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Running a handmade business requires more bookkeeping and tracking than most crafters want. Are you ready to ditch your spreadsheets and run your business more efficiently? There’s software to help you do it.
Let me introduce you to Craftybase, inventory and bookkeeping software made specifically for handmade business owners. This software is awesome, but don’t take my word for it. Here are some Craftybase reviews from real customers:
- Craftybase Review: Lindsay from Craft Brewed Suds said, “I tried tracking expenses in Excel, but it was very clunky and I wasn’t sure I was doing it right. With Craftybase, I know I’ve got it all covered and I can see how my expenses fit into the big picture.”
- Craftybase Review: Niesha from Handmade Philly, loves Craftybase because she can check stock right from her phone and calculate expenses from Etsy, eBay, and Paypal. It has made running her handmade business so much easier! Niesha said, “It helps me set prices for my items that are fair but cover my materials and labor… I can even run reports to see what items are top sellers and what items are out of stock or low in stock.”
- Craftybase Review: Victoria from Divina Denuevo said, “Craftybase is our ‘command central’ where all our orders from all those channels get collated. Without it, we would have no way to track all of our sales efficiently!”
Craftybase Features
Craftybase can help your business in so many ways! Not only does it help you track your inventory levels and sales in one place, but it also provides pricing guidance, bookkeeper-friendly reports, expense tracking, and more. If those Craftybase reviews were not enough to get you excited, take a closer look at the features this software offers.
Materials and Expense Tracking
Whenever you make a purchase for your handmade business, you can record it in Craftybase. A searchable product and materials list is automatically created for you. This helps you track what materials you have on hand to create your products, as well as how much money you spent on each of them. You can also track the (often) hidden costs of running a handmade business, such as sewing machine repairs, travel time, and even utility costs. Craftybase is great inventory software because it turns all your purchases into trackable units.
Pricing Guidance
Handmade business owners must account for their time, materials, perceived market value, and overhead costs when pricing their products — a complex balance that is hard to master. As I already mentioned, Craftybase keeps a complete list of your material costs. This information is used to provide you with pricing guidance and estimated profit margins. Craftybase has thought of everything. It even adds in Etsy fees and commissions for you. You can create pricing tiers for retail, wholesale, consignment, and online sales with unique markups for each one.
Reporting
Craftybase features a range of powerful reports for your handmade business besides pricing. You can see profit/loss reports, sales and expenditure reports, tax reports, batch reports, cost of goods breakdowns, inventory valuations, and more. All this data helps you make better decisions for your handmade business. Plus, there are daily backups of your data in the cloud so you can access your reports from anywhere.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…
Craftybase sounds like complex software with a huge learning curve.
It’s true that you will need to learn how to use Craftybase. Some terms in the software are not immediately understood, such as “recipes.” However, most Craftybase reviews I’ve seen say that the software is easy to use and saves handmade business owners tons of time and money. It’s no more complicated than learning any other software and there are tons of videos to teach you everything you need to know.
Craftybase is definitely easier than programming your own spreadsheets. If you’re tired of tracking your inventory and doing bookkeeping manually, you should give Craftybase a try.
Integrations
Craftybase makes it easy to import product orders, charges, fees, and refunds from a variety of systems. This information is pulled daily so you can track all your transactions in one place without inputting anything manually. This saves you a ton of time! You no longer have to copy/paste data into a spreadsheet one item at a time.
Craftybase supports the following integrations:
- Amazon
- Etsy
- PayPal
- Shopify
- Square
- WooCommerce
Craftybase Pricing
Craftybase uses a tiered, pricing structure. You can choose from three monthly plans: Starter, Pro, and Studio. Here’s a breakdown of what you get from each one:
Your Craftybase subscription is completely month to month. There is no contract, so you can cancel at any point without losing money.
If you’re still on the edge about Craftybase, you can give it a try FREE for 14 days. There are no obligations and you aren’t required to enter payment details to access the trial. Plus, the free trial gives you full access to all features!
Disclaimer: The pricing information listed for Craftybase was last updated in March 2020. Please check Craftybase’s website for current pricing.
Software Alternatives to Craftybase
Inventory management and invoicing software is not a new thing… There are lots of options. The advantage to using Craftybase is that it was specifically made for people who run a handmade business.
You should also check out Craft Maker Pro. It has similar features, but the pricing structure is completely different. Instead of paying for a monthly subscription to use the software, you buy the software with a one-time fee. Craft Maker Pro costs $147 (as of March 2020).
I’d love to hear your Craftybase reviews in the comments below. What do you love or hate about the software?
I can guarantee using Craftybase is better than tracking all your inventory and expenses with a simple spreadsheet and trying to price your handmade products on your own. Plus, Craftybase has no contract, so it’s worth trying. Many handmade business owners are saving time and money in their first week.
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Very helpful and informative! I might have to give this a try.