Stock you buy from a supplier is easy to lose track of. The order lives in a message, the payment in a bank app, the parcel in a tracking page, and when it arrives nobody remembers what was meant to be in it.
The Purchases page keeps all of that on one record. A purchase is what your business buys from a supplier and how it gets to your store: what was ordered and what it costs, what you have paid, how it is travelling, what actually arrived, and what went wrong.
Purchases belong to a supplier, and the goods that arrive can be added to inventory.
The list
The list shows each purchase with its number, supplier, items, total, how it is coming, when it is due and its stage. People who can't see costs see a Payment column in place of Total. Filter by Stage, Supplier or Store, or pick a stage chip: Waiting, On the way, Arrived, Disputed or Received. With no chip picked you see all of them. A purchase that is past its date is marked Overdue.
An empty list says "Record what you buy from a supplier: how it's coming, what you've paid, and what arrives, or what's already here." Press New purchase to record the first.
New purchase
Press New purchase. The form is one page, and you can save it as a draft at any point.
From
- Supplier. Search your suppliers, or type a new name and choose Add "name" as a supplier to save one on the spot (needs the permission to add suppliers).
- The store it's for. The store the goods are coming to.
Items
Choose the Currency you are buying in, then add the lines:
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| What | The item. Paste a list into it to add every line at once |
| Qty | How many. At least 1 |
| Price each | What the supplier charges for one. Leave it empty if you don't know yet; the line shows No price |
Add another adds a line. Each line shows its amount.
Delivery fee and other costs
- Delivery fee (optional), with its own Fee currency, and a box The supplier charged this to say the supplier is the one billing it.
- Other costs for anything else on top, such as duty or packaging. Add cost gives a row with a Name (up to 60 characters, for example "Import duty") and an Amount. You can add up to 10.
The summary beside the form shows the delivery, the total, what is paid, what is still owed when it is part paid, and what is coming.
How is it getting to you?
This is the one choice the form insists on, unless you are saving a draft.
| Way | What it means |
|---|---|
| It's been shipped | The supplier is sending it. Add its tracking number if you have one (up to 10) |
| Send a delivery company | Tabs books a rider to collect it. Paid in TABS credits. See booking a delivery company |
| Someone's collecting it | One of yours, a courier, or the supplier's rider. Add Who's collecting it and the number to call |
| It's already here | Log it and receive it in one go |
Whatever the way, you can add Expected on so the purchase shows as overdue if it doesn't turn up.
For a delivery company the form asks Picked up from, the supplier's address. If the supplier has none, add one there so a rider can find it. Prices come once it's saved, and the booking is made from the purchase.
With It's already here the purchase is saved as received, and each item has a Not for stock tick for things you won't sell.
Paid to the supplier?
Choose Not yet, Paid in full or Part paid. Paid in full records the supplier's total, so it needs prices. For Part paid, say how much. Then add Paid on, How it was paid (Cash, Bank transfer, Card or Other) and the Supplier's invoice no., all optional except the date and amount.
For your records
A Note for anything to remember about it. The purchase's Files card holds an invoice or other file.
Saving
Press Save, which says Save as received when the goods are already here. Save as draft keeps a half-finished purchase without asking for items or a delivery way. Ctrl Enter, or ⌘ Enter on a Mac, saves from anywhere on the form. Tabs says "Purchase saved", or "Logged and received" for goods already here.
Stages
Every purchase has a stage, and a separate payment status.
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Not placed yet |
| Waiting | Waiting on the supplier |
| On the way | In transit |
| Arrived | Here, ready to count |
| Disputed | A dispute is open |
| Partly received | Only some of it is in |
| Received | All of it is in |
| Cancelled | Called off |
| Payment | What it means |
|---|---|
| Not paid | Nothing paid to the supplier |
| Part paid | Some paid |
| Paid | Paid in full |
| No price | The lines have no prices yet |
One purchase
Open a purchase to see its number, who it is from and for, and when it was created. It has cards for Deliveries, Payments, Disputes, Costs, What was ordered (item, ordered, received and cost), Details (supplier, store, expected date, supplier's invoice, currency), Note and Files, plus Changes, a history of what happened.
The delivery card shows how it is getting to you. Add a tracking number, Turn tracking on where Tabs can follow the courier, Mark picked up or It's here for a collection, and Book a delivery company. A tracking number Tabs can't follow is still saved and marked as not tracked.
Recording a payment
On a purchase press Record payment.
