How to Allow Negative Quantity in Shipment/Reception (Product Returns) and Update Stock Automatically

Developing for Dolibarr
1

Hello community,

I’m working with Dolibarr and I have a special use case.

:receipt: My scenario:

  • I create a Supplier Order (Bon de commande fournisseur).
  • Then I receive the products using the Reception module.
  • Sometimes I need to return some products to the supplier, so I want to add a line with negative quantity during reception or shipment.

:package: Same idea for clients:

  • I ship an order to a client.
  • Then the client returns some products, and I want to record it properly in Dolibarr.

:repeat_button: Important:

  • I want the stock movement to be updated automatically whenever I process a return.
  • The returned items should be removed or re-added to stock as needed.

:red_question_mark:My questions:

  1. How can I allow negative quantity lines in shipment or reception modules?
  2. Is there a proper Dolibarr module or process to handle returns (from clients or suppliers)?
  3. How can I make sure that stock levels are correctly adjusted when returns are processed?

Thanks a lot for your guidance!

2

Dolibarr has a built in function to create a “credit note” in invoices for both customers as well as vendors.

Instead of trying to enter negative quantities, you would simply reopen the customer/vendor invoice that detailed your original sale/order and issue a credit note for all or part of the order. The system will update your inventory as well as keep track of the accounting.

I hope this helps.

Frank

3

There are some hidden settings that might be helpful for your workflows (Home>Setup>Other Setup):

  • FACTURE_ENABLE_NEGATIVE_LINES = 1 //This allows negative lines in invoices
  • STOCK_ALLOW_NEGATIVE_TRANSFER = 1 //This allows negative stock transfers, but I don’t know if it allows negative receptions? Try it out and report back!