Workflows, then Purchase Orders. Full PO management, including editing, approvals, vendor details, and QBO export, is available on the web.

Purchase Orders in the Sortly mobile app

Frequently Asked Questions

How many items can I add to a Purchase Order?
Up to 100 items per Purchase Order.
What can Team Members do with Purchase Orders?

If granted access by an Owner or Admin, Team Members can:

  • View all items in a PO, even without View/Edit access to those items
  • Remove items from a PO
  • Receive items into folders they have Edit or Move permissions for
  • Clone a PO (visible items only)
  • Export a PO

Team Members cannot receive items into folders they don't have Move permissions for, delete locked POs, edit or create vendors, access QuickBooks Online, or enable PO access for custom roles.

Can I search for items to add to a PO by scanning a barcode?
Yes. When adding items to a PO, tap the barcode icon on the right side of the search bar and scan the item's barcode or QR code.
Can I scan items to receive them on the mobile app?
Scanning to receive items is not available on mobile. You can receive items manually from the mobile app by going to Workflows, then Purchase Orders, and tapping Receive Items on the PO.
Why isn't my Purchase Order syncing with QuickBooks Online?
Only expense account types can be selected when sending a PO to QBO. Check that the account in QuickBooks is categorized as an expense account. Income and liability account types are not supported.
Is QuickBooks Online export available on the Ultra plan?
No. QBO export is only available on Premium and Enterprise plans. You can upgrade your plan or contact our team to find the best option.
How many vendors can I add?
Ultra and Premium plans support up to 100 vendors. Enterprise plans support up to 1,000 vendors.
Can I create a new item directly from a Purchase Order?
No. Items need to already exist in your inventory before they can be added to a PO.
Can I turn off Purchase Order email notifications?
Yes. Go to Company Preferences and toggle the Purchase Order notification setting to Off.