A stock reservation in Aicountly Inventory sets aside a quantity of an item for a customer order without issuing it, so your team stops promising the same units twice. This guide shows how to create a stock reservation, what the screen asks for, and how to fulfil or release it when the order is dispatched or cancelled.
Why reserving stock matters for a small business
Most stock-outs that upset customers are not real shortages. The goods are in the godown, but two people have quietly promised the same units to two buyers. One order goes out, the other is delayed, and someone apologises.
A reservation fixes this by separating two ideas: stock you have and stock you can still promise. The units stay on your shelf, but they are no longer counted as free for anyone else.
This is useful when you take advance orders, hold goods for a customer who will pay or collect later, or keep a quotation's stock aside while the buyer decides. It is an operational control, not an accounting entry: nothing is invoiced and no tax is charged when you reserve.
Where to find Reservations in Inventory
In the Inventory menu, look under the open positions group, next to Packing lists and Pending quantities. The Reservations entry is described as stock promised to a document but not yet issued. If you cannot see it, your role may not include reservation access, so ask whoever manages permissions for your company.
The screen is a register. By default it lists only open reservations (those that are active or partly fulfilled). You can filter by item, by warehouse and by status: active, partially fulfilled, fulfilled, released or expired. Choose "All" to see the full history.
Create a reservation step by step
- Click New reservation. A short form opens.
- Pick the item. Use the item picker to search by name or SKU.
- Choose the warehouse. Leaving it empty means "any warehouse", which checks availability across the company. If your login is restricted to certain warehouses, you must pick one of them; Inventory refuses a company-wide reservation from a restricted user.
- Select a batch if the item is batch-tracked. The batch field appears only for such items, so you can hold a specific lot, for example the one with the longer shelf life.
- Enter the quantity. It must be greater than zero and is in the item's base unit, such as pieces, not cartons. If you sell in cartons, convert first.
- Optionally set an expiry. Give a date and time after which the hold is released automatically. This is the safest way to stop forgotten holds from blocking stock forever.
- Optionally note the source. A source document type (for example sales.order) and id link the hold to the order that caused it.
- Click Reserve. A confirmation shows the quantity reserved and, where available, how much is still available.
If you try to reserve more than is available, Inventory refuses the request and tells you the quantity needed against the quantity available. That message is your cue to reduce the hold, pick another warehouse, or reorder.
Read the reservation register
Each row shows the item, warehouse, batch, how much was reserved, how much is fulfilled and how much is still open. The open quantity is the one that matters: it is what is still blocked.
StatusWhat it means ActiveThe full quantity is still held. PartialPart has been fulfilled; the rest is still held. FulfilledThe held quantity has gone out against the order. ReleasedThe hold was cancelled and the stock is free again. ExpiredThe expiry time passed before the hold was used.An expired but still-open reservation shows as expired in the status column, which makes stale holds easy to spot during a weekly review.
Fulfil a reservation when the goods go out
When the customer collects or the order is dispatched, use the Fulfil action on the row. You can enter a quantity for a part delivery, or leave it empty to fulfil the whole open quantity.
There is a tick box to release whatever remains open. Keep it ticked if the order is closed after this delivery and the balance will not be shipped. Untick it if the rest will follow in a later delivery and you want the remaining units to stay held.
Release a reservation when the order falls through
If the customer cancels or the quotation lapses, choose Release from the row's menu. Again, you can release a part or the whole open quantity, and you can note a reason. Writing a short reason, such as "customer cancelled" or "quote expired", helps whoever reads the register later.
Habits that keep reservations useful
- Set an expiry on every hold that is not tied to a confirmed, paid order.
- Review expired and old active reservations once a week and release what is dead.
- Fill in the source document so you can trace a hold back to its order.
- Reserve in the warehouse that will actually ship, not "any", when you run more than one location.
- Pair reservations with a sensible reorder level; see our guide to reorder point and safety stock in Inventory.
- Do your periodic physical stock verification with open reservations in mind, since held stock is still physically present.
Reservations and your paperwork
A reservation does not replace a tax invoice or a delivery document. When goods actually move, the usual paperwork still applies; our note on tax invoice, bill of supply and delivery challan explains which one fits. For goods moving in transit, check the rules in our e-way bill basics guide. Your chartered accountant can confirm how any of this applies to your specific business.
Key takeaways
- A reservation holds stock for an order without issuing it, so the same units are not promised twice.
- Quantities are in the item's base unit, and Inventory refuses a hold larger than the available stock.
- Set an expiry so forgotten holds release themselves.
- Fulfil when goods leave; release when the order is cancelled; either can be partial.
- Review expired and long-open reservations every week.
If you already track items and warehouses in Aicountly Inventory, the Reservations register is a quick way to see exactly what is promised and what is truly free to sell.
