# Record a Shipment

Ship a package, name the carrier, and accept that this is the moment the stock leaves you.

A shipment always ships a package, so the contents are already recorded. What this step adds is who has the box and when it went.

> **Before you start:**
>
> A package that has not shipped yet.

## Send it

- **Open the package and create a shipment**

  One shipment per package. The contents come across; there is nothing to retype.

  ![The Shipments list with its Shipment action and columns for Shipment number, Date, Type, Source number, Customer or Vendor, Packages, Carrier, Tracking, Status and Cost.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/inventory/shipments/shipments-list.png)
- **Choose the carrier and enter the tracking number**

  This is what you give a customer who asks where their order is, so it is worth entering properly rather than later.
- **Set the date it actually left**

  Which is not always today. Backdating a shipment that went on Friday keeps your movement reports honest.
- **Record the carriage cost, if you track it**

  The Cost column on the list is only as useful as this field.
- **Save**

  The stock comes off your count at this point, and the reservation against the sales order is released because it has been fulfilled.

> **Warning:**
>
> **This is the irreversible half of the outbound chain**
>
> Everything before it was preparation. Deleting a shipment puts the units back as though they never left, which is only correct if the box really did come back.

## What changes at this moment

| Figure | Before | After |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stock on hand | Includes the units | Does not |
| Reserved against the order | Yes | Released |
| Available to promise | Unchanged either way | Unchanged either way |
| Cost of goods | Not yet recognised | Recognised |

Available does not move, which surprises people. The units were already unavailable the moment the order was confirmed; shipping only changes whether you are still holding them.

> **Tip:**
>
> **Ship on the day, invoice when you like**
>
> The two are separate documents on purpose. Recording the shipment as the van leaves keeps every availability figure right for whoever is promising deliveries this afternoon.