Why You See This Error
If you encounter this message in QuickBooks Online or via the API:
“The action could not be completed because another user was creating, editing or deleting a transaction…”
It means QuickBooks is currently processing another inventory transaction, and you need to wait before trying again.
What’s Happening Behind the Scenes
QuickBooks Online uses the First-In, First-Out (FIFO) method to calculate Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) automatically for inventory items. When you add or modify a transaction involving inventory, QuickBooks must update the COGS on all subsequent transactions involving those same items.
Because this recalculation can take some time, QuickBooks prevents multiple inventory transactions from being processed simultaneously to avoid race conditions that could cause data inconsistencies.
How Klavena Helps
Klavena, an ecommerce accounting automation software, handles this by queueing transactions involving inventory items during import. This ensures transactions don’t overlap and helps avoid this error, enabling smoother and more reliable bookkeeping.
What You Should Do
- Wait a few minutes before retrying your action.
- Avoid submitting multiple inventory transactions at the exact same time.
- If using Klavena, the queue system manages this automatically.