How do I set up packages for my team? – Firstbase

Packages let you define which equipment employees can order, so each role gets the right options without one-off setup every time.

This guide walks you through Packages in Firstbase: browsing packages, creating and editing them, adding products and rules, duplicating or archiving a package, and exporting package data.

Browse your packages

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Use search and filters (for example region, brand, or category, among others) to find packages.
Switch between card and list view as needed.
Each package shows details such as name, regions, assigned people, orders, rules, and when it was created or last edited.
In card view, expand a package’s products to see stock and pricing by region. From there you can also unassign a person or remove a product without opening the full editor.
Use the actions menu on a package to Edit, Duplicate, or Archive.

Create a package

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Open Actions, then choose New Package.
Enter a name. Optionally add instructions employees see when ordering.
On the Products tab, choose Add products, select catalog items for the regions they apply to, then set category options such as quantity, required or optional, condition preference, and in stock only.
On the Rules tab, set how orders work: automatic or employee-placed, approval (and justification if your account uses it), and ship-to (employee address, office, or flexible), including a default office when needed.
Package regions update automatically from the products you add.
Choose Save package. You need a name and at least one product to save.

Edit a package

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Open the package from the list, or choose Edit from the actions menu.
Update the name, instructions, products, or rules as needed.
On the Products tab, you can filter products by stock, procurable status, or region while reviewing the list.
Choose Save package to keep your changes, or discard if you want to leave without saving.

Duplicate a package

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Open the actions menu on the package you want to copy, then choose Duplicate.
Firstbase opens a new package pre-filled with the source package’s products, rules, and instructions. The name is set to something like Name (Copy). People assigned to the original package are not copied.
Make any changes you need.
Choose Save package to create the new package, or discard to cancel. The original package stays unchanged.

Archive a package

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Open the actions menu on the package, then choose Archive.
Confirm in the dialog. If people are assigned, the dialog notes that they will be unassigned when you archive.
After archiving:
- The package no longer appears in your Packages list
- People can no longer be assigned to it
- Employees can no longer order from it

Export packages

Go to Product Catalog > Packages.
Open Actions, then choose Export.
Choose an export type:
- Package details data: package name, assigned users, items deployed, and related details
- Package content data: the products included in each package
Download the CSV.

Export uses your current search and filters, so the file matches what you see in the list.

Assign packages to people

Packages only affect ordering after they are assigned to people.

See who has a package

Go to People > All People.
Use the Packages column and filters to find people on a given package.

Change someone’s package

Open the person’s profile from People > All People.
In their profile, update the package assigned to them and save.

Unassign from the Packages list

In card view on Product Catalog > Packages, open the assigned people for a package and unassign someone directly from there.

FAQs

How do package regions work?

Products in a package are scoped to regions. When you add a product, you choose which regions it applies to.

The package’s region badges come from those product selections. You don’t set package regions as a separate field. To change them, add or remove products, or update a product’s regions.

On the Packages list, multi-region packages show as multi-region. You can also filter the list by region.

Where can I see stock and pricing?

Stock and pricing show per region in these places:

Packages list (card view): Expand a package’s products to see per-region stock and pricing
Add products selector: Procurement cost and warranty when available, plus stock context
Package editor product list: Same per-region stock and pricing while you build or edit

On the Products tab, you can also filter the product list by stock (all, in stock, or out of stock) and by region to focus while editing. Those filters help you review contents; they don’t change what’s saved by themselves.

What do the package rules mean?

Package rules control how orders work for people assigned to the package. You set them on the Rules tab.

Who places the order?

Employees order themselves: People pick products and place the order
Order automatically when assigned: Firstbase places the order when the package is assigned. Automatic orders ship to the employee’s address. Approval and justification don’t apply

Requires admin approval (self-serve only): Placed orders wait for an admin to approve before they proceed.

Require order justification (when available and approval is on): The person must enter a reason for each unit ordered.

Ship to (self-serve only):

Employee’s address: Orders ship to the employee’s home address
Office: Orders ship to an office. If you set a default office, that’s used; otherwise the employee picks an office in their country
Flexible: The employee can choose home address or an office (same default-office behavior as Office)

What do the package category rules mean?

