Ship Batches and Serials on Sales Orders

When a sales order line is for a batch-tracked or serial-tracked product, Qoblex asks you to say exactly which batch or serial numbers are going out before the shipment can be picked. This article covers how to choose those batches and serials, how the quantities you pick are reserved and then reduced when the shipment is dispatched, and how Qoblex flags a batch that has already expired while you are choosing.

After reading this, you will know how to assign the right lots to a shipment, split a line across several batches, pick individual serial units, and correct a batch selection when needed. A serial number is simply a batch with a quantity of one, so the same screen handles both.

When the batch selection screen appears

The batch selection screen is part of the picking step. It opens automatically when you pick a shipment that contains at least one batch-tracked or serial-tracked line, including a bundle whose parts are batch or serial tracked. Shipments with no tracked lines are picked directly, without this screen.

1. Open the sales order and go to its shipment.
2. Start picking the shipment using the Pick action.
3. If any line needs batch or serial numbers, the batch selection dialog opens before the shipment is marked as picked.

This dialog is titled “Receive Batch” and its subtext reads “Batch / Serial number details” followed by “Specify the batch number, serial number, and expiry date (optional) for the items you are receiving.” It is a shared dialog reused for both receiving and shipping, so the on-screen wording says “receiving” even when you are shipping. The same fields are used whether the item is batch tracked or serial tracked.

Assign batches to each line

Each tracked line appears as its own card showing the product image, name, SKU, and the number of units being shipped. Under the card you assign one or more batches using three columns: Batch Number, Quantity, and Expires At.

1. In the Batch Number field (placeholder “Enter a batch number”), start typing. Qoblex searches the batches held at the shipment’s ship-from location and shows matching suggestions.
2. Pick a batch from the suggestions. Its expiry date fills into the Expires At field automatically; that field is read-only and is not typed by hand here.
3. In the Quantity field (placeholder “Enter quantity”), enter the amount to ship from that batch.
4. To pull from more than one batch for the same line, click Add Batch and repeat. This lets you split a line across several lots, for example to ship the oldest stock first.
5. Repeat for every tracked line, then click Confirm.

Each batch suggestion shows the batch number together with its current On Hand: and Reserved: quantities and, if the batch has an expiry date, an Expires: date, so you can judge which lot to pull from before you commit.

Important: for a non-bundle line, the quantities you assign across all its batches must add up to the exact quantity being shipped, or Qoblex will not let you confirm. The blocking message reads “the sum of batches to receive does not match the total quantity to receive” (the shared dialog says “receive”).

Pick serial numbers

A serial-tracked item is handled the same way, one unit at a time. Because a serial number is a batch of quantity one:

• Add one row per serial unit you are shipping.
• Select the exact serial number in the Batch Number field for each row.
• Leave each row’s Quantity at 1.
• If a line ships three serial-tracked units, add three rows, one per serial number, so the total matches the line quantity.

How expiry is shown while you choose

While you are selecting a batch, Qoblex surfaces its expiry date in the suggestion list. A batch whose expiry date is already in the past is shown in red so it stands out, next to its Expires: date.

Important: an expired batch is only flagged in red. Qoblex does not block you from selecting and shipping an expired batch on this screen. Check the date before you confirm.

The “Active”, “Expiring soon”, and “Expired” status labels you may have seen on the Batches list use a different, wider warning window. On this shipment screen the only visual cue is the red highlight for a batch that has already passed its expiry date. See Expiry dates and expiring stock.

What Qoblex does automatically

• When you confirm, Qoblex reserves the quantities you assigned against the specific batches you chose, so that stock is set aside for this shipment and cannot be picked for another order.
• Reserving increases each chosen batch’s reserved quantity by the amount you assigned.
• When the shipment is later dispatched, the reserved quantities are consumed from those exact batches, reducing their on-hand stock.
• Each pick and dispatch is recorded against the batch, which is what feeds the batch trace history. See Trace a batch or serial.

Batch, serial, and expiry data stays inside Qoblex. It is not pushed to or pulled from Shopify, Xero, QuickBooks, or Amazon.

Correct a batch selection

• Before the shipment is dispatched: you can adjust a quantity, add a batch with Add Batch, or remove a batch row (the red delete icon next to a row releases that reservation). The Batch Number field cannot be retyped on a row you have already saved: to switch that row to a different lot, delete the row and add a new one with the correct batch. Changes are saved when you click Confirm.
• After the shipment is dispatched: the batch fields are locked. To fix a wrongly shipped lot, click Edit Shipment to unlock editing, correct the batch information, and click Confirm. This is meant for correcting mistakes, not for reserving new stock on an already dispatched shipment.
• Use Cancel to close the dialog without saving your changes.

Common issues