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inventory/skus
Set a buffer time on a SKU to keep each of its stock items free before every booking for preparation, and after it for cleaning, servicing or transit: a bike serviced between rentals, a meeting room reset between bookings. Listing Availability explains how a buffer holds the calendar.

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Prerequisites

Required permissions:
  • Create and edit SKUs (inventory:sku:manage) to set it on a SKU.
  • Create and edit stock items (inventory:stock_item_fulfilment:manage) to set it on one stock item.
Every built-in role holds both, Member included. See Users & Roles.
Have ready before you start:
  • How long the work takes, before a booking and after it, in minutes, hours or days.
  • Where it belongs. Set it on the SKU, which every stock item under it takes. Set it on one stock item only when that unit needs a different time.

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The walkthrough

1

Open the SKU

Open Inventory → SKUs and click the SKU’s row. The SKU opens on its General tab.
2

Open the Fulfilment tab

Click the Fulfilment tab. The Buffer time card sits under Fulfillment fields, with a Before each booking row and an After each booking row.To set the time for one stock item instead, open that stock item’s Fulfilment tab and click “Set a custom time for this item” under the rows. They become editable.
3

Set the time before each booking

Enter the preparation time as a number in the Before each booking row, and choose its unit, such as hours, in the menu beside it. Leave it at No limit for no time before. A bar opens at the top of the page with Discard and Save changes.
4

Set the time after each booking

Enter the time for cleaning, servicing or transit in the After each booking row, and choose its unit beside it.
5

Save the change

Click Save changes in the bar at the top. When the new times fit every booking, the bar closes and every stock item without a time of its own takes them. When they do not fit, the Buffer time dialog opens instead.
6

Read the bookings it would overlap

Read the heading in the dialog, “Increasing buffer time would overlap 1 booking”, and the bookings listed under it with their dates. View order opens one of them and discards your change, so you can move that booking and save again.
7

Keep those bookings on their current buffer

Select the checkbox under the list, “This booking keeps its current buffer time”, then click Save anyway. The new times apply to every booking they fit, and the listed ones keep the buffer they had. Cancel discards the change instead.

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How do I know it worked?

  • The bar at the top is gone, and the two rows show the times you set.
  • A stock item under the SKU shows the same times on its own Fulfilment tab, with “This buffer time is inherited from the SKU.” under them, unless it sets its own.
  • The stock item’s Events tab shows the new times in the Buffer time chip on its upcoming order rows.

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Troubleshooting / common pitfalls

The stock item takes its times from its SKU. Click “Set a custom time for this item” under the rows, or set the time on the SKU. See Stock Item - Fulfillment.
You are editing several stock items at once, and bulk editing does not reach buffer time. Set it on their SKU instead. See SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).
The start is sooner from now than the time before each booking, and the storefront calendar still offers it. Give the listing an order deadline at least as long. See Listing Availability.

Listing Availability

How a buffer holds the calendar around each booking.

Availability and preparation

Every walkthrough for availability, buffer times and fulfillment fields.

Check availability

Find out why a stock item cannot be booked for given dates.

Purchase and booking limits

Set the listing’s order deadline, which takes starts that are too soon off the calendar.

SKU - Fulfillment

The SKU’s Fulfilment tab, card by card.