Creating an Order

Orders in TimberCloud can be created from several sources: the Admin Panel, your hosted website (Site Builder), the embeddable storefront, or the API. This guide covers each way to create orders and what happens behind the scenes.

Note: On the Free plan, storefronts are inquiry/quote-only — payments are off and prices are hidden — but you can still create orders and capture inquiries. Card checkout and the carrier tools below require a paid plan (Commerce and up). See Subscriptions & Plans.

Creating Orders from the Admin Panel

Creating an order manually is straightforward. Click the Create Order button in the top navigation bar.

The Order Creation Interface

The order creation screen is divided into two main areas:

Main Area — Product Selection

1. Select a Product — Browse or search your catalog
2. Configure Options — Choose attributes like material, finish, size
3. Enter Line Items — Specify dimensions, quantities, and custom values
4. Add to Order — Each product becomes an order item

After configuring a product and clicking Save, you'll see it listed in the order items section. You can add multiple products to a single order.

Tip: Need to build an order from a customer's PDF, spreadsheet, drawing, or photo? Use the AI Order Assistant — click AI Assistant on the products panel and TimberCloud extracts dimensions, materials, and quantities, matches them to your catalog, and drafts a ready-to-review order. It's included from Commerce up.

Sidebar — Order Details

The sidebar contains essential order information across several tabs:

Details Tab

Note: Selecting a customer automatically populates Sales Rep, Order Type, Payment Terms, Discount, and Tax Rate from their customer profile defaults.

You can also attach order-wide charges — delivery surcharges, crating, rush fees, and similar — from the Order Add-ons section. See Order Add-ons.

Shipping Tab

Shipping details default to the customer's saved shipping address. If none exists, it defaults to their billing address.

Shipping Method Options

The Shipping Method dropdown shows your configured Delivery Options. Common types include:

Important: If you select a Carrier Services delivery option, you must request a carrier rate before saving the order. See Requesting Carrier Rates below.

Notes Tab

Add internal or customer-facing notes about the order. These appear on invoices and cut sheets if configured.

Attachments Tab

Upload files, images, or documents relevant to the order:

• Reference photos from the customer
• Design files or drawings
• Approval documents
• Any supporting materials

Requesting Carrier Rates (Admin Panel)

When you select a Carrier Services delivery option, you need to get a carrier rate before the order can be saved.

Important: Carrier Services (live rate shopping and label booking) are plan-gated. They're included on Build, Production, and Enterprise. On Commerce, they require the Carrier & Freight Services add-on ($99/mo). The Flat Rate, Dynamic, Local Pickup, and Free Shipping delivery types work on any paid plan. See Subscriptions & Plans and Rate Shopping.

You don't enter your own FedEx/UPS/USPS or LTL accounts — TimberCloud manages the carrier relationships centrally through an integrated carrier network, so live rates and labels work in-app with no carrier credentials to supply.

How to Request Rates

1. Select Shipping Method — Choose a Carrier Services delivery option in the Shipping tab
2. Click "Get Rates" — A button appears in the sidebar when Carrier Services is selected
3. Review Packages — The modal shows auto-calculated packages based on your products
4. Select Shipping Mode — Choose Auto, Small Parcel, or LTL Freight (Auto routes to LTL freight when any package is a pallet or total weight exceeds 150 lbs)
5. Configure Delivery Options — Select requirements (liftgate delivery, residential, limited access, etc.)
6. Click "Get Rates" — Fetch live parcel and freight rates
7. Select a Rate — Choose the carrier and service level that fits your needs
8. Save — The rate is attached to the order

What Gets Saved

When you select a rate, the following is stored with the order:

• Carrier name and service level
• Shipping cost (with any markup applied)
• Package configuration
• Delivery estimate
• All data needed for booking when ready to ship

Rate Staleness

Carrier rates are valid for 24 hours. If you save an order but don't book the shipment within that window:

• A warning appears indicating rates are stale
• You'll need to regenerate rates before booking
• This ensures you and your customers always have accurate pricing

Rates also go stale if the order's items, shipping address, or due date change. For complete details on rate shopping, see Shipping → Rate Shopping.

Creating Orders from Your Website or Storefront

Customers can place orders through either of your white-label front-ends:

• The hosted website (Site Builder) — your full multi-page site on embed.timbercloud.com/site/your-slug or a connected custom domain (Commerce+).
• The embeddable storefront — the catalog/cart/checkout widget you drop onto an existing site.

Both pull from the same catalog and use the same self-service checkout flow described below.

Customer Journey

1. Browse Products — Customer explores your catalog
2. Configure & Add to Cart — Selects options, enters dimensions
3. View Cart — Reviews items, adjusts quantities
4. Proceed to Checkout — Enters contact and shipping info
5. Select Delivery — Chooses shipping method
6. Request Carrier Rates — If a Carrier Services option is offered, gets live rates
7. Complete Order — Submits a quote request or places an order

Note: Logged-in shoppers may be asked to complete a short customer profile before they can order (a one-time onboarding step).

Selecting Carrier Rates at Checkout

If the customer selects a Carrier Services delivery option:

1. A "Look up carriers" button appears
2. Clicking opens the Carrier Services modal
3. Customer sees available shipping options based on their order
4. Packages are auto-calculated from their cart items
5. Live rates are fetched from parcel and freight carriers
6. Customer selects their preferred carrier and service level
7. Shipping cost updates in their order total
8. They complete checkout with the selected rate

Note: Customers can't complete checkout with a Carrier Services option selected until they've chosen a specific carrier rate. The submit button shows "Please Select a Carrier Rate" until a rate is chosen. (Live carrier rates at checkout require Build+ or the Commerce Carrier & Freight add-on.)

