What Simple Accounts Database/Software?

[elite.cut]

Hi first post, go easy :)

In brief I started a small online business a month or so ago and it is kind of snowballing, I'm selling much more than I hoped and needing to order more stock. Already keeping track of everything is starting to become an issue using an excel spreadsheet so I want to get on top of it asap.

I want some sort of database to keep track of it, nothing too complex/enterprise. I could write one but I'd rather focus on selling for now so off the shelf might be the way forward.

I'm hoping to keep track of the following:

1) Purchases - break down of goods, prices, delivery, import & VAT costs

2) Sales - who, what, how much, from which source

3) Costs - ebay/paypal fees, merchant fees, hosting fees, postage, packaging etc

4) ROI/Profit/Expenditure - I'd like to be able to show the unit cost of an item vs the sale price once all costs have been factored in - I'd like to know current ROI but not including orders that haven't yet arrived/been sold i.e. are just an investment that I WILL get a profit on in the future.

Can anyone suggest a commercial (or free, even better) solution? If it could write to a remote SQL db that would be awesome. Any other help/advice welcome, thanks.

[coxdabd]

Hi there,

I'm finding exactly the same problem as you have described. I too have just started my own business and really need some accounting software. Sage Instant Accounts seems very good indeed but looks incredibly complex...although I they do have video tutorials included in the package should you buy the software.

I mainly use a Mac, I don't think Sage Instant Accounts is available for Mac...I may be wrong though.

Will be interested to see what others recommend.

Very best wishes,

Kriss.

[David Griffiths]

Stand alone systems: Solar Accounts is very good, much less complex than Sage

Online offerings: Xero and Kashflow as accounts systems and KashFlow in particular has interfaces with other programs via an API. Pearl has a link with a CRM system.

[Blackberry]

another vote for Solar here

if you want online software take a look at clear books (http://www.clearbooks.co.uk)

[Brightpearl]

Hello elite

Sure - have a look at Pearl - we've just launched an accounts only version, which at just £12 a month is a snip. You can add stock control and purchase orders too when the time comes (unlike pretty much all the other online accounting, we actually have a lot of functionality for larger businesses too).

You can import your sales from existing systems too on a day-to-day basis, which will create customers directly into the system automatically.

It's a free 30 day trial so you can't really go wrong. Give me a shout if you'd like some tips for setting up!

Chris

[markmclaren]

Hello Elite - by all means, try Solar Accounts (http://www.solaraccounts.co.uk/). However, the current version (December 2009) does not keep track of individual stock items, so cannot calculate cost/margin per item. (This may be a feature we add in future).

Cheers,

[elite.cut]

Thanks for the advice, I downloaded the solar trial, it certainly looks nice and fairly intuitive but I found it needs a lot of clicks to add items each time having to select from loads of accounts - seems a bit time consuming.

Ideally I'd like to buy a ready made database and php scripts that I can host myself - so remote access with no subscription - but I can't seem to find anything suitable.