Inventory/Invoice Software

[mrcook4570]

I am looking into software (read that as my wife is making me - my post it notes have multiplied and overgrown my 7' long desk) to manage my inventory, sales, sales tax, receipts, shipping, and all other business related activities. So here are my questions:

Does anybody have any personal experience working with such a program? Would you recommend it (as in, would you buy it again if given the chance)? What are the pros/cons/limitations?

Thank you for your input.

 

[rtjw]

quicken is what I use.

 

[Woodbutcher68]

Staples has Peachtree Accounting 2006 on sale for $164.00, then you get a $164.00 REBATE!
Free software! Big initial outlay though.

 

[JimGo]

Stan,
We recently set up QuickBooks (made by Intuit, the people that make Quicken) for my step-dad's business (physical therapy equipment and supplies, with five employees), and he went from hating the computer (they used a program called RealWorld before) to loving it. There are different "flavors" of QuickBooks for different size businesses and different markets, and a lot of small businesses use it. Peachtree is pretty good too, from what I hear, though you'll find that there's generally more support for QuickBooks. It meets all of his needs, including invoicing, taxes, inventory, and the like, and has really streamlined the way the business is working. If you have more specific questions, I can try to answer them here or via E-mail.

 

[coach]

I use Microsoft Excel. You can make it do anything you want like creating totals and different catagories.

 

[slincoln]

If you don't need payroll (or don't mind paying a yearly fee for it) then Microsoft Small Business Accounting is great. Second on my list would be Quickbooks (same payroll note), then Quicken and on the bottom would be Peachtree.

Thanx Kindly,

Scott

 

[alamocdc]

Stan, I use MS Excel like Travis, but you need to be pretty computer savvy to use it. Like he said, you can make it do just about anything if you take the time to learn it. You can also buy CD-ROM based courses pretty cheap that teach you how to use it, if you're so inclined. On the other hand, if you are looking for something ready made for small businesses, then you should be happy with any of the products by Intuit (Quicken or Quickbooks) and I've heard some good things about Peachtree. However, Peachtree isn't as easy to use as the Intuit products (at least it didn't used to be) and is probably why they are offering a full price rebate. JMNSHO

 

[Woodbutcher68]

Here's my disclaimer:
I haven't used Peachtree I just saw the ad in Sunday's paper and passed on the info.

 

[JimGo]

Fred, I wasn't suggesting you did anything wrong! Peachtree has a great reputation, but, as Billy said, it's not as easy to use as Quickbooks or Quicken. That being said, FREE software is always nice!

 

[ed4copies]

We use Peachtree in my full time business. It is GREAT!! BUT, it takes a lot of setup-more than I would want to do for a hobby.

Microsoft Money is much simpler, we use it for hobbies.[]