How to cost a dropship job from the linked purchase order in Books?

TB Books · work-orders · Last updated August 17, 2026 · Version 1

This process works in apps: TB Books

This article will teach you how dropshippers link the vendor PO (and its bill) to a work order so invoice cost of goods uses that buy price instead of warehouse average cost.

Dropship and special-order jobs should show profit from what you paid the vendor on that ticket — not a blended warehouse average. In Books, linking a purchase order is a relationship only: it does not rewrite catalog average cost. When you receive the PO (Save & Receive Items creates the bill and marks the PO Received), then click Finalize on the work order, Books allocates received linked-PO quantity to matching product lines and stores that cost on the invoice. Extra linked PO quantity beyond what the job used is not piled onto the ticket. Linking a PO on an invoice that is already posted is a paper trail only and does not rewrite posted COGS.

Steps

• Create or open the customer work order under Orders → Work Orders and add the dropship product lines (quantities must match what you are buying).
• Open the Purchase Orders tab and click Quick Create PO (new buy for this job) or Link Existing PO (attach a PO you already entered).
• In Link Existing Purchase Order, search by PO #, vendor, or reference, then click Link. A PO can belong to only one work order or invoice.
• Open the linked PO and click Save & Receive Items when the vendor invoice is in. That creates the bill, closes the PO as Received, and is the cost Books will use.
• Optional: Settings → Accounting Defaults → turn on Require Linked POs Received Before Finalize so you cannot bill the customer while a matching linked PO is still Open.
• On the work order, click Finalize, confirm the date (and Reporting Tag if you use channel tags), then Finalize & Invoice.
• If you must attach another PO, only link it when those units are also on the job (another size, a second vendor, or more quantity). A second received PO of leftover warehouse stock does not change this job’s cost.
• Do not use Link Existing PO on an already-posted invoice to “fix” cost — that tab is Linked Purchase Orders for navigation. Recosting happens at Finalize, not when you click Link later.

Conclusion & best practices

Recommended dropship path: work order → link or create the PO → receive (bill) → Finalize in Books. Catalog average cost still updates when you receive into inventory, then the sale pulls that job’s PO cost back out so leftover warehouse stock is not stuck with the dropship price. Open POs never count as actual cost. If you complete the same job in POS Lite (Complete Order), Books’ linked-PO cost overlay is not applied — finalize dropship jobs in Books. Sync checkout invoices already use the vendor PO cost and do not put those goods into stock.