Auto parts inventory management software that counts cost, not just quantity
Receiving a purchase order sets how many arrived and what you actually paid in one step — so the shelf count is right and every part carries a real cost.
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One motion
Receiving sets the count and the cost in one step
Most auto parts inventory management software treats “how many arrived” and “what they cost” as two separate jobs. Somebody receives the quantity at the counter; somebody else — or nobody — goes back later to enter the price. The cost sitting on that part ends up being whatever was typed the last time anyone bothered, and every margin built on top of it is a guess.
BayDocket asks both questions at once. Open the purchase order, enter what showed up and what you paid, and it’s done: stock goes up, the part’s cost becomes what this delivery actually cost, and the movement is on the record with your name and the date. Partial deliveries are the normal case, not an exception — receive the six that came, leave the two on backorder open, and receive them later at whatever they cost then.
Correcting a count by hand is recorded the same way. Change an on-hand number and BayDocket books the difference as an adjustment rather than quietly overwriting the old figure, so a count that drifts can be traced instead of argued about.
On the ticket
Pick a part on the estimate and the count follows
Auto parts inventory software usually leaves you to keep the catalog and the ticket in sync by hand. BayDocket links them as you type: start a part line on a repair order, and your own catalog comes up. Pick one and the name, part number, price, and cost come with it. Parts you don’t stock get typed in free-hand exactly as before — those simply carry no stock effect, which is the honest outcome for a part that was never on your shelf.
Stock comes off when you invoice, not when you write the estimate. An estimate the customer never approves never touches your counts. Reopen an invoice to fix something and the parts go back on the shelf; invoice again and they come off again. And when you’re short, the count goes negative and shows red — BayDocket tells you, it doesn’t stop you.
Real margin
Parts margin from real costs — or an honest dash
Every invoice freezes what each part cost you at the moment it was billed. So the parts margin on your owner report is built from the number you actually paid, and a cost you change next month never rewrites last month’s report.
Next to the margin, the report shows how much of the period’s parts revenue that figure actually covers. If half your billed parts have no cost on record, it says so. If none do, you get a dash instead of a percentage. A margin you can’t trace back to a real cost is worse than no margin at all — so BayDocket would rather show you the gap than paper over it.
Frequently asked questions
Does BayDocket order parts from my supplier?
Not yet, and we won’t pretend otherwise — BayDocket is not parts ordering software. There is no punch-out to PartsTech, Nexpart, or a jobber catalog, so you order the way you order today: the phone, the counter, or the supplier’s own site. What BayDocket handles is everything around that order — a purchase order per vendor, received against the parts that actually show up, at the cost you actually paid. Supplier integrations are on the roadmap.
What happens if I sell a part that isn’t in stock?
Nothing stops. The count goes negative and turns red in the catalog so you can see the shop is short, but the estimate, the approval, and the invoice all go through. Inventory is there to tell you the truth, not to block a repair order at four on a Friday.
How does BayDocket know what a part cost?
From the last time you received it. When a purchase order arrives you enter how many came and what they cost in the same step, and that becomes the part’s cost until the next delivery changes it. If a part has never been received and nobody has typed a cost, the cost reads as a dash — unknown. It is never quietly recorded as zero.
Can I receive part of an order?
Yes, and that’s the normal case. Receive the six that showed up and the purchase order stays open for the two on backorder. Receive those next week, at whatever they cost then, and the order closes itself. Nothing has to be split, re-keyed, or closed out early to make the numbers work.
Is inventory an extra module?
No. The parts catalog, vendors, purchase orders, receiving, and the parts-margin figure on the owner report are all in the one subscription, at the same price as everything else. There is no inventory tier and no per-feature upsell.
Try the live demoStart your shop
Prefer a walkthrough? Book a 15-minute demo
One price, one subscriptionNo contractYour data is yours