Hi there, MikeRennie.

As mentioned by my colleague, Adrian_A. The alternative way to record a Sales order is to create an estimate here in QuickBooks Online. Let me show you how to create this transaction.

1. In your QuickBooks company, go to the Hamburger menu.
2. Select the +New menu and choose the Estimate under the Customers column.
3. Enter the details.
4. Verify then hit Save and Close.

Here's a screenshot for your reference.

Also, here's how you will link your Estimate to an Invoice.

1. Go to the + New menu and choose Invoice under the Customers column.
2. Enter the name of the customer which we recently made an estimate.
3. A section for the estimate to be applied will be visible on the right pane.
4. Click Add on the estimate.
5. Verify the detail and hit Save and Close.

I added a screenshot to see how it looks.

Here's how to check the records of the customer's transaction:

1. Go to the Sales menu and choose Customers.
2. Enter the customer's name and check the transactions.

Here's how it looks like.

As you can see,the estimate's status you have linked to the invoice is Closed, that is because it is already linked to an invoice.

For future reference, check out this article: Set up and send progress invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Count me in if you need further assistance. Take care!