One of the most common issues that users encounter is that orders are present in Tradebox but are not posting to Xero.
The most common causes for this issue are either that the order is in Query or that Tradebox has exceeded the API call limits that Xero impose within a 24 hour period. Orders with a Query status are never valid for posting to accounts until the query reason is resolved, which in most cases requires action from a user. Both of these issues are covered in more detail below.
Accounts Link Set Up
In order for Tradebox to post to Xero, the accounts link must first be set up.
To check Tradebox can communicate with Xero:
- Go to the Channels tab and double click on a channel to open it
- Click on the Xero tab
- If Tradebox can connect to Xero, you'll see it run through a number of processes, eg. 'Retrieving Accounts from Xero', 'Retrieving banks from Xero' and then you'll be dropped at the Postings tab
- If Tradebox cannot connect to Xero, you will be dropped at the Connection tab. If Tradebox has previously connected to Xero, but no longer can, you'll see an error message to indicate the problem.
Xero API Rate Limits
If your Xero connection has previously been working and stops, the most common reason for this is that your Tradebox has exceeded the number of API calls that Xero allows. The number of API calls that are allowed to be made are as follows:
- Minute Limit: 60 calls in a rolling 60 second window
- Daily Limit: 5000 calls in a rolling 24 hour window
Tradebox needs to make multiple API calls to create a single invoice in Xero, so if you are posting a lot of orders, then it is possible for Tradebox to trip this limit. The API call limits are also affected by accessing the Xero tab of your Tradebox channel to change any settings.
If orders aren't posting, there are a few ways to tell if you've hit this limit. If your Xero posting is set to manual, you will get this message on attempting to post:
You may also see an error on attempting to access the Xero tab within your channel:
This indicates that Tradebox is unable to access the data from Xero to populate your accounts link.
Finally, you'll likely also have some errors in your log like the below:
Unfortunately, once the Xero day rate limit has been hit, Tradebox will be unable to post to Xero for another 24 hours. While Tradebox does have strategies in place to try and prevent hitting this limit, sometimes it's inevitable, particularly if you have a significant amount of contacts within Xero (Xero recommend keeping this under 10,000).
Once the limit is reached, Tradebox will automatically stop any attempts to post further information to Xero, in order to prevent increasing the time you have to wait before the limit refreshes.
Is Xero Posting set to Manual?
If Xero posting has been set to Manual, no orders will post unless the user manually starts the posting routine. To check if you have this set, go to Configuration and then choose Accounting.
When manual Xero posting is turned on, you'll see a Post to Xero button at the top of the Orders list. Orders must be highlighted (you can use Ctrl+A on your keyboard to select all) prior to clicking the button to start the posting process.
Automatic Posting
If posting is set to Automatic, it will be attempted automatically by the Tradebox Data Service. The service appears as an icon on your Windows taskbar, and you may have to click the white 'Show Hidden Icons' arrow to display it as shown below.
If the orders still don't post after you click Post to Xero, or the data service is running but orders still don't post, keep reading for more potential causes.
Channels are Deactivated
In the Channels screen, a channel must have a tick in the Active and Download column for orders to download and be posted to Xero.
In the screenshot above, both of my channels are Inactive. To activate a channel, highlight it and click the grey Activate button at the top of the list, or right click on it and choose Activate (or Activate All, if you have multiple channels and want to turn them all on at once).
Status Reasons
There are a few different status reasons that might cause orders not to post to Xero. Check the status of an order in Tradebox by finding it in the Orders list and looking at the Status column.
1. The Status of your orders in Tradebox is not listed in the channel, or has not been set to post to Xero.
Within each sales channel, in the Statuses tab, check the bottom half of the screen under Order Statuses to Accounts. This controls which order statuses post to Xero. If the status of your order doesn't appear here, or doesn't have a tick in the Post to Accounts column, it will not post to Xero. Edit any existing status by double clicking. If the status is not listed, click on Actions > Statuses - Add New to add it to the list, making sure to tick the Post to Accounts box. For further information on status mapping, see our guide.
2. Orders have a status of On Hold.
Orders with a status of On Hold are not valid for posting to Xero. Take an order off hold by going to the Orders screen and clicking Change Status. Once the order has changed status, so long as the current status is valid for Xero posting it should go through.
3. Orders are in Query
Tradebox assigns a Query status to an order when there's something about the order that it doesn't know how to handle. Query orders require action from the user and it's best practice to go into the Orders list daily to check for Query orders; the Query counter at the top of the Orders list shows how many orders are currently in Query.
Double-click a Query order to open it and you'll see the Query Reason in the Note field on the left of the screen. The same reasons will also show in Logs > Issues in the Order Issues section.
To resolve a query, see the relevant article:
- Total paid from eBay does not match Tradebox order total
- Marketplace order status is mapped to query status
- No Product Record Could be Found
- Product Record Could Not be Found in Xero
- A Bank Account for the Payment Method could not be found in Xero
- Order total from EKM does not match Tradebox order total
- Customer Account Could Not Be Found in Xero
- Tax Rate Could Not Be Found in Xero
Order Date
Within each sales channel, in the Xero > Postings tab, there is a Don't Post Orders Dated Prior to setting. When you created the accounts link, you'll have set this; essentially it's your 'start date' for that channel's Xero posting. Any order date prior to this will not be posted to Xero even if the order has downloaded as far as Tradebox. If the date in this setting is incorrect, you can amend it and then save the channel to make orders valid for posting.
Other Causes
If you've ruled out the above causes, then Tradebox should definitely at least attempt to post orders to Xero. Unsuccessful postings that aren't caused by status, lack of accounts link or Query will always result in a line in the issues log; to view these go to Logs > Issues and check the Synchronisation Issues window at the bottom of the screen. It's not unusual for that log to show a lot of lines each day, many of which are informative rather than indicating a problem. You can use the Find button to search the log for the word 'Xero' to find Xero-specific issues; or if you know the time at which a Xero posting was attempted (whenever you clicked the button if you're set to manual; check the Process tab of the logs if you're set to automatic to see when Xero posting was attempted), check that timestamp within the issues log.
If you're still having problems getting orders to post to Xero after reading this guide, please contact Tradebox Support.
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