How pricing works
The order in which the server works out every total, with a worked example.
The server prices every order, always in the same order of steps. When you know the steps, you can explain any total you see.
Who can do this: this page is background for everyone who takes orders. You do not need a permission to read it.
How it works#
The back office never works out a price itself. When you change a cart, the page sends it to the server and shows the answer. The Order summary on the order page lists the steps as rows, in the order the server applies them. The in-app page How money works (the link in the order's Payments section) explains the same steps with the order's own figures.
The steps#
- Subtotal. Each line's quantity times its unit price, before anything comes off.
- Discounts. Catalogue and campaign discounts first, then a manual discount typed by the cashier. Each line keeps its own share. A line's own discount is shown on its own row.
- Tax. Worked out per line, on the line's value after its discounts, from the product's tax settings. Nothing typed at the till changes the tax rate.
- Charges. A percentage charge is taken on the discounted value of the lines it applies to. Fees the store's fulfilment settings add (a pickup or takeaway fee, a delivery zone's fee, a dine-in service charge) are added here too. Charges are not taxed.
- Shipping fee. Added last, and not taxed.
- Total. What the customer owes. It never goes below zero.
- Deposit. If a line asks for a deposit, it is worked out last, on that line's final amount: after its discounts, plus its tax and its own charge. Shipping is never part of a deposit.
Store credit is not part of the price. It is a way of paying the total.
Worked example#
Two items at 25.00 each, with a 5.00 discount on the line. The product has 10% tax, not included in the price. The order has a 10% charge.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Subtotal: 2 × 25.00 | 50.00 |
| Line discount | 5.00 off |
| Tax: 10% of 45.00 | 4.50 |
| Charge: 10% of 45.00 | 4.50 |
| Total | 54.00 |
Rounding happens once per line. The line amounts are then added up, so the tax printed on each line always adds up to the order's tax exactly.
Tax-inclusive prices#
A product marked tax-inclusive already contains its tax. A 115.00 item with 15% inclusive tax charges 115.00. The summary shows Tax included in prices, and the invoice shows the 15.00 of tax inside that price. An inclusive price never makes the total grow.
Credits and negative lines#
A store credit or refund credit is a negative line. Only these credit lines may be negative. If the credits are larger than the goods, the total stops at zero (the summary shows a Total cannot go below zero row), and the customer is never charged a negative amount. The extra becomes a refund only if you tick Create refund of … for negative balance in the order summary and choose a Refund method.
Behind the scenes#
- A changed line follows the catalogue. If you change a line's quantity after the catalogue price moved, the line is priced again at today's price. A line you did not touch keeps the price it was sold at.
- A discount already on an order stays when the customer answers a form or uploads a file. When staff edit the order, discounts are checked again, and the page shows any that no longer apply.
- Every edit that changes the money writes a new numbered revision. The order's history shows it as Re-priced.
Troubleshooting#
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The total is higher than you expected after an edit. | A line you changed was priced at today's catalogue price, or a discount no longer applies. | Check the Order summary rows. Each discount and charge has its own row. |
| The order summary shows an Unreconciled difference row. | An older order's stored figures do not agree with each other. | Nothing to do on the order. The row shows the difference so the rows still reach the stored total. |
| A tax-inclusive product shows tax, but the total did not grow. | Inclusive tax is taken out of the price, not added. | Nothing to fix. This is expected. |