How to automate pre-order syncing with transfers?

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment

Topic summary

Automating pre-orders tied to incoming stock transfers to remove manual SKU-by-SKU toggling in a pre-order app. The current app requires enabling/disabling each SKU manually, creating hours of work per transfer.

Requested automation (terms: SKU = stock-keeping unit; transfer = recorded incoming shipment):

  • When on-hand stock hits zero but a transfer exists, auto-enable the pre-order button, cap pre-order quantity to the transfer amount, and show an estimated ship date pulled from the transfer.
  • On the transfer date: if pre-order quantity isn’t fully sold and no new stock is available/transfer not accepted, switch to “out of stock.” If stock is replenished or the transfer is accepted, switch to “add to cart.” If the transfer date is pushed back, keep/return to “pre-order” with the updated date.

Rationale: This mirrors common ERP behavior and would eliminate repetitive manual updates.

Status/outcome: No solutions provided. Another participant asks if a solution was found. The question remains open without a confirmed approach.

Summarized with AI on January 30. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hi all,

looking for anyone who may have a neat solution to a simple problem imo.

Currently we are using a pre-order manager app with pre-order button, which requires each SKU to be entered and managed manually to enable and then disable it. As a results there’s hours of work for each transfer to enable and disable each SKU manually within this app.

Surely there’s something out there that can allow pre-order button, pre-order shipment notification next to the button and pre-order quantities to be automatically synced with transfers.

e.g. an item qty is 20 and 10 is coming (transfer entered) in on 10 of November. hence, if 20 is sold out before 10 of November pre-order button is turned out and lets customers pre-order 10 (from transfers) and notifies them that the shipment date is 10 of November (from transfers). If 10 pre-order qty is not sold out by 10 of november the button turns to out of stock unless current stock is replenished or transfer is accepted (button turns to add to cart) or transfer date updated to later date (button turns to pre-order).

this is is such a simple logically functionality that’s missing here.

most of ERP’s from 80’s are set up that way but may be I’m too demanding having worked in big corporations…

Really appreciate anyone’s thoughts here.

Cheers

Kirill

2

Did you ever find a solution to this? I’m looking for a solution to do this same thing.