Error messages
The messages you are most likely to see in the app, what each one means, and what to do next.
This page lists the messages you are most likely to see, grouped by area. Each row says what the message means and what to do.
How to read a message#
- Most messages come from the server and are shown as they are, often starting with a small letter.
- Many messages have two parts. The first part says what went wrong. The second part says what to do. This page quotes the first part and puts the second part in What to do.
- Words in brackets, such as (product) or (amount), stand for the name or number the app fills in.
- A message with numbers in it has already done the sums for you. Trust its numbers.
Stock and selling#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "product '(product)' is out of stock. Available: (n), Requested: (n)" | There is not enough stock in this store at the moment you saved. Another sale may have taken it first. The older short form is "one or more items are out of stock". | Lower the quantity, or add stock and try again. |
| "'(product)' cannot be sold in fractions" | You typed a quantity such as 1.5 for a product that is sold in whole units. | Use a whole number, or turn on Allow fractional quantities on the product. |
| "an order that is (status) cannot be edited" | Orders can only be edited while they are Pending or Confirmed. See editing orders. | Use a return or a refund instead. |
| "order status changed by another request" | Someone else changed the order just before you. | Refresh the page and look at the order again. |
| "this order was re-priced while you were editing" | The order total changed while you had it open. | Open the order again to see the current total, then make your change. |
| "cannot complete order before payment is completed" | An order can only be completed when it is paid and fulfilled. | Record the payment or finish the fulfilment first. |
| "cannot complete order while a bank transfer is awaiting verification" | A customer's transfer slip has not been checked yet. | Verify or reject the transfer, then complete the order. |
| "store is disabled", "store is archived" or "store is being deleted" | That store cannot take changes. You can still view its records. | Work in another store, or ask the Administrator to enable this one. |
| "store credit '(REF number)' was just used on order '(order number)'" | Two orders tried to use the same store credit and the other order got it. | Remove the credit from this order and take another payment method. |
Payments#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "cannot complete order while (amount) is still owing" | The payments do not cover the order total. | Record the payment first. |
| "cannot complete order while (amount) is owed back" | The customer has paid more than the total, for example after an edit lowered it. The order shows Refund due. | Refund the excess or void a payment, then complete. |
| "This payment is more than the order still owes. Check the remaining balance on the order page." | The amount is larger than what is left to pay. | Record only what is left. Change you give back is not a payment. |
| "The issued invoice no longer states this order's total. Reissue the invoice from the order page, then record the payment." | The order changed after its tax invoice was issued. The order takes no more money until the invoice is reissued. | Click Reissue invoice in the warning at the top of the order, then record the payment. |
| "A bank transfer on this order is awaiting verification." | You tried to lower the total below what is paid plus a transfer that is waiting to be checked. | Verify or reject the transfer first. |
| "paid is recorded when a payment settles the total" | You cannot pick Paid by hand while money is still owing. | Record the payment. The status changes to Paid on its own. |
| "(amount) is recorded against this order" | You cannot pick Pending while payments are recorded. | Void the payments. The status goes back to Pending on its own. |
| "confirm the order before recording payment" | A Pending order has not reserved its stock yet. | Confirm the order, then record the payment. |
| "this order is completed" | Money on a completed order only moves through returns and refunds. | Use a return or a refund. |
| "an overpayment is refunded in cash or as an adjustment" | Money paid in excess cannot go back as store credit. | Refund it as Cash return or Deduction / adjustment. |
Catalogue and stock#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "this product still has stock in one or more stores" | You cannot delete a product while any store holds stock of it. | Adjust the stock to zero first, or mark the product out of stock. |
| "This product still has stock in this store. Adjust it to zero, or mark it out of stock instead." | Unlinking would lose the stock record. | Adjust the stock to zero first, or mark it out of stock. |
| "Product name already exists" | Product names are unique across your business. | Choose another name. |
| "product SKU already exists" | SKUs are unique across your business, variants included. See product fields. | Choose another SKU, or leave it blank so one is made for you. |
| "SKU must be exactly 6 digits" | The SKU has letters, or too few or too many digits. | Type 6 digits, or leave it blank. |
| "barcode must be exactly 13 numeric digits" | The barcode is not 13 digits. | Type 13 digits, or leave it blank so one is made for you. |
