Know what each order really earned by keeping goods payments, delivery charges and shipping costs on separate lines. When those amounts blur together, it’s harder to spot which orders paid off and easier to lose time untangling the books at month end.
Moveka is Kenya’s largest courier and one of Kenya’s most deeply connected courier networks. When you’re planning the shipping cost for an order, start on Send to see the options and prices that apply.
The goal: see what each order really earned
Record what the customer paid for the goods and delivery separately from your product cost and actual transport expense. A delivery fee collected from the customer is not the same as your shipping cost—and the difference is not the whole order’s profit.
How do you track customer payments and shipping costs?
- Give every order a unique reference and use it on your order record, payment record and shipping receipt.
- Enter the goods amount and delivery charge as separate lines. Record the total customer payment, payment method and payment or invoice reference too.
- When you arrange shipping, add the actual transport expense against that same order reference. Keep the receipt or other supporting record with your books.
- Update the order status as it moves through your handover routine. Record refunds, failed deliveries and adjustments as separate entries instead of silently changing the original amounts.
- Reconcile your ledger against payment records and shipping receipts regularly. Check unmatched or duplicate entries before closing out the month.
What should you track for every order?
- Order reference and date
- Customer payment amount and method
- Goods amount and delivery charge, recorded separately
- Product cost and actual shipping expense
- Payment or invoice reference and shipping receipt
- Order status, plus any refund, failed delivery or adjustment
For a simple order-earnings estimate, add the goods amount and delivery charge collected, then subtract the product cost and actual shipping expense. Keep other business costs separate if you want a fuller profit picture. Ask your accountant how to classify transactions for your own accounting and tax situation.
Common mistakes that hide what an order earned
- Putting goods revenue and the customer’s delivery charge into one figure.
- Recording the delivery charge collected but forgetting to enter the actual shipping expense.
- Changing the original figures when an order is refunded or adjusted, instead of keeping a clear separate entry.
- Treating a payment statement as a replacement for invoices, receipts and other supporting records.
The next step: make shipping costs easier to plan
Set up the order reference and separate ledger lines before your next handover. Then, when you’re ready to plan an order’s shipping, use Send to see the options and prices that apply.