What Happens When a Customer Orders

When a customer completes checkout:

1. Order Created — A new order is created with status based on your selling mode:

   • Quote Mode: Status = "Quote"
   • Order Mode: Status = "Ordered"

2. Customer Profile Updated — Billing and shipping addresses are saved

3. Carrier Data Saved — If using Carrier Services, all shipping data is saved:

   • Selected carrier and rate
   • Package configuration
   • Shipment payload for booking

4. Notifications Sent — Your team receives:

   • In-app notification in the Admin Panel
   • Email notification (if enabled)
   • SMS notification (if configured)

5. Invoice Generated — An invoice document is automatically created:

   • Quote Invoice for quote mode orders
   • Order Acknowledgement for order mode

6. Real-Time Update — The order appears instantly in your Admin Panel

Quote Mode vs Order Mode

Your company's Selling Mode setting determines the storefront behavior:

Configure this in Settings → Orders → Storefront. Order Mode (immediate card checkout) requires a Stripe connection and a paid plan; it's automatically unavailable on Free, where the storefront is inquiry-only. See Storefront Settings.

Storefront Order Features

Orders from the storefront or website automatically include:

• Source Identifier — Marked as "storefront" for tracking
• Customer Defaults — Inherited discount, tax rate, payment terms
• Sales Rep Assignment — From customer profile
• Delivery Option — Selected shipping or pickup method
• Carrier Rate Data — If Carrier Services was selected, all booking data
• Currency — Matches your company currency settings

Order Number Generation

TimberCloud automatically assigns sequential order numbers:

• Each company has its own order number sequence
• Numbers are unique within your company
• Format: Simple incrementing integers (1, 2, 3...)
• Collision prevention ensures no duplicate numbers

What Happens After Creation

For Quote Status Orders

1. Order appears in your Orders list with "Quote" status
2. Customer can view (but not edit) their quote
3. You can modify pricing, items, or details
4. If using Carrier Services, you can regenerate rates if needed
5. When ready, customer accepts the quote
6. Quote converts to "Ordered" status
7. Inventory is deducted from fulfillment location
8. Production workflow begins

For Ordered Status Orders

1. Order appears with "Ordered" status immediately
2. Inventory is deducted from fulfillment location
3. Due date is calculated (if lead times enabled)
4. Order is ready for production
5. Payment can be processed
6. Shipping can be booked when ready

Automatic Calculations

On order creation, TimberCloud automatically:

• Calculates subtotal from line item prices
• Applies customer discount percentage
• Calculates tax based on tax rate
• Determines due date from lead times
• Assigns fulfillment location (if auto-assignment enabled)
• Inherits company currency settings
• Includes shipping cost from the selected carrier rate

Creating Orders via API

For integrations and automation, orders can be created via the API:

// Example: Creating an order via Strapi SDK
const order = await strapi.create('orders', {
  customer: { connect: [{ id: customerId }] },
  company: { connect: [{ id: companyId }] },
  status: { connect: [{ id: statusId }] },
  items: [
    {
      product: productId,
      lineItems: [
        { name: 'Width', value: '24' },
        { name: 'Height', value: '36' },
        { name: 'Quantity', value: '10' }
      ],
      product_options: [
        { id: optionId }
      ]
    }
  ],
  delivery_option_instance: { connect: [{ id: deliveryOptionId }] },
  poNum: 'PO-12345',
  notes: 'Rush order'
});

API Order Fields

Best Practices

When Creating Orders Manually

1. Always select the customer first — This loads their default settings
2. Verify shipping address — Especially for new customers
3. Choose the right shipping method — Carrier Services for accurate live pricing
4. Request rates before saving — If using Carrier Services
5. Add a PO number — Helps with customer record-keeping
6. Use notes — Document special instructions or agreements
7. Attach reference files — Reduces back-and-forth communication

When Customers Self-Order

1. Configure products completely — All options should be selectable
2. Set accurate pricing — Customers see prices in real-time
3. Enable Carrier Services — Give customers accurate shipping options (Build+ or the Commerce add-on)
4. Set up packaging rules — Ensure accurate rate calculations
5. Review notifications — Ensure you're alerted to new orders

For Carrier Services

1. Configure products with dimensions — Required for accurate packaging
2. Set up your shipping locations — From addresses for rate calculation
3. Configure freight class — For LTL shipments
4. Test the flow — Create test orders to verify rates work correctly

Troubleshooting

Order Won't Save

• Ensure all required product fields have values
• Check that a valid status is selected
• If using Carrier Services: Ensure a rate has been selected (and that your plan includes Carrier Services — Build+ or the Commerce Carrier & Freight add-on)

Customer Not Found

• Customers must be created before they can be assigned to orders
• Guest orders create customers automatically on the storefront

Pricing Looks Wrong

• Check the customer's discount percentage
• Verify product pricing is up to date
• Review tax rate settings
• Check if shipping cost was included correctly

Carrier Services Not Loading Rates

• Confirm your plan includes Carrier Services (Build+ or the Commerce Carrier & Freight add-on — see Subscriptions & Plans)
• Verify products have dimensions and weights configured
• Check that the shipping address is complete
• Ensure freight class is set for LTL shipments

Note: Any company — including Free-plan shops capturing inquiries — can create orders. A paid plan is only required for card checkout and Carrier Services, not for creating orders or quotes.

Next Steps

• Managing Existing Orders
• Order Add-ons
• Shipping & Logistics
• Rate Shopping
• Payment Processing
• Order Notifications
• Storefront Setup
• Your Website