> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arcuserp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create advance replacement SO before goods are returned

> Creates an advance-replacement sales order for a customer before their defective unit has been
returned. The replacement order is linked to the originating return for tracking. When the
return is later closed, the system can optionally void or charge the replacement order depending
on disposition outcome.
Requires `returns:write` scope.




## OpenAPI

````yaml /openapi.yaml post /returns/{id}/advance-replacement
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Arcus ERP Public API
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >
    Arcus ERP public REST API. Designed for external integrations and data
    migration.


    **Authentication.** Bearer token (API key) via the `Authorization` header.

    Format: `Authorization: Bearer ark_live_ent_<code>_<random>` (or
    `ark_test_*` for sandbox).

    API keys are issued per-entity in **Settings > Developers > API Keys**.


    **Entity scoping.** The entity is encoded in the API key prefix; routes are
    flat

    (e.g. `/v1/accounts`, `/v1/orders`, `/v1/products`). A small set of platform
    endpoints

    (migration, reconciliation, events, webhook endpoints, API keys) use the

    `/v1/entities/{entity_id}/...` form -- those are noted in their tags.


    **Key capabilities.**
      - Related-resource hydration via `?expand[]=` (see `x-arcus-expand` on each resource).
      - Cursor-based pagination (`starting_after` / `ending_before` / `limit`).
      - Idempotency via the `Idempotency-Key` header.
      - Webhook events for asynchronous notification.
      - Conditional requests / ETag for cache validation.
servers:
  - url: https://api.arcuserp.com/v1
    description: Arcus ERP API (accepts both live `ark_live_*` and test `ark_test_*` keys)
  - url: https://dev-api.arcuserp.com/v1
    description: >-
      Dev sandbox API (test-only data, accepts `ark_test_*` keys against dev
      RDS)
security: []
paths:
  /returns/{id}/advance-replacement:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        schema:
          type: string
          format: uuid
    post:
      tags:
        - Returns
      summary: Create advance replacement SO before goods are returned
      description: >
        Creates an advance-replacement sales order for a customer before their
        defective unit has been

        returned. The replacement order is linked to the originating return for
        tracking. When the

        return is later closed, the system can optionally void or charge the
        replacement order depending

        on disposition outcome.

        Requires `returns:write` scope.
      operationId: createAdvanceReplacement
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/IdempotencyKey'
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                items:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    type: object
                account_id:
                  type: string
                  format: uuid
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Advance replacement order created
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
      security:
        - ApiKeyAuth: []
components:
  parameters:
    IdempotencyKey:
      name: Idempotency-Key
      in: header
      required: false
      description: |
        Client-generated unique key for idempotent POST/PATCH/DELETE operations.
        Alias for the Idempotency parameter. Max 255 chars. On retry with the
        same key, the original response is returned without re-executing the
        operation. Keys expire after 24 hours.
      schema:
        type: string
        maxLength: 255
  responses:
    Error:
      description: Error response (400/401/403/404/409/422/429/500)
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorEnvelope'
  schemas:
    ErrorEnvelope:
      type: object
      description: |
        Canonical error response envelope. All API errors use this shape.
      required:
        - error
        - code
      properties:
        error:
          type: string
          description: Machine-readable error key
          example: not_found
        code:
          type: string
          description: Machine-readable error code (often same as error)
          example: not_found
        type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - validation_error
            - permission_error
            - not_found
            - conflict
            - rate_limit
            - internal
            - expand_error
            - not_implemented
          example: not_found
        hint:
          type: string
          description: Human-readable one-sentence explanation (English)
          example: >-
            The requested order does not exist or does not belong to this
            entity.
        param:
          type: string
          description: The parameter that caused the error, if applicable
          example: expand[0]
        required:
          type: string
          description: The scope required (only on insufficient_scope errors)
          example: accounts:read
        request_id:
          type: string
          description: >-
            Unique request ID for support tracing (maps to CloudWatch log
            stream)
          example: req_abc123
  securitySchemes:
    ApiKeyAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      description: |
        API key issued per entity via Settings > Developers > API Keys.
        Each key carries scopes (e.g. orders:read, products:write).
        Bearer token format: Authorization: Bearer ark_live_ent_<code>_<random>
        Test keys use ark_test_ent_<code>_<random>. Both are issued per entity
        via Settings > Developers > API Keys.

````