Introduction - Quotes
A quote is a priced offer with an expiry date.
It commits nothing, posts nothing to your books and reserves no stock. Its whole job is to be accepted, at which point it becomes a sales order or an invoice without anybody retyping the lines.
What a quote is not
Most quote questions are really this question, so it is worth being blunt. A quote is a document, not a promise the system enforces.
- It does not reserve stock. Two quotes can offer the same last unit, and neither will warn you.
- It does not post to your books. Nothing appears in any report until an invoice exists.
- It does not lock the price. Converting later picks up the quoted price, but the item's own price may have moved since.
- It does not commit the customer. Acceptance is a status, not a contract.
Where a quote goes
Acceptance unlocks conversion, and you then choose which document the quote becomes. That choice depends entirely on whether anything needs to be picked, packed or delivered before you bill.
- Quote acceptedAgreement reached
- Sales OrderIf it needs fulfilling
- InvoiceWhen you bill
- Customer PaymentWhen it arrives
Both conversion paths have their own article, because the decision matters more than the mechanics of either.
The statuses in practice
| Status | How it gets there | What you can still do |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Saved without sending. | Everything. Edit, delete, send. |
| Sent | Emailed or shared as a portal link. | Edit, resend, mark accepted or declined. |
| Accepted | You marked it, or the customer accepted in the portal. | Convert to a sales order or an invoice. |
| Declined | You marked it, or the customer declined. | Duplicate it into a fresh offer. |
| Expired | Passed its validity date with no answer. | Extend the date, or duplicate at current prices. |