Each product category in a package (for example Computers or Monitors) has its own rules on the Products tab:

Qty: Maximum number of items a person can order from that category
Condition: Tells Firstbase which warehouse stock to prioritize when fulfilling that category
- New only: Ship new equipment only
- New first: Use new stock first. If there isn’t enough new stock ready to ship, use used stock for the rest
- Used first: Use used stock first (when it’s ready to ship). If there isn’t enough used stock ready, use new stock for the rest
- Used only: Ship used equipment only
Required: When on, the employee must choose an item in that category before they can submit. When off, they can skip it
In stock only: When on, employees only see products that are in stock for their warehouse region. Out-of-stock products are hidden (not shown as unavailable)

For Condition, Firstbase fulfills from warehouse items that are ready to ship. If you allow both new and used (New first or Used first) and the preferred type isn’t ready yet, Firstbase can ship the other type so the order isn’t delayed.

Can a package be both automatic and flexible shipping?

No. Automatic orders only ship to the employee’s address.

When Order automatically when assigned is selected, approval, justification, and ship-to options (including Flexible and Office) don’t apply. Those settings are only available when employees order themselves.

Why can’t I save a package?

Save stays disabled until both are true:

The package has a name
The package has at least one product

Add a name and at least one product on the Products tab, then Save should enable.

What happens if I add an out-of-stock product?

You can still add out-of-stock products to a package. In Add products, a warning appears when one or more selected items are out of stock. It also notes whether Firstbase can still procure those items.

Adding an out-of-stock product does not block save. If In stock only is on for that category, employees won’t see out-of-stock products when ordering (they’re hidden).

What happens when I duplicate a package?

From the package actions menu, choose Duplicate. Firstbase opens the create editor pre-filled from the source package:

Name becomes Name (Copy) (you can edit it before saving)
Products (with region assignments), category rules, package rules, and instructions are copied
People assignments are not copied
The source package is unchanged

If you Save, a new package is created. If you discard, nothing is created and the source package stays as-is.

What happens when I archive a package?

From the package actions menu, choose Archive and confirm.

After archive:

The package no longer appears in the Packages list
It can no longer be assigned to people
It can no longer be ordered

If people are assigned, the confirm dialog notes that they will be unassigned. Confirming archive unassigns them.

If the package is used in an integration configuration, archive may be blocked until you remove it from those settings.

Why can’t my employee see equipment to order from their package?

Common causes:

Package assignment: Confirm the package is assigned on the person’s profile
Region: Some products may not apply to the employee’s region. Check the product’s region assignments on the package, and that pricing exists for that region in the catalog
Quantity limit: The employee may already have an item in that category (for example a computer), and the category qty is set so they can’t order another
In stock only: If that category rule is on, out-of-stock products are hidden from the employee
Automatic package: If the package orders automatically when assigned, the employee doesn’t choose products themselves

What if the employee’s country doesn’t match the office, or no office exists?

When ordering, employees only see offices that match their location:

Outside the EU: offices in their country
In the EU: offices in the EU region

If the package’s default office isn’t available for them, Firstbase treats it as unavailable.

Office only: They see that no office locations are available and are asked to contact their administrator
Flexible: They see that no office locations are available and are asked to select their home address instead (the employee-address option is available)

Set the package’s office (or default office) to one that matches the employee’s location to avoid this.

Can shipping destination be changed after an order is placed?

Admins: Yes, while the order is still updatable. In Orders and Returns, open the order and choose Change destination location.

That action is available when the order status is Ordered, Awaiting approval, or Approved. The destination country can’t be changed as part of this update.

Employees: No. After they submit, they can’t change the shipping destination. Only an admin can.

What package API options are available?

V1 stays the same. Existing /api/v1/packages integrations keep working without changes.

Packages V2 adds /api/v2/packages for list, get by slug, create, and update. Compared with V1, V2 responses and writes include:

A friendly package ID (PKG-*)
Products as SKU lines with region assignments (not only flat SKU IDs)
Package settings and category rules nested under rules

Use V1 for existing integrations unless you are intentionally adopting V2.

For the full contract and examples, see the Firstbase Developer Portal.