How to Track Supplier Purchases, Payables and Stock Costs

To track supplier purchases, payables and stock costs in a small shop, record each purchase and stock receipt in Tukri, which updates product costs and keeps a supplier payable ledger from the transactions you enter.

A supplier invoice and the goods that actually arrive are not always the same thing. A grocery shop may order several cartons but receive fewer; a pharmacy may receive a particular medicine batch with an expiry date. Recording the order, receipt and payment separately helps you see what came in, what it cost and what remains to pay.

What should I record for every supplier purchase?

Keep a purchase record that answers four practical questions: who supplied the goods, what arrived, what did it cost, and how much have you paid? Enter the purchase promptly, while the invoice or delivery note is still at hand.

For each purchase, record:

• The supplier and the date.
• Products, quantities and the cost for each item.
• Any supplier payment made and the payment account used.
• The remaining payable, if the purchase was not paid in full.
• Batch number and expiry date when goods need batch and expiry tracking.

A purchase order is useful when you want to list what you intend to buy before delivery. In Tukri, you can create a purchase order to send to a supplier, then receive stock against it. If you are buying goods without a prior order, record a direct purchase instead. A purchase order records what you requested; receiving stock records what actually arrived.

How do I receive stock and update cost?

Use the received quantities, not just the quantities you ordered. This matters when a supplier delivers a partial order, substitutes an item or sends goods in different sizes or units.

1. Create a purchase order, or open a direct purchase if there was no order.
2. Check the delivery against the supplier invoice or delivery note.
3. Enter the products and quantities actually received, along with their costs.
4. For goods tracked by batch, enter the batch number and expiry date.
5. Save the purchase and review the updated stock and supplier payable.

In Tukri, receiving a purchase updates product cost and stock. The stock history records movements, so an owner can check why the quantity changed rather than relying only on memory. For a pharmacy, batch and expiry tracking helps distinguish separate deliveries of the same medicine. For a grocery shop, pack and loose-unit conversion can support buying a sack and selling by the kilogram, or buying a box and selling pieces.

Check the unit before saving. A cost entered for a carton is not the same as a cost per piece. When products have variants, such as clothing sizes or colours, make sure the received quantity belongs to the right variant.

How does a supplier payable ledger help manage payments?

A supplier payable ledger shows the amount your shop still owes a supplier based on purchases and payments you record. In Tukri, purchases and supplier payments contribute to a supplier payable ledger, helping you review the outstanding balance instead of piecing it together from old invoices and notes.

When you pay a supplier, record the payment against the correct supplier and use the account from which the money went. Tukri's money accounts include cash, bank and mobile-money accounts that the owner creates. Account balances are derived from recorded transactions; they are not edited by hand. A label such as “bKash” or “Nagad” is an account name you set yourself, not a built-in payment-gateway connection.

A practical payment routine is:

1. Check the supplier's outstanding payable and the invoice or statement.
2. Confirm which purchases the payment is for, especially if you have several unpaid invoices.
3. Record the payment and the account used.
4. Compare the updated payable with the supplier's own record and keep the invoice or payment proof.

This helps avoid treating a payment as a new expense or forgetting that it reduced what you owe. If you return goods, record a purchase return so the returned stock and supplier balance are accounted for. Tukri supports purchase returns.

How do purchase records help me understand stock cost and profit?

A sale price alone does not show whether a product is profitable. The cost recorded for stock matters when you review what the shop paid for goods and compare it with sales. Tukri's profit and loss report uses cost snapshots to calculate cost of goods sold, alongside revenue, discounts, expenses and net profit for a selected period.

This is especially useful when the cost changes between deliveries. Suppose a shop receives the same cooking oil at different costs on separate purchases. Recording each purchase gives the owner a clearer history of what was paid, instead of relying on an old handwritten price. Keep supplier invoices and enter costs carefully; a report is only as reliable as the transaction records behind it.

At closing time, a shop owner can review money movements, supplier payables and stock changes without confusing cash received from customers with payments due to suppliers. Owner and admin roles can view reports; staff permissions can be set so staff can receive stock without seeing profit or settings.

What if I have many old supplier records?

Start with the suppliers and purchases you need to manage now. Enter current purchases and payments consistently, then work through unpaid balances using supplier invoices or statements. Do not guess an opening balance: check it with the supplier where possible and keep a note of how you confirmed it.

A notebook can be enough for a very small shop with few suppliers and infrequent credit purchases. Digital records become more useful when invoices pile up, deliveries arrive in parts, costs change often or you need to know what is still payable before placing another order.

Tukri also lets owners and admins import and export product data using CSV, but supplier purchase records should be entered accurately from invoices and delivery notes. Try Tukri with a current purchase: record what arrived, its cost and any payment, then check the updated stock and supplier payable at tukri.bd.