Backorder vs partial shipment
A backorder is a quantity the supplier has acknowledged they cannot ship now and committed to ship later by a specific date. A partial shipment is the portion they did ship, leaving an unshipped balance. Naming the situation correctly is what determines what you do next.
Part of the Procurement Glossary
How it works in practice
You ordered 100 units. The supplier ships 60 and you receive them at the dock. What happens next depends on what the supplier said. If their email reads "shipping 60 today, the remaining 40 will follow on backorder by [date]," you have a backorder: a confirmed balance with a target date. If their email just says "shipped 60" and goes silent on the rest, you have a partial shipment with no committed plan.
Suppliers use the two terms loosely. "Backordered" often gets used to mean "we owe you the rest, eventually," which is really a partial shipment in friendlier wording. The diagnostic: ask for a confirmed ship date. If they give you one, it's a backorder. If they hedge, treat it as a partial shipment and chase it like any other open loop.
Why it matters
Naming the situation correctly changes what you do next. A backorder with a confirmed date can be planned around: you adjust the build schedule and the line keeps moving. A partial shipment without a date is an open quantity you have to chase, and it's a schedule risk until you have one.
A backorder leaves a trail: its own line and usually a future ASN. A partial shipment without a backorder commitment can close in the supplier's system as "shipped" while they still owe the balance. That's how unshipped quantities quietly fall off the radar.
Tips
Force a confirmed ship date
Don't accept "we'll send the rest soon." Ask for a specific date on the balance. Without one, treat the situation as a partial shipment and keep the loop open.
Track the balance as its own loop
The shipped quantity goes on the receipt; the unshipped balance is a separate open loop with its own target date and follow-up cadence. Don't let it fold back into the original PO line.
Watch for soft backorder language
Some suppliers say "on backorder" to mean "we don't know when." Confirm the date in writing or treat it as a partial shipment.
How PO-Relay helps
PO-Relay's Email Intelligence catches the shipment notice and compares the shipped quantity against the PO. If it's short, Open Loop Tracking keeps the loop open for the balance and flags it as either a confirmed backorder (a future ship date was named) or an unconfirmed split that needs follow-up. The morning briefing surfaces both with the at-risk parts.
PO-Relay tracks the delivery side: what shipped, what's still owed, when the balance was promised. Backorder paperwork and any new release in your ERP stay in your existing systems. PO-Relay drafts the follow-up when the balance goes overdue, and you review and send it.