Add a Product in Zuviq Book — Catalogue, Units and Opening Stock

This is the walkthrough written out. If you would rather read than watch, everything the video says is below, and the four things people usually get wrong — the base unit, opening stock, the Add stock button, and the difference between Add stock and a goods receipt — are answered before the transcript starts.

The short answer

Everything you sell starts in the catalogue. You type an item once; after that every quotation, invoice and counter sale picks it up by name or barcode. Get four things right when you create it — the category, the base unit, track stock and the opening quantity — and the rest of the system behaves. Get them wrong and you will be correcting reports for a year.

The catalogue has five tabs

• All Items — the form where you add or edit one item.
• Item List — every item in one table, searchable, with filters.
• Variants — one item sold in several versions (a fan in three sizes). Covered in the next video.
• Barcode Print — print shelf stickers and price labels.
• Pack Sizes — buy by the carton, sell by the piece. Covered in the next video.

Four switches decide what the form asks

Before you type anything, look at Business Setup. Four switches there change the item form itself, and they are set for you when you pick your trade at sign-up:

• Variants — sells in sizes or colours, so the form gains a variants tab.
• Serial / IMEI — one row per physical unit, captured at purchase and at sale.
• Warranty — how many months you cover the item, and who honours it.
• Multi-unit — buy by the carton, sell by the piece, so the form gains Pack Sizes.

Turn multi-unit off and the Pack Sizes tab disappears. It is the same catalogue — it simply stops asking a question you do not need. An electronics shop arrives with stock, POS, quotations and serial/warranty already on.

Categories: two levels, and a count that tells you something

Categories do two jobs: they help you find an item fast, and they group your sales reports. A small shop can keep everything at the top level — Chargers and Cables, Home Appliance, Cooling. A bigger shop can nest one inside another, like Cooling › Fan, and stock bought for one line does not blur into another.

The number beside each category is the item count inside it, so an empty category is visible before you fill it. The Uncategorized row at the bottom is worth a weekly glance: items parked there still sell, but they do not group in your reports, so your category-wise sales figure quietly understates itself.

Units: the base unit must be the smallest one

The unit is how you count the item, and it is also the base unit: stock is kept in it and every price is expressed in it. Add a unit with the plus button (pieces, box, packet, set, dozen) and pick one per item.

Here is the rule that saves you months: the base unit is the small one. If stock is counted in pieces, a carton is not a second unit — a carton is twelve pieces, and that is what Pack Sizes records. Pick the carton as the base unit and the first time you sell a single piece, your stock count breaks.

The item form, field by field

• Type — Product (a thing on a shelf) or Service (time and work). A service never asks for stock.
• Code — the internal code; the system proposes one (ANK-20W), you can overwrite it.
• Item Name — name it the way the customer asks for it, because that is what the counter searches: Anker 20-watt USB-C Charger, not ANK20WC.
• Category — the one you just made.
• Unit — the base unit, the smallest one.
• Unit Price — your selling price. It fills into every quotation and invoice automatically.
• Purchase Cost — what you paid. You may leave it empty: the system then takes the cost from your purchase bill, and later from the weighted average.
• Default Discount % and Default Tax % — applied to the line unless you change it on the document.
• Brand, Model, HS Code, Made In — for finding the item fast, and because a VAT or Mushak paper will ask for the HS code.
• Description — printed on the quotation line. Leave it blank and the name carries.
• Internal Notes — never shown to the customer.

Track stock, and the opening quantity

Track stock ("Count this item in and out of stock") is the switch that makes stock move when you sell, and it is also what lets the invoice work out your cost. An item without it is a service or a memo line: it sells, but no stock moves and no cost is taken.

Opening stock is what you physically have on the shelf today. It is the only quantity you ever type by hand — after this, stock moves on its own when you buy or sell. And it is set once, when the item is created: after saving, the field becomes read-only text. That is deliberate. Opening stock is the number every later balance replays from, so editing it afterwards would silently rewrite last month's reports.

Outlet and reorder level

One shop? Leave the outlet box empty and the item is stocked everywhere. Two shops? Stock it in a specific outlet, and that outlet gets its own reorder level, so the low-stock list can tell you which branch needs stock.

Reorder level is the point where the system starts warning you. When on-hand drops below it, the item appears on the low-stock list and in the notification bell.

Adding stock later: the Add stock button

Because opening stock is locked after creation, the saved item shows an Add stock button beside it. That button opens a stock adjustment with the item already on the line and the reason already set to Opening Stock — you type the real quantity and post it. Nothing else to fill in.

What Post does to your books

The adjustment is a two-step document: save it as a draft while you are still counting, then Post when the count is final. Posting does two things at once — it moves the stock, and it writes the accounting entry. Opening stock goes to the owner's capital, because your own goods are not profit; you are converting cash you already spent into stock you now hold.

The one mistake worth avoiding

If you bought the goods, do not use Add stock. Use a goods receipt against the supplier. Opening stock is for what you already owned on day one. Put a purchase through Add stock and the supplier bill and the stock ledger stop agreeing — the stock appears, but nobody is owed for it.

Warranty

Warranty is a small row on the item, and it saves an argument a year later. Choose who gives it — the manufacturer, you, or a new unit — and how many months. When you sell the item, the invoice keeps those details, so a later claim knows exactly which unit, which customer, and which month.

