QuickBooks 2005: The Missing Manual

When You Don't Need Items

Bottom line: without items, you can't create any type of sales form in QuickBooks, and that includes invoices, statements, sales receipts, credit memos, and estimates. Conversely, if you don't use sales forms, you don't need items. Few organizations operate without sales forms, but here are a few examples:

• Old Stuff Antiques sells antiques on consignment. Kate, the owner, doesn't pay for the pieces; she just displays them in her store. When she sells a consignment item, she writes paper sales receipts. When she receives her cut from the seller, she deposits the money in her checking account.

• Tony owns a tattoo parlor specializing in gang insignias. He doesn't care how many tattoos he creates and, for safety's sake, he doesn't want to know his customers' names. All Tony does is deposit the cash he receives upon completing each masterpiece.

• Dominic keeps the books for his charity for icebergless penguins. The charity accepts donations of money and fish, and doesn't sell any products or perform services to earn additional income. He deposits the monetary donations into the charity's checking account and enters the checking account deposit in QuickBooks. Dominic does keep track of the donors and fish inventory in a spreadsheet.