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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I add a delivery fee?​

Propcart doesn't include automatic delivery fee calculation — and for good reason. Retail ecommerce platforms can calculate shipping costs because their products have fixed dimensions and weights. Props don't work that way: sizes, weights, and packaging vary too much to automate reliably.

That said, adding a delivery fee to an order is straightforward.

Setup (one-time)​

New Delivery Fee Item

  1. Create an inventory item called Delivery Fee.
  2. Set the Purchase Type to Service.
  3. Set the Sale Price to $0 — you'll set the actual amount per order. If you charge the same amount every time, set that instead.
  4. Set the Quantity to a high number, such as 999. An order can't have more of an item than its quantity, and an order that's delivered and collected can need the fee twice.

To have Propcart remind you whenever an order is delivered or shipped, pick the item as a delivery method's fee. See Delivery fees.

Adding a delivery fee to an order​

  1. Open the order and add the Delivery Fee item.

Add Delivery Fee Line Item

  1. Click the line item and set the Unit Price.

Edit Delivery Fee Line Item Price

How do I add a rush fee?​

A rush fee works just like a delivery fee: it's an inventory item that you add to an order and price per order.

Setup (one-time)​

  1. Create an inventory item called Rush Fee.
  2. Set the Purchase Type to Service.
  3. Set the Quantity to a high number (e.g. 1,000) so the item never runs out, no matter how many orders it's on.
  4. Set the Sale Price to $0, since you'll set the actual amount per order.
  5. Set the Visibility to Private so it doesn't appear on your website.
  6. (Optional) Set the SKU to RUSHFEE so it's easy to find when adding it to an order.
  7. (Optional) Enable Tax Free if you don't want the fee taxed (check with your accountant).

Adding a rush fee to an order​

  1. Open the order and add the Rush Fee item.
  2. Click the line item and set the Unit Price.

There's no option to make the rush fee a percentage of the order, so you'll need to calculate the amount yourself.

tip

If you'd rather the rush fee not appear as its own line item, use a Surcharge instead.

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: Retired

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.”