Back to All Blogs

Dropshipping Configuration in Odoo 19 | Complete Setup Guide

Dropshipping Configuration in Odoo 19 | Complete Guide

Managing inventory can be expensive, especially for businesses selling hundreds or thousands of products. Warehousing costs, inventory management, stock shortages, and overstocking often reduce profitability and slow business growth. Dropshipping Configuration in Odoo 19 provides an efficient alternative by allowing businesses to sell products without maintaining physical inventory.

With Odoo 19, the entire dropshipping workflow is automated. When a customer confirms an order, Odoo automatically creates a purchase order for the supplier. Instead of shipping products to your warehouse, the supplier delivers the items directly to the customer. This automated process eliminates unnecessary handling, reduces operational costs, and ensures every transaction remains connected across Sales, Purchase, Inventory, and Accounting modules.

Whether you operate an eCommerce business, wholesale distribution company, trading organization, or B2B sales business, configuring dropshipping in Odoo helps streamline order fulfillment while maintaining complete visibility throughout the supply chain.


What is Dropshipping in Odoo 19?

Dropshipping is an order fulfillment method where products are shipped directly from the supplier to the customer instead of passing through your warehouse. Unlike traditional inventory management, businesses do not need to purchase and store stock in advance. Products are ordered from vendors only after customers place confirmed sales orders.

In Odoo 19, dropshipping is implemented through the Dropship Route, an inventory route that automatically determines how products should move from the supplier to the customer. Once enabled, Odoo intelligently connects Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Vendor Information, and Delivery Operations into a single automated workflow.

When a customer confirms a Sales Order containing a dropship-enabled product, Odoo immediately generates a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the assigned supplier. After the supplier confirms the order, the system creates the purchase order while automatically setting the customer’s shipping address as the delivery destination. Since products never enter your warehouse, inventory movements remain accurate without requiring manual stock transfers.

This native integration makes Odoo one of the most efficient ERP platforms for businesses operating modern dropshipping models.


Why Use Dropshipping in Odoo 19?

Many growing businesses struggle with increasing warehouse expenses and inventory management complexities. Dropshipping eliminates these challenges while enabling companies to expand their product catalogs without investing in additional storage.

Some of the major advantages include:

  • Lower inventory investment
  • Reduced warehouse costs
  • Faster order fulfillment
  • Automated Purchase Order creation
  • Real-time synchronization between Sales and Purchase
  • Better cash flow management
  • Easy vendor management
  • Complete order traceability

Because everything is managed within a single ERP system, businesses no longer need to rely on disconnected software or manual coordination between sales teams and suppliers.


Prerequisites Before Configuring Dropshipping

Before configuring dropshipping in Odoo 19, ensure the following modules are installed and properly configured:

  • Inventory
  • Sales
  • Purchase
  • Contacts

Each dropship product should have:

  • A configured vendor
  • Purchase price
  • Delivery lead time
  • Dropship route enabled

Having accurate vendor information ensures that Odoo can automatically generate purchase orders without requiring manual intervention.


How to Configure Dropshipping in Odoo 19

Step 1: Enable Dropshipping in Inventory Settings

The first step is enabling the Dropshipping route inside the Inventory module.

Navigate to:

Inventory → Configuration → Settings

Locate the Warehouse section and enable Dropshipping.

Save the configuration.

Enable Dropshipping in Odoo 19 Inventory Settings

Once enabled, Odoo automatically creates the global Dropship Route that becomes available for products and sales order lines.

This route instructs Odoo to bypass warehouse stock and purchase products directly from vendors whenever customers place orders.


Step 2: Configure the Product for Dropshipping

Open the required product from the Product catalog.

Navigate to the Inventory tab.

Under Routes, enable:

Configure Product Dropship Route in Odoo 19

Dropship

This tells Odoo that whenever this product is sold, it should follow the dropshipping workflow instead of consuming warehouse inventory.

You may also combine Dropship with other routes if your business supports multiple fulfillment methods.


Step 3: Configure Vendor Information

The vendor setup determines where Odoo purchases the product after receiving customer orders.

Navigate to the Purchase tab of the product.

Add the following information:

  • Vendor Name
  • Purchase Price
  • Minimum Quantity
  • Delivery Lead Time
  • Currency

Odoo supports multiple vendors for the same product.

Configure Vendors for Dropshipping in Odoo 19

If several vendors are configured, Odoo automatically prioritizes suppliers according to their sequence, making vendor selection both flexible and efficient.

Maintaining accurate vendor pricing and lead times also improves procurement planning and delivery estimates.


Step 4: Create a Sales Order

Once the product configuration is complete, create a Sales Order.

Navigate to:

Sales → Orders → Quotations

Select the customer and add the configured dropship product.

After confirming the Sales Order, Odoo immediately analyzes the route assigned to the product.

Instead of reserving warehouse inventory, Odoo generates a Request for Quotation in the Purchase module.

No manual purchasing process is required.


Step 5: Automatic Purchase Order Creation

One of the biggest advantages of Dropshipping Configuration in Odoo 19 is automatic procurement.

Immediately after confirming the Sales Order, Odoo creates a linked Request for Quotation.

The Sales Order now displays a Purchase smart button that allows users to open the generated RFQ directly.

Once approved, the RFQ becomes a Purchase Order.

