How to Sell Products & Use Ship Later in Odoo 18 Point of Sale

Electronics store sells $47,000 monthly through POS. Customer wants 15 laptops today. Store has 8 in stock. Old process: "Sorry, we only have 8. Come back next week." Customer walks to competitor, buys all 15 there. Lost sale: $22,500. New scenario with Ship Later: Ring up all 15 laptops at POS (full payment today). Ship 8 immediately from current stock. Schedule remaining 7 for delivery when restock arrives Friday. Customer happy (got full order locked in at today's price). Store happy (captured $22,500 sale, not $0). This is "Ship Later" in Odoo 18 POS—sell products at point of sale, deliver inventory when available, without losing customers to stock-outs.

Your POS disaster without Ship Later: Customer orders 50 units. You have 30 in stock. POS forces you to sell only what's physically available (30 units). Customer leaves to buy remaining 20 from competitor. Lost revenue on 20 units = 40% of sale gone. Customer annoyed (has to visit two stores). No way to capture future inventory commitment. Back-office creates manual sales order (disconnected from POS payment). Inventory tracking nightmare (POS sale + separate SO = confusion). Customer won't return (bad experience).

Cost: Average retail store loses 18-27% of potential POS sales due to inventory limitations. Cannot accept full payment for out-of-stock items. Customer goes to competitor for remaining quantity. Manual workarounds (paper notes, separate sales orders) = 3.2 hours weekly staff time. Inventory errors from disconnected systems. Cannot offer "buy now, deliver later" service. Miss bulk orders that exceed current stock.

Odoo 18 POS Ship Later fixes this: Ring up products at POS (any quantity, even if stock insufficient). Accept full payment immediately. System auto-creates delivery order for available stock. Remaining items scheduled as backorder (ships when stock arrives). Customer gets one receipt, one payment, professional experience. Inventory automatically managed across POS and warehouse. Here's how to configure Ship Later so you stop losing 27% of sales to inventory constraints.

What Ship Later Does

Ship Later = Sell full quantity at POS + Schedule delivery when inventory becomes available. Customer pays today, receives products as stock permits. POS and warehouse automatically synchronized.

Step 1: Enable Ship Later Feature

1. Go to Point of Sale app
2. Find your POS (e.g., "Main Shop")
3. Click three-dot menu (⋮) on POS card
4. Select Edit
5. Navigate to Configuration → Settings tab
6. Scroll to Inventory section
7. Enable: ☑ Allow Ship Later

8. Set Warehouse: Select your warehouse
9. Set Specific Route: Choose shipping steps (1-step recommended)
10. Set Shipping Policy:
    • "As soon as possible" = Ship partial quantities immediately
    • "When all products are ready" = Wait for full order
11. Click Save

Step 2: Configure Customer Addresses

Ship Later requires valid shipping addresses. Configure customer delivery locations before using feature.

1. Go to Contacts app (or Customers in POS)
2. Open customer record (e.g., "Deco Addict")
3. Fill Address tab:
   • Street: 123 Oak Avenue
   • City: San Francisco
   • State: California
   • ZIP: 94105
   • Country: United States
4. Set Address Type: Delivery
5. Click Save

Step 3: Process POS Sale with Ship Later

Scenario: Partial Stock Available

Customer orders 50 units. You have 32 in stock. Ship Later lets you capture full sale.

1. Open Point of Sale app
2. Select your POS (e.g., "Retail Store")
3. Click New Session
4. Enter Opening Cash: $500 (or opening amount)
5. Click Open Session

Add Products to Cart

1. Browse products on POS screen
2. Click product: Wireless Mouse
   • Current stock: 32 units
   • Price: $42 each
3. Product added to cart (default qty: 1)
4. Change quantity: Click Qty field
5. Enter: 50 units (exceeds stock)
6. Cart shows: 50 × $42 = $2,100

Select Customer

1. Click Customer button (top right of POS)
2. Search for: Deco Addict
3. Select customer from list
4. Verify shipping address appears (required for Ship Later)

Use Ship Later Feature

1. Click Payment button
2. Payment screen appears
3. Click Ship Later button (new button visible because feature enabled)
4. Ship Later popup appears:
   • Requested Delivery Date: Select date (e.g., January 5, 2026)
   • Shows: "32 units available now, 18 units as backorder"
5. Click Confirm
6. Delivery date scheduled ✓

Complete Payment

1. Select payment method: Cash or Card
2. Enter amount: $2,100
3. Click Validate
4. Receipt prints showing:
   • Full order: 50 units @ $2,100
   • Delivery scheduled: January 5
5. Order complete ✓

Step 4: Manage Delivery Orders (Backend)

Access Backend from POS

1. In POS screen, click three-line menu (☰) top right
2. Select Backend
3. Returns to Odoo backend interface

View POS Order

1. Go to Point of Sale → Orders → Orders
2. Find recent order (e.g., "Order 00042-001-0003")
3. Click to open order
4. Order shows:
   • Customer: Deco Addict
   • Products: 50 × Wireless Mouse
   • Total: $2,100
   • Status: Paid
5. Click Pickings smart button (shows "1" or "2")

Process Delivery Order (Partial Stock)

With "As soon as possible" shipping policy: Ship available 32 units now, backorder 18 units.

1. Open Delivery Order (Picking)
2. Status: Waiting Availability (insufficient stock)
3. Operations tab shows:
   • Demand: 50 units
   • Reserved: 32 units (available)
   • Remaining: 18 units (backorder)
4. Adjust Done quantity: Enter 32 (what's available)
5. Click Check Availability
6. Status changes to: Ready
7. Click Validate
8. Backorder popup appears:
   • "18 units not available"
   • Options: Create Backorder or No Backorder
9. Click Create Backorder
10. First delivery complete: 32 units shipped ✓
11. Backorder created automatically: 18 units (scheduled for later) ✓

Complete Backorder (When Stock Arrives)

1. Receive inventory restock (18+ units of Wireless Mouse)
2. Go to Point of Sale → Orders → Orders
3. Open original order
4. Click Pickings smart button (shows "2")
5. Open Backorder delivery
6. Click Check Availability (stock now available)
7. Status: Ready
8. Verify Done quantity: 18 units
9. Click Validate
10. Backorder complete: All 50 units delivered ✓

Shipping Policy Comparison

Option 1: "As Soon As Possible"

Ship partial quantities immediately. Remaining items delivered when stock arrives.

Option 2: "When All Products Are Ready"

Wait until full order available. Ship complete order together.

Advanced: Update Inventory for Backorders

If stock arrives early, manually update inventory to fulfill backorders immediately.

1. Go to backorder delivery order
2. Click product name (e.g., "Conference Table")
3. Opens product form
4. Click Update Quantity button (Inventory tab)
5. Update quantity wizard appears:
   • Location: WH/Stock
   • On Hand: Current quantity (e.g., 73)
   • New Quantity: Enter updated stock (e.g., 150)
6. Click Apply
7. Return to backorder delivery
8. Click Check Availability
9. Stock now sufficient, validate delivery

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: Electronics Retailer

Use Case 2: Furniture Showroom

Use Case 3: Appliance Store

Best Practices

Frequently Asked Questions