Suppliers

Suppliers lets you manage vendor information, track lead times, and organize inventory sourcing. Use suppliers to calculate replenishment needs, assign products to vendors, and manage dropshipping operations.

Quick Start

Add a supplier with their name, location, and timing information. The system calculates replenishment needs using Processing Time (shipping) and Stocking Time (inventory days). The sum must be at least 10 days.

Why Use Suppliers?

Inventory Planning

Calculate when to reorder based on processing and stocking times to avoid stockouts.

Product Organization

Assign products to specific suppliers for better tracking and replenishment workflows.

Lead Time Tracking

Monitor how long it takes for inventory to arrive and be ready for sale.

Dropshipping Support

Upload tracking numbers for dropshipped orders directly to supplier records.

Accessing Suppliers

Navigate to Supplier Seller from the catalog menu or visit /Supplier_Sellerlist.php directly.

The interface displays all suppliers with:

• Supplier ID: Unique identifier
• Supplier Nick: Supplier name (searchable)
• Special instructions: Notes and handling requirements
• Country: Supplier location
• ZIP: Supplier postal code
• Processing Time: Days from PO to warehouse arrival (0-90 days)
• Stocking Time: Days to hold inventory (0-365 days)
• Supplier Email: Contact email address

How to Add a Supplier

1. Click “Add supplier”

   Opens the supplier creation form.

2. Enter Supplier Name

   Supplier Nick (required): Enter a unique name for this supplier.

   Unique Names Required

   Each supplier must have a different name. The system prevents duplicate names.

3. Add Contact Information

   • Special instructions: Notes about this supplier (optional)
   • Country: Select from dropdown
   • ZIP: Postal code
   • Supplier Email: Contact email (validated format)

4. Set Timing Information

   Processing Time (in days): Number of days from when you send a purchase order until merchandise arrives at your warehouse (0-90 days).

   Stocking Time (in days): Number of days you want to keep stock in inventory. Used to forecast inventory needs (0-365 days).

   Minimum Total Time

   Processing Time + Stocking Time must equal at least 10 days. The system uses this for replenishment calculations.

5. Click “Add”

   System validates the information and creates the supplier.

Managing Suppliers

Edit Supplier Information

Grid Edit (Bulk Edit):

1. Click Grid Edit to enable editing for all suppliers
2. Modify fields directly in the table
3. Click Save to apply changes
4. Click Cancel to discard changes

Individual Edit:

1. Click on a supplier row to select it
2. Modify the fields you need to change
3. The system updates immediately

Search for Suppliers

Use the search box at the top to find suppliers:

• Exact phrase: Find the exact text you enter
• All words: Find suppliers containing all search terms
• Any word: Find suppliers containing at least one search term

Click Search (*) to apply the filter. Click Show all to clear search and see all suppliers.

Upload Tracking Numbers

For dropshipping operations:

1. Click Upload tracking numbers
2. Upload a CSV file with tracking information
3. System associates tracking numbers with supplier shipments

Supplier and Product Integration

Assigning Suppliers to Products

When creating or editing products, you can assign a supplier:

• Products inherit supplier information for replenishment calculations
• Multiple products can share the same supplier
• Supplier information appears in product catalog views

Replenishment Forecasting

The system uses supplier timing information to calculate when to reorder:

Formula: (Processing Time + Stocking Time) = Total Lead Time

Example:

• Processing Time: 7 days (shipping from supplier)
• Stocking Time: 30 days (days to keep in stock)
• Total Lead Time: 37 days

When inventory drops below safety stock levels, the system calculates reorder dates based on this total lead time.

Supplier Fields Reference

Required Fields

• Supplier Nick: Unique supplier name (text, required)

Optional Fields

• Special instructions: Internal notes (textarea)
• Country: Location (dropdown)
• ZIP: Postal code (text)
• Supplier Email: Contact email (validated format)
• Processing Time: 0-90 days (number)
• Stocking Time: 0-365 days (number)

💡 Best Practices

Use Descriptive Names

Name suppliers clearly (e.g., “ACME Electronics USA” instead of “Supplier1”).

Accurate Lead Times

Update processing and stocking times regularly to improve replenishment accuracy.

Document Special Requirements

Use the special instructions field for handling requirements, minimum order quantities, or contact preferences.

Review Supplier Performance

Periodically check if actual lead times match your configured processing times.

Pagination and Display

Control how many suppliers you see per page:

• Select records per page: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, or All Records
• Use First, Previous, Next, Last buttons to navigate
• Current page shows: “Records X to Y of Z”

Sorting

Click any column header to sort:

• First click: Ascending order (▲)
• Second click: Descending order (▼)
• Sortable columns: Supplier ID, Supplier Nick, Special instructions, Country, ZIP, Processing Time, Stocking Time, Supplier Email

Troubleshooting

”A supplier with this name already exists”

Problem: Cannot create supplier due to duplicate name.

Solutions:

• Choose a different, unique name
• Check if the supplier already exists using search
• Add location or identifier to make the name unique (e.g., “ACME-CA” vs “ACME-NY”)

“The sum of Processing and Stocking Times must be at least 10 days”

Problem: Combined timing is less than 10 days.

Solutions:

• Increase Processing Time (shipping days)
• Increase Stocking Time (inventory holding days)
• Ensure both values add up to 10 or more

Email Format Invalid

Problem: Supplier email doesn’t validate.

Solutions:

• Use proper email format: name@domain.com
• Check for spaces before or after the email
• Verify the email address is correct

Processing Time Out of Range

Problem: Processing Time must be between 0 and 90 days.

Solutions:

• Enter a value from 0 to 90
• If supplier lead time exceeds 90 days, use 90 and document actual time in special instructions

Stocking Time Out of Range

Problem: Stocking Time must be between 0 and 365 days.

Solutions:

• Enter a value from 0 to 365
• Adjust your inventory holding strategy if you need more than 365 days

Related Features

• Product Catalog: Assign suppliers to products for tracking
• Distribution Centers: Link suppliers to distribution centers for dropshipping
• Product Attributes: Manage supplier-specific product information

Next Steps: Product Management | Creating Products | Distribution Centers