Supplier stock and supplier selection

Many suppliers report their stock – as a file to fetch or on request. In allverto this supplier stock is stored on the supplier item. You can add it to your own stock for shops and marketplaces (like "Consider supplier stock" in JTL-Wawi) and let allverto pick the right supplier automatically when ordering.

#Before you start

Anyone whose role has the View purchasing, suppliers and purchase orders permission may view it; changing requires Create purchase orders. Setting up automatic fetches additionally requires Import data.

#Supplier stock on the item

In the item window, tab Suppliers, each supplier shows the Supplier stock with As of. Via … → Edit you maintain it manually:

1. Enter the quantity in the Supplier stock block (empty = unknown).
2. Switch on Add supplier stock to available stock if this stock should count for sales channels.
3. Optional: Count at most limits the quantity, the Buffer is deducted first (e.g. buffer 5: of 20, 15 count).
4. Click Save.

The Add to available stock switch is also available directly in each supplier's row.

If the stock comes in via an automatic fetch, the field is read-only and the row shows Automatic: … with a link to the fetch.

#What the supplier stock does

With the switch on: own available stock + counted supplier stock = available for channels. The Suppliers tab shows the calculation, e.g. "Own stock 5 + supplier stock 20 = 25 available for sales channels"; under Key figures in the item you see Supplier stock and Available for channels.

This quantity is what the stock syncs report to shops (allverto Shop, Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware) and marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Kaufland, OTTO); the marketplace lister uses it too. When the supplier stock changes, the new stock levels go to the channels automatically.

Physical stock, reservation, picking, shipping and stocktaking are not affected – only your own stock counts there. Archived suppliers do not count.

#Orders: delivery via supplier

If an open order lacks own stock that the supplier stock covers, the line additionally shows Delivery via supplier: … in the Stock for order column. Such quantities appear like any shortage in the purchase suggestions; with drop shipping (If own stock is missing) the supplier ships directly to the customer.

#Supplier selection when ordering

Under Purchasing → Settings → Suppliers you define which supplier purchase suggestions, the purchase list, Order and the MRP run take automatically:

• Cheapest supplier (default) – the lowest total price for the required quantity. Minimum quantity and pack size round up the order quantity, and the supplier's purchase price tiers apply to that quantity. Example: supplier A €2.00 from 100 pcs, supplier B €3.00 from 1 pc – for 10 pcs B is cheaper (€30 instead of €200), for 100 pcs A.
• Preferred supplier – the supplier marked as preferred (default supplier); without one, the cheapest.
• Shortest lead time – with equal lead times, the cheaper one.

Consider supplier stock prefers suppliers whose stock covers the order quantity.

For individual items, switch on Always use preferred supplier at the bottom of the Suppliers tab – then the preferred supplier always applies. The chosen supplier carries a label such as Cheapest in the list; the tooltip gives the reason ("Cheapest for 10 pcs …"). In purchase suggestions and the purchase list you can change the supplier at any time; if another one is cheaper, the purchase list shows Cheaper: ….

#Purchase price tiers

In the supplier item dialog, under Purchase price tiers, you create up to 10 tiers with Add tier: From quantity and Net purchase price per unit (up to 4 decimal places). Purchase suggestions, the purchase list, price requests and new purchase orders calculate the purchase price of the order quantity with the tiers – without your own purchase price, the tier price applies in the purchase order. In the purchase order window, the purchase price follows the tiers when you change the quantity, as long as you have not changed it by hand.

#Import automatically (CSV, Excel, XML)

Under Settings → Import/Export, tab Automatic supplier stock, you set up a fetch per supplier:

1. First create an import template for the Supplier stock area: open Import …, area Supplier stock, upload a sample file, map the columns (Supplier item number, Stock at supplier, optionally Purchase price net and As of (from file)) and save it as a template.
2. Click New fetch, choose supplier, source (https or FTP/FTPS), address or server and path, credentials, schedule and the template.
3. Switch on Take purchase price from the file if the Purchase price net column should change the purchase price.
4. Switch on Active (fetch on schedule) – new fetches stay off until you switch on the schedule.

#XML files

For XML, choose the XML node per record in the import window, e.g. //item or /items/item. If left empty, allverto detects the most frequently repeated node. The columns are the values below it: child elements (stock, prices/cost) and attributes (@sku, warehouse/@qty). If an element occurs several times, the first counts. For security reasons allverto does not read files with DOCTYPE or entities.

#Import a file manually

Right-click a fetch → Import file now … (or in the fetch dialog): choose a CSV, Excel or XML file; it is read with the fetch's template – like a fetch, just without the download.

#Log and errors

Every run appears in the Log tab (with result file), the latest result also on the fetch. If a fetch fails, there is no e-mail but one notice in the bell per series of errors – to the person who created the fetch. After errors allverto retries at increasing intervals.