Unlike traditional purchasing workflows, the delivery address automatically becomes the customer’s shipping address rather than the company’s warehouse.

This eliminates unnecessary shipping steps while reducing transportation costs.


Step 6: Vendor Ships Directly to the Customer

After confirming the Purchase Order, the supplier prepares and ships the products directly to the customer’s delivery location.

Since the shipment bypasses the warehouse entirely, warehouse staff do not need to receive or dispatch inventory.

Odoo creates a Dropship delivery operation that tracks the shipment throughout its lifecycle.

The Sales Order displays another smart button called Dropship, allowing users to monitor delivery status from a single screen.

Once the shipment is validated, the customer order is marked as completed.


Understanding the Complete Dropshipping Workflow

The complete workflow inside Odoo follows an automated sequence:

Customer places an order → Sales Order is confirmed → Odoo generates RFQ → Vendor confirms Purchase Order → Supplier ships products directly to customer → Delivery is validated → Order completed.

Because every document remains linked, users can easily navigate between Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Vendor Bills, and Delivery Orders without searching through different modules.

This connected workflow significantly improves operational visibility while reducing administrative effort.


Sales Order for Dropshipping in Odoo 19

Using Dropshipping for Individual Sales Orders

Not every product needs to be permanently configured for dropshipping.

Odoo also allows businesses to apply the Dropship route only when required.

Inside the Sales Order line, users can manually select:

Route → Dropship

Automatic Purchase RFQ in Odoo 19

This flexibility is particularly useful for businesses maintaining warehouse stock while occasionally purchasing directly from suppliers during stock shortages or seasonal demand spikes.

Using route selection at the order level gives companies greater control over procurement decisions without modifying product configurations.


Multi-Vendor Dropshipping

Many organizations source products from multiple suppliers.

Odoo supports multiple vendors for individual products and can automatically create separate Purchase Orders when products originate from different suppliers.

For example, if a customer purchases five products supplied by three different vendors, Odoo generates independent Purchase Orders for each supplier while maintaining a single Sales Order for the customer.

This automation reduces purchasing complexity while ensuring accurate supplier communication.


Benefits of Automating Dropshipping in Odoo 19

Configuring dropshipping inside Odoo provides numerous operational advantages beyond inventory reduction.

Automation minimizes manual purchasing activities, decreases order processing time, and improves customer satisfaction through faster deliveries.

Since Sales, Purchase, Inventory, and Accounting remain synchronized, businesses experience fewer reconciliation issues and better financial visibility.

Managers can also monitor procurement performance, supplier lead times, purchasing costs, and customer deliveries from centralized dashboards.

The result is a more efficient procurement process capable of supporting business growth without increasing operational overhead.


Integrating Dropshipping with eCommerce Platforms

Odoo’s integrated Website and eCommerce applications make dropshipping even more powerful.

When customers place orders through an Odoo-powered online store, the ERP automatically processes every step of the fulfillment cycle.

Sales Orders are created instantly.

Purchase Orders are automatically generated.

Suppliers receive procurement requests.

Delivery operations are tracked.

Customers receive shipment updates.

Businesses using Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, Magento, or custom online stores can further automate operations through Odoo integrations, ensuring all orders flow into a centralized ERP system.

This creates a single source of truth for inventory, purchasing, sales, accounting, and customer management.


Best Practices for Dropshipping Configuration

To maximize efficiency, businesses should maintain accurate vendor information, regularly update supplier pricing, monitor delivery lead times, and review supplier performance.

Using multiple approved vendors helps reduce procurement risks while ensuring uninterrupted order fulfillment.

It is also advisable to periodically review procurement routes and automate approval workflows for high-volume purchasing environments.

Proper planning ensures that dropshipping remains scalable as business operations grow.


Conclusion

Dropshipping Configuration in Odoo 19 enables businesses to automate one of the most important aspects of modern commerce—order fulfillment. By connecting Sales, Purchase, Inventory, and Accounting into a unified workflow, Odoo eliminates manual purchasing processes while improving operational efficiency.

Whether you are running an online store, wholesale distribution company, or multi-vendor trading business, Odoo’s native dropshipping capabilities reduce inventory costs, improve cash flow, and accelerate customer deliveries without increasing warehouse investments.

A properly configured dropshipping workflow allows organizations to scale product offerings confidently while maintaining complete visibility over procurement and fulfillment activities.

As an Official Odoo Partner in India, Infintor Solutions helps businesses implement, customize, and optimize Odoo ERP solutions for seamless procurement automation, dropshipping workflows, vendor management, and eCommerce integrations. Our experts ensure your Odoo environment is configured according to your unique business processes, enabling long-term operational success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You can activate the Dropship route for individual products or apply it only to specific sales order lines whenever required.

Yes. Once a Sales Order is confirmed, Odoo automatically generates a Request for Quotation for the configured vendor, which can then be converted into a Purchase Order.

No. Odoo maintains complete traceability between invoices and their original sales orders, ensuring accurate accounting and reporting.

Yes. Odoo supports multiple vendors for the same product and prioritizes suppliers based on the configured sequence.

You can use the Purchase and Dropship smart buttons available on the Sales Order to monitor procurement and delivery progress.

Yes. Odoo allows businesses to use both fulfillment methods simultaneously by selecting the appropriate inventory route for each sales order.