Quick Start Manual

Start work with Golden Inventory

A short guide for warehouse and shop staff. Follow the steps in order. In one afternoon you buy, receive, sell, invoice and count your stock.

  Open the app

1Before you start

Golden Inventory runs in your web browser. You do not install anything. It works on a computer, a tablet and a phone.

Words you will see

WordWhat it means
Item (product)A thing you buy, keep on a shelf and sell. Each item has a code, for example LAP-14.
VendorThe company that sells goods to you (your supplier).
CustomerThe person or company that buys goods from you.
LocationThe place where you keep stock, for example your warehouse Main.
DocumentA form that records one action: an order, a receipt, an invoice.
DraftA document that you can still change. A draft does not change stock or money.
ApprovedA final document. When you approve a receipt, an invoice or a sales receipt, the stock changes.
On handThe quantity that is on your shelves now.

How the documents connect

Buy

Purchase orderyou order from a vendor
Item receiptgoods arrive · stock goes up

Sell on account

Sales ordercustomer orders
Invoicegoods ship · stock goes down
Payment incustomer pays

Sell at the counter

POSscan or tap items, take the money
Sales receiptmade for you · stock goes down

You do not type a document two times. One button turns a purchase order into an item receipt, and a sales order into an invoice.

What the Free plan gives you

1user
1location (warehouse)
50items
50customers and vendors
50documents per month

All steps in this manual work on the Free plan. When your business grows, open SettingsBilling & import, select Monthly or Yearly and click Buy on a plan. You pay on Gumroad, and the new plan shows when you come back. Your data stays.

3The main screen

After you sign in, you see the Dashboard.

Dashboard with the left menu, the first steps list and the reorder list
The Dashboard. The menu is on the left.
  • Left menu. Groups: Sales (estimates, orders, invoices, payments in, customers), POS, Purchasing (purchase orders, receiving, payments out, vendors) and Inventory (products, stock, adjustments, stock counts).
  • Menu names change a little with the business type. For example, you can see Products or Items, Accounts or Customers, Orders or Sales orders. They are the same functions.
  • Search at the top. Type an item code, a customer name or a document number.
  • First steps. A short list of tasks for your business type. Click a line to go there.
  • Inventory to Reorder. Items that are below their minimum quantity.
  • Online shows that your data is saved on the server. If the internet stops, you can continue work. The app sends your changes when the connection comes back.

4Add your products

Put each product into the app one time. After that, you only select it.

  1. In the left menu, click Products, then + New item.
  2. Item code — a short unique code, for example LAP-14. This field is necessary.
  3. Invoice description — the name that customers see.
  4. Barcode — scan the label with your barcode scanner, or type the number.
  5. Cost — the price you pay. Sale price — the price you sell at.
  6. Minimum — when the stock falls below this number, the item shows in Inventory to Reorder.
  7. Preferred vendor — the supplier you usually buy this item from.
  8. Click Save.
Item form with code, description, barcode, cost, sale price and minimum
An item: identity on the left, prices and stock control on the right.
Many products?Do not type them one by one. On the Products page click Import and select a CSV or Excel file. The app matches the columns for you.
Cost changes by itselfEach approved item receipt updates the item cost. You do not need to change it manually.

5Add vendors and customers

  1. Click Vendors in the left menu, then + New vendor.
  2. Type the Vendor name. Add the contact person, email, phone and billing address.
  3. Select the Payment terms if you know them, for example Net 30.
  4. Click Save.
New vendor form
New vendor. The customer form is the same.

To add a customer, click Accounts in the Sales group, then + New customer, and do the same steps. Every document uses the address you enter here, so you do not type it again.

Walk-in customerFor counter sales you do not need a customer. The POS uses Walk-in customer.

7Order goods: the Purchase Order

A purchase order (PO) tells your vendor what you want to buy. It does not change your stock.

  1. Click Purchase orders, then + New.
  2. Select the Vendor. The address fills in automatically.
  3. Add the items. Use one of three ways:
    • click the Item field and select from the list;
    • type the item code;
    • scan the barcode into Scan barcode or type code. Scan again to add one more.
  4. Check the Qty and Unit price on each line.
  5. Click Save & approve.
Draft purchase order with vendor and two item lines
A draft purchase order to the vendor Tech Supply Inc.

Send the order to your vendor

Open the approved PO and click Actions. Select Print, PDF or Email.

9Take a customer order: the Sales Order

A sales order records what the customer wants. It does not change the on-hand quantity. Use it when you ship later or wait for payment.

  1. Click Orders in the Sales group, then + New.
  2. Select the Customer.
  3. Add the items (list, code or barcode). Under each quantity, the app shows pcs in stock. Green means that you have enough.
  4. Check the prices. Add a discount or shipping at the bottom if necessary.
  5. Click Save & approve.
Approved sales order with stock hints under each quantity
An approved sales order. The Create invoice → button is at the top.
Price quote first?Make an Estimate in the same way. When the customer agrees, turn it into a sales order or an invoice with one click.

11Record a customer payment

The customer pays the invoice. Record the money, so that you always know who owes you.

  1. Click Payments in, then + New.
  2. Select the Customer. The open invoices show below.
  3. Click full next to the invoice, or type the amount that was paid.
  4. Click = applied to copy the amount into Payment total.
  5. Type the Method, for example bank transfer or cash. Click Save.
New customer payment applied to one invoice
The payment is applied to invoice INV-91.

In the Invoices list, the Balance of the invoice is now 0.00. The Dashboard card Unpaid Invoices shows all money that customers still owe you. You pay your vendors in the same way in Payments out.

14Daily checklist and help

Every day

  • Goods arrived? Open the PO → Receive → → count → Save & approve.
  • Goods shipped? Open the sales order → Create invoice →Save & approve → send the invoice.
  • Money received? Payments in → apply it to the invoice.
  • Counter sales? Use the POS for each sale.
  • Look at Inventory to Reorder on the Dashboard. Order what is low.

Good rules

  • Approve a document only when the action really happened: goods counted, goods shipped, money received.
  • Do not delete approved documents. Use Cancel document (in Actions), a Credit note or a Vendor return. Then your history stays correct.
  • Use a barcode scanner. It is faster, and it stops typing mistakes. A USB scanner works in every Scan barcode field. On a phone, click Scan with camera.
  • Leave the Number field empty. The app gives the next number automatically.

Need help?

  • In the app, type your question in the Search field at the top.
  • Read the full built-in manual. It has a chapter for each function.
  • See all guides on the Docs page.

Ready to start?

Free plan, no credit card, nothing to install.

Start free