- Enter the Amount and the Date. It says what you paid the supplier for the purchase.
- Add the Method (Cash, Bank transfer, Card or Other), a Reference such as a transfer or receipt number, and a Note.
- Press Record payment. Tabs says "Payment recorded".
The card shows Supplier's total, Paid and Balance. If you pay more than the total, it reads "Overpaid by". On a cancelled purchase you have paid for, it reads "The supplier owes you" the amount. Remove a payment with the bin icon; the balance goes back up by its amount.
People who can't see costs see each payment's method and reference, but no amounts, and can't record or remove one.
Receiving
When the goods arrive press Receive. It is offered while the purchase is waiting, on the way, arrived or partly received. The sheet says "Count what came from" the supplier.
For each line choose All received or Only some received. With only some, enter how many came, then say what the missing ones are:
- Still coming, and they stay on the purchase to receive later.
- Dispute, and you say What's wrong (Missing, Damaged, Wrong item or Other), add a note and Photos of the problem.
Add a Note about the delivery and Files if you have them, then press Receive. Tabs says "Received".
If some of what came isn't tied to a product yet, Tabs asks "Add it to your stock?" and you can do it now or Do it later.
Add to inventory
Goods that arrive are not stock until you say which products they are. Add to inventory is on the purchase, and on each line that isn't identified yet. Tabs shows how many units are left to place. For each line choose:
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| A product we already sell | Pick a product and say how many are that product. A line can be split across several products |
| Create a new product | The product form opens with the line filled in. Needs the permission to add products |
| Not for stock | Bought for the business, like packaging or a tool. It covers the whole line |
Press Save, or Continue for a new product. Tabs says "Added to inventory". Tabs stops you from placing more than what is left.
Disputes
A dispute is a problem with a delivery that needs the supplier to put it right. Raise one while receiving. The reasons are Missing, Damaged, Wrong item and Other. While it is open the purchase is Disputed, and the Disputes card shows who raised it. You can add or remove photos while it is open.
To close it press Settle and Settle the dispute. It says how the supplier made it right:
- Replaced
- Refunded or credited, which asks for the Amount. It is offered to people who can see costs
- Written off
Add a Note and press Settle. Tabs says "Dispute settled" and the card shows who settled it.
Ending a purchase early
Open the purchase's Purchase actions menu.
- Cancel purchase is for a purchase that is still a draft or waiting for goods. It says "Nothing more is expected from the supplier."
- Close short is for a partly received purchase. It says "What hasn't come stops being expected."
Both ask Why, which is required, and keep it in Changes. Keep it leaves the purchase as it is.
A worked example
A phone-accessories shop orders 40 phone cases at ₦1,500 each and 20 chargers at ₦3,000 each from a distributor. The delivery fee is ₦5,000, with ₦2,000 of import duty as an other cost. The total is ₦127,000.
She chooses It's been shipped, pastes the tracking number and sets Expected on for Friday. The distributor wants about half up front, so she picks Part paid and enters ₦60,000. The balance shows ₦67,000 still owed.
On Friday the box arrives. She presses Receive. The cases are All received. Only 15 chargers came, so she picks Only some received, enters 15, and says the missing ones are a Dispute. She adds a Dispute for the missing 5, reason Missing, with a note and a photo of the open box. The purchase becomes Disputed.
She adds what arrived to inventory against products she already sells. When the distributor sends replacements she presses Settle, chooses Replaced and saves.
Limits
- Up to 10 tracking numbers on a purchase and 10 other costs.
- A cost name holds up to 60 characters.
- Cancel purchase works only on a draft or a purchase waiting for goods, and Close short only on a partly received one.
- A delivery company is paid in TABS credits.
- People without cost access don't see prices or amounts paid or refunded.
Who can do what
Purchases have their own permissions, set under roles. They sit under Products and stock.
| Permission | What it lets someone do |
|---|---|
| See purchases and deliveries | Open the Purchases page and each purchase |
| Order from suppliers | Start a purchase, and record a delivery that came without an order |
| Change purchases and their dates | Edit a purchase, record payments and settle disputes |
| Receive deliveries | Receive goods, add photos and add to inventory, and say which products the items are |
| Cancel or close purchases | Cancel a purchase or close it short. Sensitive |
| Book deliveries for purchases | Book a delivery company for a purchase. Paid in TABS credits. Sensitive |
Making a product from received items also needs the permission to add products.