Intake is the end-to-end arc from "the box arrived" to "every copy is in the right place." Weekly check-in (Check In Weekly Shipment) is the central step, but intake is broader: receiving the box, uploading the invoice, allocating to subscribers, importing to your storefront or POS, and reconciling anything that didn't match. This article lays out the whole arc so you can see how check-in fits into the surrounding steps.
The Arc
Product arrives. The physical box shows up from the distributor.
Invoice is downloaded. From the distributor's retailer portal (see Where to Get Invoices for Importing).
Invoice is uploaded to Manage Comics. Check-in begins.
Line items are reviewed. Shortages, damages, ignored items are flagged.
Subscriber allocation is confirmed. Manage Comics suggests which titles go to which customers.
Leftover quantity is imported to store. Copies beyond subscriber allocation go to the shelf / storefront.
Pulls are generated. Per-customer pull summary is produced.
Physical pull happens. Staff physically pull the customer copies.
Customers are notified. Weekly pulls email goes out.
Payments and fulfillment happen. Invoicing (Ordo), or POS ringup (Oryx).
Each of these steps has a dedicated article. The whole arc is what this section is about.
Why Understanding the Arc Matters
A mistake at step 5 (subscriber allocation) is easier to catch and fix than a mistake at step 9 (customer email). Once a customer has been emailed about a pull that doesn't exist, you're already doing apology work. Walking through the arc mentally each week — "did I process shortages? did I tag for New Releases? did I verify Store Import numbers?" — catches problems early.
Ordo vs. Oryx in Intake
The Manage Comics-side steps are identical. The differences are downstream:
Ordo: Store Import pushes products into Shopify. Invoicing creates Shopify draft orders. Customers pay online.
Oryx: Store Import pushes products into your POS (RMH, Lightspeed, ComicSuite). Invoicing happens at the POS directly.
Related Articles — The Arc, Step by Step
Check In Weekly Shipment — steps 3–6, the main workflow.
New Mid-Week Shipment (No Invoice File) — when step 2 is skipped.
Adding a Single Product During Check-In — ad-hoc additions via Find additional Items.
Bulk Product Imports Outside the Check-In Flow — non-distributor inventory.
What Confirm Pull Does — what happens when you click Confirm Pull.
Pulls By Date — step 7 output.
Invoice Orders — step 10 (Ordo).