Focus on supplier invoice management in dropshipping

Like any other business, dropshipping requires invoice management. To avoid the types of problems related to accounting, you need to think about optimising the management of supplier invoices, as well as customer invoices. It is also a way to keep an eye on the profitability of the market as well as the losses.

The efficiency of digitising supplier invoices in dropshipping

Digitizing invoices doesn't mean saving them in PDF format and sending them by e-mail. It's about digitizing all transactions, so that you can keep track of them without having to print them out on paper. The benefits will be all the more practical in terms of finance, but also in terms of resources. Your dropshipping supplier can do away with the need for printing, which can lead to document alteration, as well as the cost of postage and enveloping. 

The risk of mail getting lost can also be eliminated. It also saves time, as you will not have to wait for the invoice to arrive, which could take a long time, and you will not have to collect your invoice from the relevant departments. In addition, editing the dropshipping supplier invoice by hand could lead to errors or duplicates, not to mention the archiving of paper documents which requires space, as invoices must be archived. 

In short, processing invoices manually is a time-consuming process that can cost more than scanning the data and requires resources that could burden your business and impinge on productivity. Digitising invoices will also reduce late payments to your dropshipping supplier and avoid dunning messages from your dropshipping supplier on the invoice, which will further help the partnership to last.

How do I manage supplier invoices in dropshipping?

Nowadays, most dropshipping merchants go digital to manage finances and invoices. There are many tools available to centralise invoices in order to save time, money and to secure compatibility. Dropshipping supplier invoices can then be collected and processed in just a few clicks through scanning. 

• Type of billing management

Invoicing management in dropshipping will depend on the number and frequency of orders placed, as well as the number of suppliers listed and approached. It's up to you to decide which type of management you'd like to adapt to your market.

• Access management

Indeed, to limit fraud, you need to know how to secure your billing system when you assign tasks to different trusted people. You need to set up the access of the people involved to prevent malicious people from accessing it and intervening to harm your market.

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• Programming of payments

It is important to define the type of payment when negotiating with your suppliers so as not to cause delays in payment and make suppliers unhappy. Invoicing tools allow you to schedule transfers according to each supplier's invoice in order to meet payment deadlines. In this case, you have several payment options depending on the contract. You can decide to pay immediately upon receipt of the product, or to pay a deposit. You can also choose to pay in bulk. It is best to plan the type of payment in advance so that you do not keep your suppliers waiting and so that the partnership lasts.

• Additional options

You can add additional options to your supplier invoice management method. For example, B2B invoices benefit from the presence of insurance to protect against non-payment. Factoring is also a short-term financing solution that can take over the collection of your customers' receivables. You should also bear in mind the VAT and customs charges for products coming from abroad.

Examples of supplier invoice management in dropshipping 

Generally speaking, the management of supplier invoices in dropshipping will be based on the contract signed with the suppliers. Here are a few examples of how this might work:

• Billing per order

In most cases, dropshipping merchants opt for this method to avoid delaying payment to suppliers. Each time the customer places an order with your site, an invoice will be assigned to it. On the other hand, you will also place the order to your supplier to provide the product to your customer, another invoice will then be sent to you. Indeed, a price difference will be noted, besides, it is the goal of dropshipping. So, with each order delivered, you will be given an invoice. 

• Invoicing grouped by supplier

To limit frequent exchanges of invoices, you can also choose to group all the products ordered from the same supplier in a given period and then put them on a single invoice. Payment can be made monthly, weekly or annually, depending on the frequency of sales. This method is more recommended if the number of orders is higher. It also avoids my reminder messages

• Hybrid billing 

It is also possible to opt for multiple dropshipping suppliers and have a single invoice from the supplier, in order to ease the management of the payment. 

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Conclusion

Nowadays, managing supplier invoices in dropshipping is easier with the use of dedicated invoicing platforms. This technology eliminates cumbersome data entry, and saves time and money. Platforms such as Minea offer you a range of trendy products that can help you with your invoicing.