| "A note is required when the reason is Other" | The adjustment reason Other needs a short note. | Add a note. |
| "reason "(reason)" cannot increase stock" | Some reasons, such as damaged, can only lower stock. | Pick a reason that matches the direction of the change. |
| "Batch number must be the letter B followed by 5 digits, for example B00042." | The batch number is not in the right form. | Type B and 5 digits. |
| "That batch number is reserved for the system." | Some batch numbers are made by the app itself. | Choose a different number in the form B00042. |
Returns and refunds#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "only completed orders can be returned" | A return needs a completed order. | Complete the order first, or cancel it if the sale did not happen. |
| "cannot return (qty) × (product): the order held (n) and (n) have already been returned, so (n) remain" | You cannot return more than was sold. | Return at most the number it says remain. |
| "refund amount (amount) exceeds the (amount) still refundable on this return" | You cannot refund more than the return is worth. Refunds that are still pending count too. | Refund at most the amount shown, or cancel a pending refund first. |
| "a COMPLETED return is final" | A completed return cannot be changed. | Make a new return or refund for the difference. |
| "a store credit settles when the customer spends it at checkout, not by hand" | You cannot mark a store credit refund as paid yourself. | Leave it for the customer to spend, or cancel it. |
Plan and seats#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "... is not available on your current plan" | Your plan does not include this feature. The message names it. The app adds "upgrade your plan to use this feature". | Upgrade, or ask the Administrator to. |
| "you have used all of your staff seats" (or store seats) | Every seat you have is in use. | Buy another seat, or free one by disabling or deleting a staff member or store. |
| "this workspace cannot add you right now" | Seen by a person accepting an invite when no staff seat is free. The invite link stays valid. | The Administrator frees or buys a seat. Then open the same link again. |
| "monthly order limit reached ..." | The lowest plan's monthly order limit is used up. | Upgrade, or wait for next month. |
| "this date range is outside the analytics history included in your current plan" | The range starts before your plan's history window. | Choose a shorter range, or upgrade. |
| "Payment failed. Update your payment method" | The card payment for your subscription failed. | Click Update payment method and fix the card in the billing portal. |
| "Payment required. Please update your billing details." | Seen by the Administrator when the account is restricted because of an unpaid bill. | Pay the bill from Billing. |
| "Action restricted. Please contact your administrator." | Seen by staff when the account is restricted because of an unpaid bill. | Tell the Administrator. Only they can fix billing. |
Access and sign-in#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "invalid email or password" | The email or password is wrong. | Check both and try again, or reset your password. |
| "Session expired. Please log in again." | You were signed out after a period of time. | Sign in again. |
| "only the business administrator can do this" | The action is for the Administrator only. | Ask the Administrator to do it. |
| "access denied: insufficient permissions" or "this action is not available for your role" | Your roles do not allow this. | Ask for a role that includes it. See the Permissions reference. |
| "access denied to this store" | You do not work in the store you have selected. | Switch to one of your stores. |
| "account is disabled" | Your staff account has been turned off. | Ask the Administrator. |
Saving and connection#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Your previous request is still being processed. Please wait a moment." | You clicked twice, or the first click is still being saved. | Wait a moment. Do not click again. |
| "That request already went through. Refresh to see the record before trying again." | The first try was saved, but the reply was lost. | Refresh the page and check the record before you try again. |
| "Someone else changed this record while you were editing it." | Another person saved the same record first. Your changes were not saved. | Open the record again and make your changes again. |
| "Too many requests. Please wait (n) seconds and try again." | You or your team sent a lot of requests in a short time. | Wait the time shown, then try again. |
| "The server took too long to respond. Please try again." | The connection was slow. | Try again. If it keeps happening, check your internet connection. |
Customers and shared links#
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "customer has orders and cannot be deleted" | A customer with orders is kept for your records. See managing customers. | Deactivate the customer instead. |
| "Add an email address to the customer record, then send the link again." | The customer has no email address, and links are sent by email. | Add an email to the customer, then send again. |
| Invoice Not Found on a shared invoice page | The link is incomplete or wrong, often because a chat app cut it short. See sharing invoices. | Send the link again from the invoice and share the whole link. |
| "this link has already been used" | A customer profile link can only be used once. | Send the customer a new link. |