Shopify purchase orders vs Stocky: what native purchase orders do, and what they don't do for costs
Shopify's native purchase orders now do the ordering and receiving Stocky did: the purchase order records the supplier, products, costs and terms, and a linked inventory transfer handles shipments, receiving and cost adjustments. What they don't do is costing: Cost per item stays fixed when you receive, and freight or duty added as a cost adjustment is not spread onto the products. For a weighted average or landed cost, Shopify points to a third-party costing app.
How a Shopify purchase order works
- Before you start: set up suppliers and locations, and turn on inventory tracking for the products you order.
- Create it in Products > Purchase orders: supplier, destination, products, quantities, cost and tax per line, payment terms and supplier currency. Lines can come from a CSV or a barcode scanner.
- Send it. Save as a draft and download a PDF for your supplier.
- Mark as ordered once the supplier confirms. This can't be reversed, but most details stay editable.
- Receive on the linked transfer. Shopify tracks receiving, partial receipt and closure on the transfer, not on the purchase order.
- Add freight and duty to a shipment as cost adjustments, such as Shipping amount or Customs duties.
Sources: creating purchase orders and receiving inventory from a purchase order, Shopify Help.
Task by task, after Stocky
| Task | In Shopify now | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Order from a supplier | Purchase order, statuses Draft and Ordered | PDF to send; supplier currency supported |
| Receive | On the linked inventory transfer | One linked transfer per purchase order at a time |
| Partial delivery | Several shipments per transfer, with accepted and rejected quantities | |
| Freight and duty | Cost adjustments on a shipment; the Cost summary adds them up | Not spread onto products |
| Cost per item on receipt | Stays fixed | Update it yourself, or with an app |
| Weighted average or landed cost | Shopify points to a third-party costing app | |
| Old Stocky purchase orders | Can't be imported | Export before read-only access ends |
| Suppliers | Created in Shopify | Can't be exported from Stocky |
The cost gap
A Shopify purchase order knows what you agreed to pay, and nothing writes that price back to your products:
- When you add a product, Shopify fills its cost from your previous purchase orders with that supplier. With no previous order, it uses the variant's Cost per item (Shopify Help).
- When you receive, Cost per item does not change (Shopify Help).
- So a stale Cost per item flows into new purchase orders, and new prices never flow back.
What to do
- Recreate open quantities from any Stocky order still open at the cutover as a Shopify purchase order or transfer.
- Check each line's cost on a new purchase order before you mark it as ordered.
- After receiving, update Cost per item with the new average, by hand or with a costing app.
- Split freight and duty onto the units if your books include them.
How True COGS fits
- Reads the purchase order price when it is received and writes your weighted average to Cost per item. This works on every plan once you approve purchase-order access; Shopify asks when you open the app.
- Checks open purchase orders against the last price you paid. This is on the Free plan.
- Splits freight and duty onto each unit on paid plans. It does not yet read Shopify's cost adjustments, so enter those amounts in True COGS.
- Imports old Stocky purchase orders by date, free on every plan.
Related guides
Questions merchants ask
What replaces Stocky after August 2026?
Shopify's own inventory tools in the admin and POS: purchase orders, transfers, adjustments and stock counts. For weighted average or landed cost, Shopify points to a third-party costing app.
Do Shopify purchase orders update Cost per item?
No. Shopify's help says Cost per item stays fixed when you receive a purchase order or transfer.
Can I receive a partial delivery on a Shopify purchase order?
Yes. Receiving happens on the linked transfer, which can have several shipments with accepted and rejected quantities.
Where do I add freight and customs duties on a Shopify purchase order?
On the linked transfer: open the shipment, choose Edit shipment, then Manage in the Cost summary, and add Shipping amount or Customs duties.
Can I undo Mark as ordered?
No. Shopify says marking a purchase order as ordered can't be reversed, but you can still edit most details, including products and costs.
Can a purchase order have more than one transfer?
One linked transfer at a time. That transfer can carry several shipments.
Try True COGS free. True COGS is an inventory costing app for Shopify by Nexus Logic Systems. It records the price you paid on every delivery (a received purchase order or a transfer), with its share of freight and duty on paid plans, keeps every price with its date, and writes your moving weighted average cost, or FIFO cost on a paid plan, to Shopify's Cost per item. It is free for up to 25 variants with a cost on record; paid plans start at $29 a month or $290 a year.
Install from the App Store