# All-in-one invoice | inventory | e-comerce | everything solution



## tankueray (Apr 16, 2010)

(Note - I did post this in the business forum on purpose. Websites are easy. Getting them to function as a site* and* your business software is a little harder. Although it may not be very clear in the post, that's really what I'm aiming for here.)

Okay, I'm a geek in my spare time, and I'm not rich.

I've been wandering around the forums for a while looking for an all-in-one solution and I think you all are too.

Here's what I sell: Vinyl shirts, signs, etc.; Sublimated items that are mostly non-apparel.

This is my plan*:


I currently have my website set up with Drupal and Ubercart. Ubercart is a shopping cart module that is capable of inventory control, user management (CRM), mass email, blogging, bulletin board, sales reporting, payment integration, shipping integration, and tons of other things. Relevant data can be exported to QuickBooks as well. It is not for the faint of heart though.
Through some creative Ubercart module-ing I have set up a file upload in the cart for shoppers to provide their artwork to me. I will be following the progress of the openshirts.org project to hopefully integrate it into my site.
I'm utilizing my free catalog and cart from SanMar right now for some specific items. (I wish the sublimation industry had such a thing.) The problem is that I want to do the same with S&S, but don't want them separate. I thought I was getting close when I found DistributorCentral, but not yet. So the solution here is to integrate the XML feeds from my suppliers into my website.
Possibly by utilizing the APIs of a service like Mint.com, I'm hoping to make everything communicate to make reporting, taxes, and recordkeeping almost completely automated. (Ex. my server and mint export to QuickBooks/GNUCash -> QB/GC exports to TurboTax -> I don't have the pile of paperwork that's sitting on my floor right now.)
In summary: 1) online catalog with my own products and constantly updated supplier products. 2) users will be able to upload their own artwork, design their product, and purchase. 3) automated emails will update me and the customer throughout the process. 4) inventory, invoicing, packing slips, shipping reports, process updates, tax info(!), customer/supplier info and all will be stored in my database and available anywhere I have an internet connection. 5) It's all downloadable into QuickBooks or GNUCash. 

Summary of summary: everything I want without the insane prices of the current providers of these services. 

And it will have to be easy-ish to use, because I can't manage it, produce my orders, and hold down my regular job; so I have to delegate some responsibilities to my family**. 

(For the other geeks out there, you know there are some large holes in the plan*. I am researching other open-source/cheap solutions to plug them.)

When I'm done with the plan*, if I can still afford to keep the lights on and haven't gone insane; I'll share the process with everyone. 

*Plan may be subject to change at any time. Plan delivery time is estimated in eons. Plan is not edible. Do not use heavy machinery while contemplating plan. 

**My family: "You mean they have the internet *on computers* now?"

Even though I'm doing this on my own; I think it would be a great project for all of the developers and programmers amongst us. The basic framework could be modified to other CMSes like Joomla or Wordpress. Ubercart could be substituted with mals-ecommerce or zen cart. I just chose UberDrupal because I'm stubborn and vain, and it has the possibility to do everything as soon as the modules are developed.


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