The quick answer
Set the bundle up as an Item Group whose components are listed on the item's Components subtab. On a sales order, pick the group in the Item column and click Add. NetSuite expands it into the group line, one line per component at that component's own price, and an End of Group line that totals them. The group has no price of its own. To give the customer a better deal, open a component line and change its Price Level or type a new Rate, then click OK. End of Group and the order total recalculate, and the item group record stays as it was.
The example is a coffee equipment supplier selling a Home Barista Bundle: a burr grinder, a gooseneck kettle, a brew scale and two packs of paper filters. Bought separately at Base Price, that's 306.00. This customer negotiated a better price on the grinder and the kettle, and the order ends at 271.65. The screenshots use sample data, and the person and company names are fictional.
An item group saves the rep from entering four lines by hand and getting one of them wrong. Each component brings its own price, inventory and revenue, so the bundle's total is the sum of its component lines.
Before you start
You need an item group that already exists. Item groups are created at Lists > Accounting > Items > New, choosing Item Group. Add each component and its quantity per bundle on the Components subtab. In this example that subtab sits under Purchasing / Inventory; where it appears can depend on the item form your account uses.
The components here are inventory items with Base Prices of 189.00, 64.00, 38.00 and 7.50. The customer has no special pricing, so every component starts at Base Price. If your customer has a default price level, customer-specific item pricing, quantity pricing or another currency, the starting rates can differ.
Choosing a different price level on a line needs the Multiple Prices feature, and the level itself, such as Preferred (-15%), has to be set up in your account with a price for each item you use it on. Depending on your role and form, the Price Level and Rate columns may be locked or need permission to override.
01. Check what the item group contains
Go to Lists > Accounting > Items.
The list shows Home Barista Bundle with Type Item Group and no Base Price. The four component items above it each have a Base Price: GR-200 Burr Grinder 189.00, KT-12 Gooseneck Kettle 64.00, SC-05 Brew Scale 38.00 and FL-100 Paper Filters 7.50.
Click Home Barista Bundle. On the Purchasing / Inventory tab, the Components subtab lists what one bundle contains: GR-200 Burr Grinder (1), KT-12 Gooseneck Kettle (1), SC-05 Brew Scale (1) and FL-100 Paper Filters (2), each with its description and units. The two check boxes above the grid, Reference Start/End Lines on Picking Tickets and Display Components on Transactions, are checked here. The group has no selling price of its own. Its value on an order comes from these components.
02. Start a sales order
Go to Transactions > Sales > Enter Sales Orders.
In Customer, choose the customer, here Maple Street Kitchen Store. The Summary still shows a Subtotal and Total of 0.00.
03. Add the item group
On the Items subtab, choose Home Barista Bundle in the Item column. Before you add it, the line shows Quantity 1 and nothing in Price Level, Rate or Amount.
Click Add. The one line becomes six:
- Home Barista Bundle stays as the group line with Quantity 1 and no price level, rate or amount.
- Each component gets its own line at Base Price: GR-200 Burr Grinder 189.00, KT-12 Gooseneck Kettle 64.00, SC-05 Brew Scale 38.00, and FL-100 Paper Filters at quantity 2 × 7.50 = 15.00.
- End of Group closes the group with an amount of 306.00, the sum of the four component amounts.
The component quantities are the quantities on the item group times the group line's quantity, which is 1 here. The Summary Subtotal is now 306.00.
You can't type an End of Group amount. NetSuite calculates it from the component lines above it, so you change the bundle's price by changing those lines.
04. Reprice two components
The customer gets a better price on the grinder and the kettle. There are two ways to do it, and this example uses both.
Click the GR-200 Burr Grinder line to edit it, open its Price Level list and choose Preferred (-15%). The rate changes from 189.00 to 160.65, which is 189.00 less 15%.
Click OK. The grinder line shows Preferred (-15%), 160.65 and 160.65, and End of Group drops from 306.00 to 277.65.
Now click the KT-12 Gooseneck Kettle line's Rate, replace 64.00 with 58.00, and click OK. In the recording, typing the rate switches Price Level to Custom, and the amount becomes 58.00. You can also choose Custom in Price Level first and then type the rate. Either way the line ends at Custom.
The SC-05 Brew Scale and FL-100 Paper Filters lines keep their Base Price amounts, 38.00 and 15.00.
05. Check the bundle total
After the kettle's OK, End of Group recalculates again. It now reads 271.65, which is 160.65 + 58.00 + 38.00 + 15.00.
Scroll back to the top. The Summary Subtotal and Total are both 271.65, down from 306.00.
Check the result
- End of Group equals the sum of the component amounts above it.
- The grinder shows Preferred (-15%) and the kettle shows Custom.
- Summary Subtotal and Total match End of Group, since nothing else is on the order.
These price changes belong to this order. The item group keeps its four components and the component items keep their Base Prices. Editing the item group later changes what new orders get, not lines that are already on an order. The recording stops before saving, so click Save when the order is ready. The group holds no stock of its own. When the saved order is committed and fulfilled, that happens on the component lines, following your usual inventory and fulfillment settings.
Common questions
Why does the item group show no price on the sales order?
An item group has no selling price of its own. Its value on the order comes from the component lines, so the group line shows a quantity and nothing else. Here the components start at their Base Prices and End of Group adds them up to 306.00.
What is the End of Group line?
It closes the group on the order and shows the total of the component lines above it. NetSuite calculates it, so you can't type over it. In this example it moves from 306.00 to 277.65 to 271.65 as two components get cheaper.
Can I change the price of one item inside an item group?
Yes, if your role and form let you edit Price Level or Rate. Open the component line, choose another price level or type a rate, and click OK. The grinder here went to Preferred (-15%) at 160.65 and the kettle to a typed 58.00, while the other two components stayed at Base Price.
Why did the price level change to Custom when I typed a rate?
A typed rate isn't tied to any price level, so the line shows Custom. That's what happened to the kettle at 58.00. If a component is going to be priced by hand, you can also pick Custom first and then type the rate.
Does changing a component price change the item group record?
No. The change belongs to that sales order line. The item group keeps its components and quantities, and each component item keeps its prices for future orders, unless something else like customer pricing changes them.
What does Display Components on Transactions do?
It controls whether the component lines appear on transaction forms and printouts. Clearing it doesn't change the group's value or how inventory moves. How a printed order shows the group also depends on your form and template.
Where is inventory tracked for an item group?
On the component items. The group holds no stock of its own, so commitment, fulfillment and inventory movement all happen on the component lines, following your account's inventory settings.
How is an item group different from a kit/package?
A kit/package has its own sales price and goes on the order as one priced item. An item group has no price and expands into its components, each at its own price. Use an item group when you want the component prices to drive the total.