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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I handle restocking fees?​

Occasionally, a confirmed order is canceled. In these situations, many prop houses charge a 25% restocking fee, typically based on a one-week rental value.

Below are two ways to handle restocking fees in Propcart. You can choose the approach that best fits your workflow and reporting preferences.

caution

Do not set the order status to Canceled. Canceling an order sets its value to $0, and canceled orders cannot be invoiced.

⚠️ Option 1 (Quick & informal): Discount the order by 75%​

If the customer cancels the entire order:

  1. Set the order duration to one week.
  2. Apply a 75% discount to the order.
  3. Add a memo explaining that the remaining 25% represents a restocking fee.

Pros

  • Fast and easy for staff
  • No setup required

Cons

  • Can be confusing for customers
  • Restocking fees are not clearly itemized
  • Reporting data is less precise

✅ Option 2 (Recommended): Add a “Restocking Fee” line item​

This approach is clearer for customers and produces cleaner reporting.

  1. Create a new inventory item called “Restocking Fee”:

    • Purchase Type: Service
    • Price: $0 (You’ll set the price per order, since it varies.)
    • Enable Tax Free if you don’t want the fee taxed

  2. Cancel all line items on the order, but do not cancel the order itself.

  3. Set the order duration to one week.

  4. Add the Restocking Fee line item to the order.

  5. Calculate 25% of the one-week order value and set that as the line item price.

Pros

  • Clear and transparent for customers
  • Restocking fees are explicitly itemized
  • Cleaner accounting and reporting

Cons

  • Requires one-time setup
  • Slightly more steps for staff

📊 Reporting considerations​

The main difference between these approaches is how restocking fees appear in your reports:

  • Discount method: The fee is implicitly spread across the canceled items.
  • Line-item method: The fee is clearly recorded under a dedicated Restocking Fee service item.

Choose the approach that best aligns with how you want to track revenue and analyze performance.

Should I keep or delete lost items?​

There’s no single right answer—it depends on whether the item still has operational or historical value. Here’s how to think about it.

✅ Keeping a lost item​

If you keep a lost item, set:

  • Condition: Lost
  • Visibility: Archived

Keeping lost items allows you to:

  • Preserve a clear record that the item existed and was lost
  • Retain order history and website engagement data
  • Avoid confusion later if someone searches for the item

If a staff member comes across the item in the future, they’ll immediately understand its status. They’ll also be able to review its rental history and engagement metrics. If those numbers were strong, that information can help justify replacing the item with a similar one.

Cost consideration:
Each item counts as a record, and Propcart pricing is based on record volume. Keeping lost items contributes to that total.

🗑️ Deleting a lost item​

Deleting an item:

  • Reduces your monthly record count
  • Eliminates all order history and engagement data for that item

Once deleted, there’s no record that the item ever existed or how it performed.

💡 Our recommendation​

Use a common-sense approach:

  • Delete it if the item has no rental history, no engagement, and no one remembers or cares about it.
  • Keep it if the item had meaningful rentals or strong website engagement.

Keeping historically valuable items helps avoid future ambiguity. If a customer asks for the item again, it’s much clearer to say “That item was lost” than “We don’t see it anymore—it may have been deleted.”