Last verified: 2026-02-18
Overview
As a buyer on StockApp, you can create purchase orders to buy products from your connected vendors. The platform allows you to browse vendor catalogs, add items to a cart, review and submit purchase orders, and track order status.
Who this is for: Buyers, procurement managers, and anyone who needs to purchase products from vendors on StockApp.
What happens in the system
Order submission - When you place a purchase order, the vendor receives an immediate notification
Cart grouping - Items from different vendors are automatically grouped into separate carts and purchase orders
Order tracking - Your order appears in the Orders section with a unique PO number
Status updates - Order status changes as the vendor accepts, processes, and ships your order
What does NOT happen
No automatic fulfillment - Placing an order does not ship products. The vendor must accept and fulfill the order.
No payment processing - StockApp tracks orders but does not process payments directly. Payment is handled according to your terms with the vendor.
No inventory reservation - Items are not reserved when added to cart. The vendor's available stock may change before you submit.
No price guarantee - Prices may change between adding to cart and checkout if the vendor updates their pricelist.
Prerequisites
Before you can create a purchase order, ensure you have:
An active StockApp buyer account with your company
Access permissions to create orders (check with your account administrator)
An approved vendor relationship - The vendor must have shared their pricelist with you or accepted your buyer request
(Optional) Billing and shipping addresses configured in your account settings
Understanding Access Levels
When viewing vendor products, you may encounter different access levels:
Full Buyer Access
Browse all shared products
Add items to cart
Submit purchase orders
View order history
View-Only Access
Browse products and see pricing
Cannot add to cart or purchase
Must request buyer approval first
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access a Vendor Catalog
Click on your company name in the top-left corner. A dropdown appears showing your connected vendors.
The vendor selector shows:
Your company at the top (currently selected)
All StockApps – View All Items for an aggregated view of all vendor products
Individual vendors listed below with their verification status
Search bar to quickly find a specific vendor
Invite button to add a new vendor
Click on any vendor to browse their product catalog.
Step 2: Browse and Filter Products
The vendor catalog displays all products that vendor has shared with you.
Each product shows:
Product name, image, SKU, and condition tags
Price and ETA (estimated delivery date)
In stock count
Action buttons: Create alert (bell), Message (chat), Make an offer (handshake)
Quantity selector and Add to cart button
AI-Powered Filter Search
At the top of the filters panel, type natural language queries like "headphones under $300" into the "Describe the filter you want..." box.
Standard Filters
The left sidebar provides filter options including Tags, Category, Price, Condition, Manufacturer, Warranty, Packaging, Terms and returns, Specifications, Location, and Date.
Note: Products showing MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) require ordering at least that quantity. Products showing 0 in stock have Add to cart disabled — use Waitlist to be notified when back in stock.
Step 3: Add Items to Cart
Find the product you want to purchase
Review the price, ETA, and availability
Adjust the quantity using the quantity field if needed
Click Add to cart
The button changes to In cart once the item is added. A confirmation notification briefly appears at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4: Review Your Cart
Click the Cart icon in the top-right sidebar.
The cart panel shows:
Carts header with vendor count and unit count
Vendor section - Each vendor's items grouped under their name and logo with verification status
Items - Product name, SKU, tags, price × quantity → line total, stock and lead time info
Subtotal - Total for that vendor's items
Review order button to proceed to checkout
Add to open order button if you have an existing open order with that vendor
Within the cart, you can:
Change quantities using the quantity input next to each item
Remove items by clicking the trash icon
Clear the entire cart using the ⋯ (More options) menu in the vendor section header
Step 5: Review Order Details
Click Review order to go to the checkout page.
The checkout page has a two-column layout:
Left column — Order details:
Vendor banner - Shows the vendor name and verification status, with an expandable Account Overview section (shows vendor and your account details, credit limits)
Billing & Fulfillment - Toggle between Ship (delivery) and Pickup; shows Bill to and Ship to addresses with edit buttons; toggle for "Use billing address for shipping"
Item Summary - All items with quantities (editable), prices, line totals, stock availability, and lead time
Notes - Optional order notes field and PO Reference # field
Terms and Conditions - Vendor's shipping/returns terms (if configured)
Right column — PO Summary:
Payment Terms dropdown - Select the payment terms for this order (e.g., Net 30)
Subtotal, Units, and Freight (shown as "Freight quote upon request" if not pre-configured)
Total amount
Place new order button to submit the purchase order
Add to open order button (if you have an existing open PO with this vendor)
Step 6: Set Delivery and Billing Addresses
If your saved addresses are already displayed, they are pre-selected. To change:
Click the edit (pencil) icon next to Bill to or Ship to
Select from your saved addresses, or click Add new address to create one
Toggle Use billing address for shipping if both addresses are the same
Step 7: Select Payment Terms
Click the payment terms dropdown in the PO Summary panel on the right
Select the appropriate payment terms (e.g., "Net 30 Terms")
If no terms are available, contact the vendor to set them up
Step 8: Submit the Purchase Order
Review all items, addresses, and payment terms
Click Place new order
You'll be taken to an order confirmation page with the new PO number
The vendor receives your purchase order immediately
What changes over time
Pending status - Your order starts in pending status, awaiting vendor acceptance
Order acceptance - The vendor reviews and accepts your order, changing status to "Open"
Fulfillment - As items ship, the vendor updates the order with fulfillment information
Completion - Once all items are delivered, the order status changes to "Closed"
Common Issues
Issue: "Add to cart" is disabled
Symptom: The button is greyed out or missing
Possible causes:
View-only access - You don't have buyer approval for this vendor yet
Item out of stock - No inventory available; shows "0" instead of a quantity
Quantity below MOQ - Product requires a minimum order quantity; enter at least the MOQ amount
Own product - You cannot buy from yourself
Solution:
For view-only access: Contact the vendor to request buyer status, or click the Request to purchase button in the cart
For out of stock: Click Waitlist (Create alert) to be notified when available
For MOQ: Enter a quantity equal to or greater than the MOQ shown in stock info
Issue: "Request to become a customer" in Cart
Symptom: Cart shows a message about requesting buyer access instead of a checkout button
Cause: The vendor has shared their catalog with you for viewing, but hasn't approved you as a buyer yet
Solution:
Click the Request to purchase button in the cart
The vendor receives your request
Wait for vendor approval
Once approved, the cart will show the Review order button
Issue: Payment terms not available
Symptom: The payment terms dropdown shows no options, or the Place new order button is disabled
Solution:
Contact the vendor directly to establish payment terms for your account
Once the vendor sets up terms, they will appear in the dropdown
Issue: Incorrect pricing displayed
Symptom: Prices don't match what you expected or previously saw
Possible causes:
Price updates - Vendor changed pricing since you last browsed
Different pricelist - You're viewing a different list than before
Volume discounts - Price changes based on quantity ordered
Solution:
Verify which pricelist you're viewing (shown in the All items dropdown at top)
Message the vendor using the chat icon to clarify pricing
Check if a different quantity shows a better price (volume discount)
Issue: "Add to open order" button behavior
Symptom: You see two checkout buttons: "Place new order" and "Add to open order"
Explanation: This appears when you have an existing Pending or Open purchase order with the same vendor. "Add to open order" lets you add the cart items to an existing order rather than creating a new one.
Solution:
Click Place new order to create a fresh purchase order
Click Add to open order to select an existing open order and append these items to it