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Judytu
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2099 Posts |
 Posted - 08/19/2012 : 13:54
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Hi:
I have a question......will this new backorder feature let the customer know at checkout WHICH item is on backorder if they order more than 1 item?
~ Judy
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Andy
Administrator
69140 Posts |
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Judytu
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2099 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2012 : 15:24
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Ok, so I see how that works if you choose to have a different "Backorder" button. How does this feature handle shipping charges for the backorderd item when it is back n stock?
~ Judy
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Andy
Administrator
69140 Posts |
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Judytu
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2099 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2012 : 16:52
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Well, let me give a hypothetical. Let's say the customer buys 2 hats, one in stock and one on Backorder. We ship using USPS priority, minimum is $4.90. We charge a $2 handling fee. In theory, EACH of those package should be charged $6.90. Is there any adjustment provided for in this feature? I'm guessing not, I'm just curious.
~ Judy
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Andy
Administrator
69140 Posts |
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Positivek9
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2722 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 00:03
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Hi Judy,
We do quite a bit of back orders and what I do is adjust the shipping charge and only charge the customer for the first shipment. When the second shipment containing the back order is sent, they are then charged the difference.
i.e.
They buy 2 hats and pay $6.99 shipping for both. 1 hat is sent out right away and they are charged for the one hat and $3.99 shipping. When the 2nd hat comes in and is sent out, you would then charge them for the 2nd hat and $3.00 in shipping (the difference).
Back orders are a bit of a headache as sometimes you can lose your shirt if the items are heavy and you have to ship 2 shipments. You can lose $$$.
I've made it a rule that if an item is not back in stock by 30 days, we auto-cancel that portion of the order and sign them up for a "back in stock" email.
That being said, I'm not liking the way this feature works with the cart. It really needs to show WHAT items and how MANY are on back order in the cart. I tested adding 10 dog tags with only 3 in stock and some other items. The back order message showed, with no indication which items were back ordered or how many of what they would be expecting. That won't fly with my customers... I'm hoping that improvements will be made before I can implement this... bummer.
Julie
Browns Summit NC USA |
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Vince
Administrator
31259 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 04:58
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Hi Julie
If you go to the admin products page and click "List Products" to list all products, then on the left in the "Quick Entry..." choose "Stock", and then for the sort choose "Sort - Stock ASC" then you get all the products in order starting from those on back order "negative stock" to out of stock and so on.
For the orders on back order, as the orders come in and you complete the in stock portion of the order (if any) you would then assign the order the order status of "Back Order". You can then select just the orders on "Back Order" at any time.
Vince
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Positivek9
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2722 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 07:47
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Thanks Vince!
I've been doing back orders for quite a while... I have an order status called Back Order and on our distributor's site I can save each out of stock item in a favorite list and check for stock each day. The way the new back order features works in the Admin is great.
My concern is that the customer needs to know what items are on back order when they go to the cart page. Currently it does not designate which items they are getting and which or how many they are not. Most of my customers order several items at a time. The way this feature is set up right now just won't work from our customer's standpoint. It would be wonderful if the item could be highlighted or a message on that item showing the qty on back order.
Julie
Browns Summit NC USA |
Edited by - Positivek9 on 08/29/2012 07:52 |
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Judytu
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2099 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 07:56
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Yes, Vince. This was my concern when I started this thread. The customer has no idea which item they are not getting with their order.
~ Judy
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Vince
Administrator
31259 Posts |
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Positivek9
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2722 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 11:38
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No, not if there are some in stock and they order more... Also when you have options on those products, there is nothing to indicate any "back order" is occuring until they go to checkout. Where there is nothing to indicate what items are affected, just a message that "some" are on back order.
Please look at this from a buyer's perspective. 
Joe Q shops and adds an item, say 25 dog bones, to the cart. On the item page it shows "Add to Cart" as there are 10 in stock... he chooses 25. At the cart screen, Joe Q is presented with the "back order" message. So is Joe Q getting 1, 5, 10 or 25 dog bones? Then Joe Q continues shopping and adds more items, some in stock, others with the back order feature. Now Joe Q really wonders what he is getting right away and what will he be waiting for, since the message will appear again. Joe Q checks out anyway, calls or sends an email, or abandons the cart in confusion.
Now if the item is one item with no options, then the Back Order button works just fine.
It's when the button says Add to Cart that a customer has no way of knowing what is shipping and what is on back order at the time of purchase.
Julie
Browns Summit NC USA |
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Vince
Administrator
31259 Posts |
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Positivek9
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2722 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 14:39
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Yes, exactly!
It's excellent from the Admin Side.. just needs some tweaking on the Front End and it'll be perfect!
Julie
Browns Summit NC USA |
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Positivek9
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2722 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2012 : 21:01
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Hi Judy!
I came up with a workaround.. not sure if it will work for you (or anyone else that needs it) but I'll tell you what I did:
I added a radio option that says:
Note: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available.
I changed in the language file:
xxBakOrd="Back Order" to instead say xxBakOrd="Place Order"
I also added a little more info to the cart message:
xxBakOrW="Some of the items in your cart are temporarily out of stock and will be put on back order.<br>You will not be charged until we ship the item(s)."
I added a Back Order blurb to our shipping policy page:
Back Ordered Items
When an item is on Back Order this means that the item is temporarily out of stock at our distributor. Some of the items can be added to your cart today and will ship when available, usually within 2-3 weeks. Sometimes items may take longer to be restocked and we will contact you if that occurs. Your payment account will not be charged until we ship the items.
**If paying with PayPal, we can only keep an item on back order status for up to 30 days. If the items are still out of stock at that time, the items will be auto-canceled and you will not be charged. We will send you an email alert when the item(s) can be ordered again.
I went into the product admin and added the product option to the product. (when the item is back in stock, then I can easily remove it when I add stock)
So now a customer adds the item to the cart, sees the cart message, and also sees which item is on back order as the option would display showing the option message.
See it here:
http://www.seeprofile.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DAR21020
Julie
Browns Summit NC USA |
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Judytu
Ecommerce Template Guru
USA
2099 Posts |
Posted - 09/01/2012 : 21:08
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Looks great, Julie and thanks for the instruction on how you set it up. One question tho.......If we no longer see their credit card info, how are you going to charge their card when you ship the back ordered item?
~ Judy
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New Backorder Feature