Serial and IMEI

For phones and electronics, switch on serial tracking: every unit gets its own serial or IMEI, one row per unit, not one row per model. You add them as you receive them, and the counter picks one at sale — which is how you always know which unit went to which customer, and when it came in.

The count is the limit: with two units on the shelf, the invoice cannot sell three. If the box carries two numbers (a box serial and a phone IMEI), keep both — one row can hold each.

Watch the video

The same walkthrough on video, with every click: Add a Product in Zuviq Book — Catalogue, Units & Opening Stock (7:49). Part two of the series covers variants and pack sizes; part one covers sign-up.

Not set up yet? Start the free 7-day trial — no card, and the catalogue arrives pre-filled with your trade's categories and units. Trading in electronics? The electronics shop guide covers serial, warranty and dealer pricing end to end.

Full transcript

What the catalogue is

This is the catalogue — everything you sell lives here. You type an item once. After that, quotations and invoices use it, and your counter uses it.

The five tabs

There are five tabs. All Items — the form where you add an item. Item List — all your items in one table. Variants — one selling fan in three sizes. Barcode Print — a sticker for the shelf. Pack Size — buy by carton, sell by piece. We go through all five in this order.

Four switches in Business Setup

Four switches sit in Business Setup. They decide what the item form asks you. Variants: one item in three sizes. Serial or IMEI: one row for every unit. Warranty: how many months you cover it. Multi-unit: buy by carton, sell by piece. All four are on for this shop. That is why you can see the Pack Size tab. Turn multi-unit off and that tab goes away — same catalogue, it just stops asking the questions.

Categories

Then back to Catalogue, All Items, Categories. Categories help you find an item fast, and they also group your reports. I click the plus. I type a name — Chargers and Cables. Under top level. This shop is small; a bigger shop can put one category inside another, like Cooling, then Fan. The number next to each category shows how many items are inside, so you can see an empty category before you fill it. Now look at the categories at the bottom: items there do not group in reports — check it once a week.

Units and the base unit

The unit is how you count this item. This is also the base unit. Stock is kept in the base unit, and all your prices use it. I add Pieces — full name, Pieces — add. OK, saved successfully. Why does this matter? Because the base unit is the small one. If stock is counted in pieces, a carton is not a second unit. A carton is twelve pieces — we set that in Pack Size later in this video. So pick the small unit here, not the carton.

Adding an item

Now the item. Name it the way a customer asks for it — Anker, 20 watt, USB-C charger. Port is a short name you type at the counter, like 20 watt. So: the category we just made, Chargers and Cables. Unit, Piece. Unit price is your selling price — like 500. Purchase cost is what you paid; you can leave the cost empty, then the system takes it from your purchase bill. Brand, model and HS code are here for two reasons: you find the item fast, and next year your VAT or Mushak paper asks for the HS code.

Part one: track stock and opening stock

Part one — a new item. Tick Track Stock. This one box makes stock move when you sell. It also makes the invoice work out your cost. Opening stock is what you have on the shelf today. This is the only quantity you type by hand. After today, stock moves when you buy or when you sell. I am saving it. And Outlet — reorder level is the point where the system warns you.

Outlet and reorder level

Next, the outlet. One shop? Leave stock at empty. Then the item is stocked everywhere. Two shops? Stock it in this outlet here, and this outlet gets its own reorder level. Then the low-stock list tells you which shop needs stock.

Part two: save the item

Part two — save the item. I am putting reorder at five. Leaves the costing at default. Look at the opening stock now — set when the item was created. Why? Because that number is the start of every balance after it. If you change it later, your old reports change too.

Adding stock later

So how do you add stock later? This button — Add Stock. It opens a stock adjustment, with the item already there. Anker 20 watt USB-C charger, and the reason is already Opening Stock. Type the real quantity, then press Post.

Post and the accounting entry

Post does two things: it moves the stock, and it writes the accounting entry. Opening stock goes to the owner's capital — your own goods are not profit. One warning: if you bought this good, do not use Add Stock. Use a goods receipt, then the supplier bill and the stock match. Okay, I am saving the draft. When it is final, post it — then it will hit your accounting.

Warranty

Warranty is one small row. It saves the argument next year. Pick who gives the warranty — the company, you, or a new unit. Then pick the months. I choose manufacturer, twelve months. When you sell this item, the invoice keeps the warranty details, so later a claim knows which unit, which customer, and which month.

Serial and IMEI

Serial — for phones and electronics, pick this. Now every unit gets its own serial or IMEI — one row for one unit, not one row for one model. So you always know which unit you sold to whom, and when it came in. I add the two units. I have now serial 111, IMEI 111 — it is only for testing purposes. Supplier is optional — all of it is optional. If you have warranty, then you can set it on the unit. I have now two units. Two on sale — that is the count. When you sell, the invoice asks for the serial, and you cannot sell more units than you have. If the box has two numbers, keep both — one for the box, one for the phone.

What comes next

So after saving the item, it now shows in the Item List. To keep this video short and easy to follow, I will cover product variants and pack sizes in a separate, upcoming tutorial. This gives us more time to explore how they work, and how you can manage them efficiently in Zuviq Book. So stay tuned for the next video.