> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aimventory.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Create Purchase Order
> This is where you write down a batch of stock you bought — who you bought it from, what you got, and what you paid — so you can receive it into inventory later.
This is where you write down a batch of stock you bought — who you bought it from, what you got, and what you paid — so you can receive it into inventory later.
**Where to find it:** [Open Create Purchase Order in AIM](https://aimventory.com/purchase-orders/create) — you will be asked to sign in first.
## What you can do here
* Pick the vendor and, when known, the location the stock is coming to
* Add items by scanning, searching, importing a spreadsheet, or typing them in by hand
* Enter how many of each item you bought and the cost you paid per pair
* Save it as a draft to finish later, or submit it when everything is correct
## Buttons, fields, and controls
| Control | Where | What it does | When to use it |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Vendor | Order details | Sets who you bought the stock from. | Choose the supplier before adding lines so the PO can be found and reconciled later. |
| Location | Order details | Sets where the stock will be received. | Choose it now for a single destination, or leave it blank on a draft and allocate the items before sending. |
| Expected delivery date | Order details | Records when you expect the shipment to arrive. | Use it for receiving planning and overdue PO review. |
| Pre-Owned Mode | Item entry controls | Changes item entry so used pairs are tracked as individual units with their own condition and details. | Turn it on before adding pre-owned, worn, or one-off pairs. |
| Apply All | Scan ledger | Turns scanned ledger rows into purchase-order line items. | Use it after scanning a batch and checking the detected products, sizes, quantities, and costs. |
| Add Product Variants | Item entry controls | Searches existing catalog products and lets you choose the sizes you bought. | Use it for normal catalog items where the product already exists in AIM. |
| Upload CSV | Item entry controls | Imports purchase-order lines from a spreadsheet. | Use it for large vendor lists, invoices, or buys that are faster to prepare in CSV form. |
| Add Individual Item | Item entry controls | Adds one manual purchase-order line. | Use it for a small correction or a single item that is faster to type than scan/import. |
| Create Custom Product | Item entry controls | Creates a new non-catalog product and adds it to the PO. | Use it for boutique, apparel, house-brand, or uncataloged products. |
| Quantity | Line item table | Records how many units of that product/size you bought. | Set it before saving so receiving and costing are correct. |
| Unit cost | Line item table | Records what you paid per unit. | Use the actual buy cost, not the retail price, so profit is accurate after sale. |
| Save as Draft | Bottom actions | Saves the PO without submitting it or moving stock. | Use it when the buy is incomplete, costs are still being confirmed, or you need to finish later. |
| Submit Order | Bottom actions | Submits the PO so it is ready for receiving. | Use it only after vendor, location, quantities, costs, and line items are correct. |
| Allocate to locations | Bottom actions on a saved draft | Splits the draft into one new draft purchase order per receiving location. | Use it when items from one buy need to be received at two or more stores or warehouses. |
## How to: Start a purchase order
1. Pick the Vendor (who you bought from) — start typing to find them, or create a new one.
2. Pick the Location when you know it, or leave it blank while the purchase order is a draft.
3. Optionally give it a name and an expected delivery date so it is easy to recognize later.
4. The PO number is filled in for you automatically — you do not need to type one.
You bought a batch from "Kicks Wholesale" arriving at your Main Store next Friday — select that vendor, that location, and set the delivery date.
## How to: Split a draft across locations
1. Save the purchase order as a draft.
2. Click "Allocate to locations".
3. Choose two or more receiving locations and assign every ordered unit.
4. Review the per-location totals, then create the location-specific drafts.
5. Open and submit each child purchase order independently.
Assign 4 pairs to Indianapolis and 2 pairs to Charlotte; AIM creates one draft PO for each location.
## How to: Add the items you bought
1. Scan a pair: point your barcode scanner at the box — each scan lands in the list on the left, then click "Apply All" to add them.
2. Or search for it: click "Add Product Variants" to find a shoe and pick the sizes you bought.
3. Or import a spreadsheet: click "Upload CSV" to bring in a whole list at once.
4. Or type it in: click "Add Individual Item", or "Create Custom Product" for something that is not in the catalog.
5. For each line, set the quantity and the unit cost (what you actually paid per pair).
You bought 6 pairs of Jordan 4 Bred — 2 in size 9, 2 in size 10, 2 in size 11 — at $210 each. Add those three sizes, set quantity 2 on each, and enter $210 as the unit cost.
## How to: Save as a draft and finish later
1. Click "Save as Draft" at the bottom at any point — your progress is kept.
2. A draft does not move any stock; nothing is added to inventory yet.
3. Come back later from the Purchase Orders page, reopen the draft, and keep editing.
4. When everything is correct, click "Submit Order" to send it.
You have added the Jordan 4s but are still waiting on the cost for a Yeezy Slide order — save the draft now and add the slides tomorrow before submitting.
## Good to know
* A draft saves your progress and moves no stock — it is safe to save and walk away.
* Submitting the order does not add pairs to your inventory either — receiving the order later, when the boxes arrive, is what actually adds stock.
* The unit cost is what you paid per pair, not what you plan to sell it for.
* Turn on "Pre-Owned Mode" before adding used pairs so each one is tracked as its own item with its own condition.
## Where to go next
* [Purchase Orders](/buying/purchase-orders)