MilosCandles Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 I did a search on here already and I see that 3 packages were suggested https://www.soapmaker.ca/ https://craftybase.com/ https://quickbooks.intuit.com/ Having an Etsy Store, Amazon, Woo-commerce, Craft Shows and Wholesale accounts the spreadsheet keeps getting larger and more tabs added to it. I think it is time to upgrade. SIGH. I am NOT looking for inventory tracking, rather just number crunching and reporting When I opened CraftyBase I was excited to see all my avenues covered, but was disappointed with when I saw it was $25 a month. But then I ask myself. Will this save me 2 hours a month? Also when I clicked on "Intregrations" Amazon disappeared from the list. Hmmmmm Quickbooks is so well known, and through etsy you can get it for $5 a month for the 1st year and then $10 a month after that. I do not think soapmaker will work for me. Does anyone have any input on any of these. Anyone do integrations? Any other suggestions? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt Roads Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) I've used Quick Books for years. When we had the mall stores, we integrated Quick Books with our POS (Counter Point) for 8 stores and with our web business on Monster Commerce. I don't do Etsy, etc but currently have a simple retail operation and only 2 shows a year. We currently use Quick Books for the taxes for Dirt Roads, personal taxes and for real estate. I have my own simple manual inventory turn evaluation system. I consider implementing Quick Books years ago to be one of the smartest business decisions. Running a multi location retail business would have been very difficult without Quick Books. IF I was planning on building or joint venturing (which I am not), Quick Books would be in place. I was very happy with Counter Point POS which also had a lot of report capabilities, but if I started right now, I would probably use Quick Books POS too. For someone like you that is building and growing, I would recommend it. I remember setting up multiple retail locations was basically a few clicks. I could see this fitting your different selling venues as they are basically just selling "locations". Edited May 30, 2019 by Dirt Roads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I downloaded the free version of Quickbooks. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the upgraded paid versions have but you'd be surprised at how much it can do. I did all my accounting on it for years until my old comp broke down. Now I have Soapmaker3 and haven't gotten around to using it yet with my new computer but I had it on my old and preferred QB more. If you do go for QB check out the Small Business Association (SBA) for your local affiliate office. I did and was glad I did. They offer free and very cheap business classes including a QB class. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) I just checked and it looks like the SimpleStart version of Quickbooks is now $6 a month. It used to be the free version. Anyway I've used it and loved it much better than Soapmaker3. SM3 is really designed more for the soapmaker although anyone can use it and you can log candle stuff and other stuff using it. But it was made for soapmakers in mind as it has recipe sections and other frills that work perfect for the soapmaker. QB is for accounting in general and the simple version is really very nice. If you find you want to upgrade you can always do that later. Personally I like to try and find free software before I start spending money. Also, I prefer companies that have free trial versions before I purchase. QB has a 30 day trial period so you can try it out and if you don't like it you don't have to buy it. I just checked and got the top 5 accounting programs listed. Looks like FreshBooks is the top rated. But here is the list of five with comparisons for you to check out: https://top-accountingsoftware.com/?utm_source=B&gclid=a17428ec2f7e164f361a741d76347dd4 Edited May 31, 2019 by Candybee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 I need to let people know what I have found. 5 Months later I have found a solution. FREE Solution. YES FREE. No catch. It is Called Wave Accounting https://www.waveapps.com/ How it is free?????????? Wave makes money from financial services that make running your business faster. We offer payroll services in Canada and the U.S. at a super affordable price. We also allow businesses to accept payments online so you can get invoices paid faster; we charge a competitive 2.9% + 30¢ fee to process credit cards, and 1% for bank payments (where available). I have been using it for about a week. As the end of the year is approaching I figured I would give it a try. The 1st thing I tried was uploading some of my scanned receipts and WOW, that worked amazing. Upload about 50 of them, it identified them in about a minute, I then categorized them and I was done. I am now 100% invested in this software. It did integrate with Etsy, but I stopped that. It is easier to just put monthly numbers in from Etsy, then let it try to figure them all out. Etsy's numbers are just a mess. Next I need to get the app on my phone and try scanning receipts with my phone. Currently I am using Dropbox for this and that already works great. Their website has been very fast and responsive almost as good as a desktop app. Give it a try and see what you think. So nice I can now see some monthly stats and do some reporting. No more spreadsheets for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.