How To Use Two Item Numbers in QuickBooks

Ask the Accountant…

Question: I use two item numbers for my distributorship—one is the item number I assign internally and show the customer, and the other is the supplier’s number. Can I use both in QuickBooks?

Answer: Yes, QB Premier and Enterprise allow for two different fields of item numbers. When you set up an item, you can enter the item number and also a manufacturer’s number, which can be different. The item number can be the number you assign internally to show the customer, and the manufacturer’s number can be the number you would use when ordering that item from the supplier.

And, you can use both numbers when processing the same order; the internal number for the customer forms and the manufacturer’s number for the supplier’s purchase order.

Please email your questions to Harriet at Ask The Accountant.

QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise can be modified to better serve ad specialty distributors. Harriet Gatter is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, a former accounting professor and a former ad specialty distributor. She advises ad specialty distributors to use QuickBooks Premier and Enterprise, often in conjunction with other industry-specific software, to manage the complexities of the ad specialty business, with the results being time saved, errors eliminated and an overall accurate accounting of your business. Contact her at hgatter@accountingsupportllc.com.