Hardware stores and builders' merchants

Magpie sells your tools, paint and fixings online and at the counter. It lists what to reorder, bills your trade customers and tracks the hire tools.

You and your staff run the shop and the tool hire in one Magpie team.

Crear cuenta
  1. Paint and toolsTienda
  2. Loose nailsInventario
  3. Special ordersContactos
  4. Tool hireControl de activos
Halloran's Hardware's products: wood screws by the box, common nails sold loose, interior paint, a cordless drill running low, a claw hammer, brass hinges, snow shovels and key cutting, each with its stock and price.

This combination of five Magpie areas fits a hardware store.

Store
Store sells every line at the counter and online, and gives the trade its prices.
Inventory
Inventory keeps loose nails and bulk goods in kilos, so the shop sells them by weight.
Contacts
Contacts keeps your builders and plumbers, their invoices, and a follow-up for each special order.
Asset Tracker
Asset Tracker records which customer has each hire tool, and the day it is due back.
Staff Scheduling
Staff Scheduling plans the counter and yard shifts, and shows each person their own.

Every line in the shop goes into Magpie with its SKU and barcode.

Store is the shop's online shop and its list of lines. A screw's sizes are options. Each size has its own price, SKU, barcode and stock. A CSV file adds or changes up to 5,000 rows at once.

A line goes online once it has a photo and a price. Customers can order online and collect at the counter. Magpie emails them when you mark the order ready.

Each line has a reorder point, and the supplier's order fills with what is low.

Each item has a reorder point and a quantity to order. When a line falls to its point, you get an email. Add low-stock items fills the purchase order to the supplier. It goes by email as a PDF.

Receiving the delivery adds the boxes at their cost. It can make the supplier's bill in the books. The shop floor and the yard can each hold stock, with transfers between them.

Stock of Halloran's Robertson wood screws by size: boxes on the shop floor and in the back stockroom, held for checkout, each size's reorder point, the 2 inch boxes on order, and the cost per box.

Loose nails are counted in kilos, and each 100 grams sold comes out of stock.

Inventory is the shop's stock list for loose and bulk goods. Nails and ice melt are kept in kilos, and bolts one by one. A 25 kg box of nails is received as 25 kg.

The nails' product sells per 100 g. Each sale takes 0.1 kg out of stock. A count sets each bin to what is there. Running low lists what to order from each supplier.

Halloran's Inventory items: loose common, roofing and finishing nails weighed in kilos, bolts and washers counted each, and bulk ice melt and bird seed, with the nails running low marked Low.

Builders and plumbers buy at their trade prices, and pay on their terms.

Each trade customer is a wholesale customer with a price list. The list sets trade prices on chosen lines and a percentage off the rest. The tradesperson signs in to Magpie and sees their own prices.

At checkout they choose Pay by invoice. The invoice is emailed, due on their terms, with a Pay online button. They can collect the order before it is paid.

Halloran's wholesale page: a renovation firm asking for a trade account, with Approve and Decline, and the plumbers, electricians and builders already approved with their trade price lists and invoice terms.

Each trade customer's invoices are on their page, and special orders get a follow-up.

Contacts keeps your trade customers with their firm and their payment terms. Magpie adds a trade customer with their first order on invoice. Their page lists every invoice, and a pinned note can hold what they usually buy.

A follow-up on a customer's contact holds the day their special order is due. Follow-ups lists every open one as Overdue, Today or Upcoming.

Halloran's follow-ups: a tile saw hire overdue, a special-order storm door due today, and calls to make when back-ordered deck screws, bifold door hardware and a mortise lock arrive.

You know who has the floor sander, and the day it is due back.

Asset Tracker keeps each hire tool with its tag and serial number. You check the tile saw out to the customer's contact, with a due-back date. After that date it shows as Overdue, in its own tab.

Check-in records the condition it came back in. Start maintenance takes a tool off hire for a new belt or a service. The hire charge is billed on the customer's invoice.

Halloran's drum floor sander, a hire tool, checked out to a customer and due back tomorrow, with its tag, serial number, condition and every hire in its history.

You plan the counter and the yard each week, and staff see their own shifts.

