--- title: "Serial-numbered item not in stock: sale, return and buy-back" description: "When you add a serial-numbered item (e.g. a machine, bike or scooter with a frame/serial number) to a sales order, an invoice or at the point of sale, and the item is not in stock at the department you are in, Sapera shows the \"Serial-numbe" url: https://support.sapera.io/en/articles/639-serial-numbered-item-not-in-stock-sale-return-and-buy-back collection: "Sales orders" updated: 2026-07-13 language: en alternates: [da] --- # Serial-numbered item not in stock: sale, return and buy-back When you add a serial-numbered item (e.g. a machine, bike or scooter with a frame/serial number) to a sales order, an invoice or at the point of sale, and the item is not in stock at the department you are in, Sapera shows the "Serial-numbe When you add a **serial-numbered item** (e.g. a machine, bike or scooter with a frame/serial number) to a **sales order**, an **invoice** or at the **point of sale**, and the item is **not in stock at the department you are in**, Sapera shows the **"Serial-numbered item is not in stock"** dialog. The dialog shows information about the item – serial number, when it was sold (if applicable), the current owner and the latest sales price – and asks you to choose how the line should be handled. Which buttons you get depends on the setup and on whether the customer is a **private person** or a **company with a CVR (business registration) number**. > The dialog only appears when the item is not available at your department. If it is in stock with you, it is simply added without asking. For items **without** stock management the dialog does not appear either – an item that was previously sold is automatically treated as a return, otherwise as a normal sale. ## Usual sale Sells the item anyway – as a completely normal sale from your department. **Shown when:** selling from the current department is allowed. This is the case by default and can only be blocked with a setting that forbids selling a serial-numbered item that is not in stock (off by default). ## Sale from «other department» Sells the item from the **department where it is actually in stock**. The line is moved to that department, and you pick the stock location there. **Shown when:** the item is in stock at **another department** and cross-department selling is allowed (the same setting as above – allowed by default). The button shows the name of the department the item can be sold from. ## Return / credit note (new) Treats the line as a **return**: Sapera asks for the reference of the original sale, sets the quantity to **−1** and uses the **cost price from the latest sale**. The result is a credit to the customer. **Shown when:** the setting for **returning serial-numbered items** is enabled (**on** by default). ## Purchase back (used VAT) Records that you **buy the item back from the customer** under the **used-goods VAT margin scheme** – where VAT is only calculated on your margin when the item is resold. The item's cost price is set as the line amount. **Shown when all of these are met:** - **Buy-back is enabled in the setup.** This is controlled by two settings – one for sales orders and one for invoices – each determining whether buying items back is possible in that place (both enabled by default). - **Used-VAT buy-back is enabled** (on by default). - The customer is a **private person** – or, if the customer is a **company with a CVR number**, a separate setting that allows used-VAT buy-back from companies with a CVR number is enabled (**off** by default). ## Purchase back (std. VAT) Records the buy-back with **standard VAT** instead of used-goods VAT. **Shown when:** buy-back is enabled in the setup and used VAT is **not** relevant – i.e. either used-VAT buy-back is off, or the customer is a **company**. ## Close Cancels. The line is not added. ## In short: what controls the choices

Choice	Requirement
Usual sale	Selling from the current department allowed (default)
Sale from other department	Item in stock at another department + cross-department selling allowed
Return / credit note	"Return of serial-numbered items" enabled (on by default)
Purchase back (used VAT)	Buy-back enabled + used VAT enabled + private customer (or the CVR exception enabled)
Purchase back (std. VAT)	Buy-back enabled + used VAT not relevant (e.g. business customer)

> If an item is set to used VAT but the VAT rate cannot be determined, Sapera asks whether the item should be sold with standard VAT instead. ### Overprice regulation on buy-back When buying back a serial-number item you can register an over-price in the Overprice regulation dialog. The over-price is written down from the stock value and posted to the product category's overprice regulation account when the invoice is booked. The over-price cannot exceed the buy-back price.