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> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
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# Create an Order

Learn how to create inbound and outbound orders in Vintaflow.

## Order Types

* **Inbound Orders** - orders you are receiving from suppliers
* **Outbound Orders** - orders you are sending to buyers

## Starting a New Order

1. Navigate to **Orders** > **Review**
2. Select the **Inbound** or **Outbound** direction
3. Click **Add Order**

The **New Order** page opens. A progress indicator across the top tracks the steps you still need to complete.

## Step 1: Choose Who You Are Trading With

Use **Trade with** to select the other party - the supplier for an inbound order, or the receiver for an outbound one.

## Step 2: Select Warehouses

Choose the **Seller Warehouse** and **Buyer Warehouse**. Which one you set first depends on direction:

* **Inbound** - your receiving warehouse first, then the sender's
* **Outbound** - your sending warehouse first, then the receiver's

| Lead time is calculated from the supply chain connection between the two warehouses you pick. Changing a warehouse changes the earliest date you can request.

## Step 3: Add Products

For each line:

* **Product** - search and select
* **Variant** - if the product has variants
* **Qty** - the quantity ordered
* **Seller Variant** and **Buyer Variant** - where the two sides use different variant SKUs

## Step 4: Set the Delivery Date

* **Inbound** orders use a **Requested Delivery Date**
* **Outbound** orders use an **Expected Delivery Date**

The date must be at least the total lead time away from today. For made-to-order products, production lead time is added on top - see [Products Management](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/products-management-g2wvz/).

You can also set the **Placed on date** if you are recording an order that was agreed earlier.

## Step 5: Add Details

All optional:

* **Purchase Order Number** - for example `PO-XXXXX`
* **Sales Order Number** - for example `SO-XXXXX`
* **Shipment Tracking ID** - for example `TRK-XXXXX`
* **Email Recipients** - who should be notified about this order
* **Notes** - special instructions
* Any [custom fields](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/custom-fields-19pvv1/) defined for orders

### Consolidation Group

Assign the order to a consolidation group so it ships and is tracked with related orders. You can pick an existing group or create a new one without leaving the page. See [Consolidation Groups](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/consolidation-groups-smd6ol/).

## Step 6: Submit

* Click **Create Order** to submit. The order enters the **Open** status and goes to the other party for review
* Click **Save Draft** to keep working on it later. Drafts appear in the **Draft** queue under **Orders** > **Review**

## Tips

* Lead time comes from your supply chain connections - if a date looks wrong, check the connection in [Supply Chain Management](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/supply-chain-management-12hfd0p/)
* Use drafts for orders you are still negotiating
* Add email recipients at creation time so the right people see every update
* To create many orders at once, use [Import Data](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/import-data-o8ruh9/) instead

## Related

* [Review Orders](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/review-orders-1g2b5j8/) - what happens after you submit
* [Track Orders](https://help.vintaflow.com/en/article/track-orders-n43cmm/) - following an order through to delivery