Staff Scheduling starts a shop with Cashier, Sales, Supervisor and Stock positions. Opening and Closing shifts come with them. You can add a Yard or a Hire desk position. Shifts are drafts until you publish them.

Each person sees their own shifts. They can swap with a coworker, ask for cover or take an open Saturday shift. Your settings decide which requests you approve.

Six more areas cover trade invoices, opening checks, hiring, the website, labels and the books.

Invoicing
Invoicing holds every trade invoice, and lists which are due and overdue. A tool hire is billed there too.
Daily Operations
Daily Operations gives a retail store its routines, from Opening and Delivery receiving to Closing.
Hiring
Hiring gives a Saturday counter job its own page, and keeps every applicant in one list.
Websites
Websites builds the shop's site with your hours, and a Shop page of your lines.
QR Codes
QR Codes makes a code for a hire tool's label that opens its how-to video. It can point somewhere else later.
Accounting
Accounting keeps the books, with sales, trade invoices and each supplier's bill in them.

A trade order goes from the builder's list to the books.

Each step uses what the step before it recorded.

  1. The list

    The builder puts the job's materials in the cart, at their trade prices.

  2. The invoice

    They choose Pay by invoice. The invoice is due on their terms, and Magpie adds them as a contact.

  3. The pickup

    You mark the order ready, and Magpie emails them the trade counter's pickup times.

  4. The stock

    The order holds its lines. A line at its reorder point is emailed to you.

  5. The supplier

    Add low-stock items fills the purchase order, and the delivery adds the stock at cost.

  6. The books

    The trade invoice, its payment and the supplier's bill are in the books.

Setting up takes six steps.

  1. Import your lines

    You import the product list as a CSV file, then add photos to the online lines. Help: Import and export products as CSV.

  2. Add your suppliers

    You add each supplier with your account number and lead time, and set reorder points. Help: Suppliers and purchase orders.

  3. Open trade accounts

    You give each builder a trade price list and invoice terms. Help: Wholesale customers, price lists and pay by invoice.

  4. Offer click and collect

    You add local pickup with the shop's address and pickup times. Help: Collections and shipping.

  5. Add the hire tools

    You add each hire tool with its tag, ready to check out. Help: Track individual assets.

  6. Connect Stripe

    You connect your Stripe account, so customers can pay by card. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.

Plans

A shop with staff fits the Team plan, one price for up to 25 members. A free team has 3 members and 100 contacts. Someone on the rota takes a place only after joining to see their shifts.

Magpie adds no fee to your sales or to invoices. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. Invoices from trade orders do not count toward the free plan's 5 invoices a month. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Other shops and trades have pages of their own.

Questions hardware stores ask

Can I get thousands of product lines in without typing each one?

Yes. A CSV file adds or changes up to 5,000 items at a time. A row whose SKU matches an item changes it. Other rows add draft products. The import lists every change before anything is saved.

Can every item have its own SKU and barcode?

Yes. A product's options, such as Size, make each combination an item. Each item has its own price, cost, SKU, barcode and stock. The Stock page finds a line by its name, SKU or barcode.

Can I sell screws singly and by the box?

Yes. A Pack option with Single and Box of 100 makes two items. Each has its own price, SKU, barcode and stock. Both show on the same product page.

Can we sell nails and bird seed by weight?

Yes. Inventory keeps loose nails in kilos, with decimals such as 7.4 kg. A product sold per 100 g takes 0.1 kg from it with each sale. A delivery or a count sets the product's stock in whole sales.

How do we ring up a sale at the counter?

New order records the items and how they were paid, such as by a card terminal. The order is created paid, and the items leave stock.

Can we ring up key cutting at the counter?

Yes. Key cutting can be a product with Track stock off, so it never runs out. A standard key and a security key are options with their own prices. Kept as a draft, it stays off the online shop and still sells at the counter.

Can customers order online and collect in the shop?

Yes. You add local pickup with the shop's address and pickup times. When you mark an order ready, Magpie emails the customer the address, times and any instructions. Mark collected records what they took.

Can we deliver materials to a building site?

Yes. A local delivery method delivers to the postal codes you list. You set the fee, and delivery can be free over an amount. The customer picks a delivery date from the days you deliver.

