Linking Vendors to Items

Associate suppliers with your products in Officaid to track cost prices and preferred vendors.

Associate Suppliers with Your Products

Knowing where your products come from and what they cost is essential for smart purchasing decisions. Officaid lets you link one or more vendors to each item in your catalog, storing the cost price, vendor SKU, and a preferred vendor badge. This gives you a quick reference when it is time to reorder stock.

Why Link Vendors to Items

Linking vendors to items helps your business in several ways:

Quick reference for reordering. When stock runs low, you can see exactly which supplier to contact and at what price.
Cost tracking. Record the purchase cost from each vendor so you can compare pricing and calculate margins.
Vendor SKU mapping. Store your supplier's product code alongside your own SKU, making order communication clearer.
Preferred vendor identification. Mark one vendor as preferred so your team knows the go-to supplier for each product.

How to Link a Vendor to an Item

1 Go to Sales → Items and click on the item name to open its detail page
2 Scroll down to the Linked Vendors section
3 Click + Link Vendor
4 Select a Vendor from the dropdown
5 Enter the Cost Price (optional) and select the Currency
6 Enter the Vendor SKU (optional) if the supplier uses a different product code
7 Toggle Preferred on if this is your primary supplier for this item
8 Save the link

Vendors must already exist in your system before you can link them to items. You can manage vendors in the Vendors section of Officaid.

Understanding the Link Vendor Fields

Here is what each field means:

Vendor is the supplier you are linking to this item. Select from your existing vendor list.
Cost Price is what you pay this vendor for the item. This is separate from the selling price you charge your customers.
Currency is the currency the cost price is in. This can differ from your selling currency if you purchase from international suppliers.
Vendor SKU is the supplier's own product code for this item. This is useful when placing orders, as the vendor may not recognize your internal SKU.
Preferred marks this vendor as your primary supplier for the item. A "Preferred" badge appears next to the vendor name on the item's detail page.

Linking Multiple Vendors

You can link multiple vendors to a single item. This is common when you source the same product from more than one supplier, whether for backup supply, regional availability, or price comparison.

When multiple vendors are linked, only one can be marked as preferred at a time. The preferred vendor appears with a badge for easy identification.

Viewing Linked Vendors

All linked vendors appear in the Linked Vendors section on the item's detail page. Each entry displays the vendor name, preferred status, and cost price. This provides a quick overview of your supply options for each product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I link a vendor to a service item?

Yes. You can link vendors to any item type. This can be useful for services that involve subcontractors or external providers.

Does the cost price affect my invoices?

No. The cost price is for your internal reference only. It does not appear on quotations or invoices sent to clients. Your selling price remains separate.

Can I change the preferred vendor later?

Yes. Edit the vendor link and toggle the Preferred setting. You can switch which vendor is preferred at any time.

What if I remove a vendor link?

Removing a vendor link does not affect existing stock movements or invoices. It simply removes the association between the vendor and the item for future reference.

What's Next?

Now that you have linked vendors to your items, explore these related guides:

Managing Stock Movements to record stock received from your vendors
Understanding Reorder Points and Quantities to know when it is time to contact your suppliers
What Is a SKU to understand how SKUs and vendor SKUs work together

vendors suppliers cost price items inventory purchasing