A method for preventing shortage at a customer location (5,5′) of consumable ingredient capsules for use in a machine (10,10′) for preparing a beverage by receiving a capsule in a capsule extraction unit, circulating a carrier liquid, such as water in particular heated water, through said capsule in the extraction unit and by dispensing a resulting beverage, the beverage preparation machine at the customer location being distant from a capsule supplier (40) and in data-exchange connection (20) with a server (50) of the capsule supplier to form a network (1), such method comprising: —supplying from the capsule supplier a stock of consumable ingredient capsules to the customer location; —automatically monitoring via the network consumption of the consumable ingredient capsules in the beverage preparation machine; and —whenever the automatic monitoring detects a reaching of a shortage of consumable ingredient capsules at the customer location, generating automatically by the supplier server an instruction: a) to invite the customer to make an order for a shipment of a new stock of capsules, or b) to prepare a shipment of a new stock of capsules for supply to said customer.