How do I know when a line is running low?

Each item has a reorder point and a quantity to order. When a line falls to its point, you get an email within a few minutes. The Stock page's Low stock filter lists every low line, furthest below first.

Can I send purchase orders to my suppliers?

Yes. Each supplier has your account number and its lead time. Add low-stock items fills a purchase order with what is low. You email it as a PDF or download it. An order that is late is marked Overdue.

What happens when a delivery comes in short?

You enter what arrived and the delivery note number. The order stays Partly received until the rest comes. Close without the rest ends it when the rest will not come. Each line's average cost moves toward what you paid.

Can I keep stock in the yard and in the shop?

Yes. Each location holds its own stock, and a line's Stock page shows each one. A transfer moves stock from the yard to the shop floor. A pickup order can take its stock from the shop's location.

Can we do a stocktake?

Yes. A number changed on an item's Price and inventory is recorded as a stock count correction.

Can builders and plumbers have trade prices?

Yes. You approve each firm as a wholesale customer and give it a price list. The list sets trade prices on chosen lines and a percentage off everything else. The tradesperson signs in to Magpie and sees their prices. Everyone else sees your shelf prices.

Can trade customers pay on 30-day terms?

Yes. Their terms can be an invoice due on receipt or in 7, 14, 30, 45, 60 or 90 days. At checkout they choose Pay by invoice. The invoice is emailed with a Pay online button. They can collect the order before it is paid.

Can a contractor apply for a trade account online?

Yes. With Wholesale requests on, your online shop's footer links to a Wholesale page. The contractor gives their business name, an optional tax ID and a message. You are emailed, and Approve opens their terms.

Can a builder send me a materials list for a price?

Yes. With Quote requests on, the cart shows Request a quote. The builder sends their cart with a message, and you are emailed. Make an invoice turns it into a draft invoice. You can change the prices before you send it.

Can I order something in for a customer?

Yes. A line you do not stock can sell when out of stock. It shows the date it is expected. The customer pays when they order, and the order is listed under Pre-orders. When the delivery is in, you mark it ready and Magpie emails them.

Can I keep track of who has each hire tool?

Yes. Asset Tracker keeps each hire tool with its tag, serial number and condition. You check it out to the customer's contact with a due-back date. Check-in records the condition it came back in. The hire charge is billed on an invoice.

How do I see which hire tools are overdue?

A tool past its due-back date shows as Overdue. The asset list has an Overdue tab, and Reports counts them. A follow-up on the customer's contact can remind you to call them.

Can staff swap shifts with each other?

Yes. Each person sees their published shifts. From a shift they can swap with a coworker or ask for cover. Your settings decide which requests you approve.

Can I add staff for the spring rush?

Yes. You can copy a week, repeat a shift or add a starter week. Open shifts are on the top row, and staff can take them. Auto-fill proposes people for them, checked against time off and availability.

Can we keep the opening and closing checks?

Yes. Daily Operations gives a retail store its routines. They include Opening, Delivery receiving, Afternoon shelf replenishment and Closing. Each appears when it is due. You keep the ones you want and change their steps.

Can we sell gift cards?

Yes. A gift card sells fixed amounts and, if you choose, a custom amount. The buyer can have it emailed to someone on a date they pick. The holder spends it in your online shop.

Can the shop's website list our hours and products?

Yes. Websites builds the shop's site from sections, such as the hours and the address. Its Shop page lists your live products with their current prices. The site can be at the shop's own domain.

Do supplier deliveries reach the books?

Yes. A received purchase order can make the supplier's bill for the cost of what arrived. It is owed in Accounts payable until you pay it. When the items sell, their cost moves to Cost of goods sold.

Can I see which lines sell best and what they make?

Yes. The shop's reports list each product sold in your chosen dates, with its sales and margin. Margin is sales less the cost of goods. Each table exports as a CSV file.

What does Magpie take from our sales?

Magpie adds no fee to your sales or to invoices. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. The rest goes to the shop's own Stripe account.

Sell every line in the shop, at the counter and online.

Create a Magpie account and make a team for the shop.

Create account