Bookshops
A bookshop sells new books online and at the till, and runs author events.
Record shops
New releases take pre-orders before release day. Used records sell online and at the counter, and your regulars hear about both on Friday.
The shop and the people behind its counter work in one Magpie team.
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This combination of four Magpie areas fits a record shop.
- Store
- Store sells new and used records online and at the counter, with pre-orders for release day.
- Calendar
- Calendar lists in-store gigs and listening parties, with RSVPs up to a capacity.
- Newsletter
- Newsletter tells subscribers what is out this Friday and what came in used.
- Social Media
- Social Media schedules posts about new arrivals and in-store sets.
New releases sell before release day, and each used record is a stock of one.
Store is the shop's online shop. A new release can take orders before it arrives, with the date it should ship. Customers pay when they order, and a Pre-orders tab lists those orders.
A used record is a product with a stock of one. Its grading goes in the description. A limited pressing can be one per customer, and go live at a set time.
In-store gigs and listening parties go on a public calendar, up to the room you have.
Calendar gives the shop a public calendar of its gigs, signings and listening parties. You turn on RSVPs and set a capacity. The event's page says when it is full.
The event's page and the calendar can show how many people are going. Sharing an event starts a social media post about it.
Friday's new releases reach your subscribers by email.
Newsletter gives the shop a sign-up page with double opt-in. Checkout can ask buyers to subscribe too. You write each week's issue, send yourself a test and schedule it for Friday morning.
A sent issue has a web copy, which can start a social media post. The newsletter's page counts the subscribers and the copies delivered.
New arrivals and in-store sets go out on your accounts at their time.
Social Media posts to the shop's Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn at the time you choose. For Instagram, Magpie reminds you and opens it with the post filled in.
Promote on Social Media, on a product, starts a post with its name, address and cover. A campaign holds a release week's posts, and schedules them at your posting times.
Three more areas cover the rota, a website and the accounts.
- Staff Scheduling
- Staff Scheduling plans the counter shifts, with more hands on release days.
- Websites
- Websites builds the shop's own site, with its hours and address.
- Accounting
- Accounting keeps the accounts, with sales, payments and distributor bills in them.
A new pressing goes from the distributor's order to a sold-out release day.
The stock you receive counts up from the pre-orders already sold.
The announcement
The new release goes live at a set time, taking pre-orders.
The limit
A limited colour pressing is one per customer.
The news
Friday's newsletter and a post tell your regulars.
The delivery
A purchase order to the distributor is received, and the stock counts up.
The pickup
You mark each pickup order ready, and Magpie emails the customer.
The party
A listening party on release night fills up to the room's capacity.
Setting up takes five steps.
Add your records
You add new releases with their barcodes, and each used record. Help: Create products, options, and inventory.
Add your distributors
You add the distributors and labels you order from. Help: Suppliers and purchase orders.
Offer pickup
You add local pickup with the shop's address and times. Help: Collections and shipping.
Start your newsletter
You name the newsletter and open its sign-up page. Help: Start and configure a newsletter.
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. It has room for 5,000 calendar events and higher newsletter limits.
Magpie adds no fee to your shop's sales. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each payment. On a paid Form for a ticketed show, Magpie's fee is 1% of each payment. Prices are on the Pricing page.
Other shops and music people have pages of their own.
Music shops
A music shop sells instruments, books lessons and rents violins to students.
Thrift and vintage shops
A thrift store sells donated one-offs, in the shop and online.
Musicians and bands
A musician sells their own records and merch, and books gigs.
Questions record shops ask
Can customers pre-order a new release?
Yes. Sell when out of stock lets a release take orders before it arrives. An expected ship date is shown, and customers pay when they order. Stock goes below zero as pre-orders sell, and the delivery you receive counts up from there.
Can I limit a pressing to one per customer?
Yes. Most per customer limits how many one email address can buy across its orders. Most per order limits a single order. The product page shows the limit, and the cart refuses more.
Can a release go live at a set time?
Yes. Publish automatically takes a date and time on a product that is not live yet. At that time, it goes live. If it cannot, for example with no price, it stays a draft and says why.
How do I list a used record?
As a product with a stock of one and its own photos. Its grading goes in the description. Once it sells, it shows as sold out until you take it down.
Can we give store credit for trade-ins?
Yes. You issue store credit, a kind of gift card, for the amount you agree. Magpie emails the customer its code to spend in your online shop. You add the traded-in record to stock at the cost you gave.
Can customers collect web orders 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.
How do we record a sale at the counter?
You choose New order, pick the records and record how the customer paid. The order is created paid, and the records leave stock.
Can I order from my distributors in Magpie?
Yes. Each supplier has its lead time. A purchase order goes by email or as a PDF, and Add low-stock items fills it. Receiving it adds the stock at its cost, and makes the supplier's bill.
Can people RSVP to an in-store gig?
Yes. You put the gig on the shop's public calendar and turn on RSVPs. You can set a capacity, and the event's page says when it is full. People RSVP while signed in to Magpie.
Can we sell tickets to a show?
You can make a Form for the show that charges one amount. Each person pays by card on Stripe's page, and their response shows Paid. You close the Form when the show is full. Magpie's fee on a paid Form is 1% of each payment.
Can customers be told when a sold-out record is back?
Yes. When a record with counted stock sells out, its product page asks for an email address. Magpie sends one email when it can be bought again. You see how many people are waiting.
What does Magpie take from our sales?
Magpie adds no fee to your shop's sales. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. The rest goes to the shop's own Stripe account.
Put the racks online.
Create a Magpie account and add this week's new releases.