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Product Catalog

Overview​

The Product Catalog is where you create and manage all products and services you invoice for. Once created, products can be quickly added to invoices, saving time and ensuring consistency.

Accessing Product Catalog​

  1. Go to Administration > Product Catalog
  2. View all products and add new ones

Creating a Product​

Step 1: Click "Add Product"​

Go to Product Catalog > Add New Product

Step 2: Basic Information​

Product Name

  • Name of the product or service
  • Required
  • Appears on invoices and in your catalog
  • Examples: "Consulting Hours", "Software License", "Web Design"

SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

  • Optional unique identifier for the product
  • Helpful for organizing your catalog
  • Examples: "CONSULT-01", "LICENSE-SOFT-01"
  • Can be left blank

Description

  • Detailed description of what the product or service includes
  • Optional but recommended
  • Appears on invoices in the line item details
  • Examples: "Professional consulting services, per hour", "Annual software license with updates"

Step 3: Pricing & Details​

Default Price (Net)

  • Price without VAT
  • Required
  • This is the default price used when adding the product to an invoice
  • Can be adjusted per invoice
  • Example: "150.00" for 150 EUR

Unit

  • Unit of measurement for the product
  • Optional but recommended
  • Examples: "Hour", "Day", "Month", "Piece", "License"
  • Appears on invoices (e.g., "5 Hours @ 150.00 EUR/Hour")

Product Type

  • Classify as a Service or a Product
  • May affect VAT treatment in some countries (services can have different tax rules in cross-border B2B transactions)

Active Status (is_active)

  • New products are active by default
  • Deactivate products you no longer use
  • Inactive products do not appear in the product selection when creating invoices
  • Can be reactivated anytime

Step 4: Save Product​

Click Save to add the product to your catalog.

Using Products in Invoices​

When creating an invoice:

  1. Go to Invoices > Create New Invoice
  2. In the line items section, click Add Product
  3. Start typing the product name
  4. docs101 shows matching active products from your catalog
  5. Click to select; price and unit automatically populate
  6. Adjust quantity and price as needed
  7. Save the invoice

Benefits:

  • Fast invoice creation without retyping prices
  • Consistent pricing across invoices
  • Automatic defaults for price and unit
  • Professional appearance

Editing Products​

To update a product:

  1. Find the product in your catalog
  2. Click Edit
  3. Change any fields
  4. Click Save Changes
info

Changes only affect new invoices. Existing invoices keep the original product details from when they were created.

Deactivating Products​

Deactivate products you no longer use:

  1. Find the product in your catalog
  2. Toggle the Active status to inactive
  3. The product no longer appears in the product selection dropdown

Benefits of deactivating instead of deleting:

  • Product is hidden from day-to-day use
  • Historical invoices with this product still display correctly
  • Can be reactivated anytime if you start using it again

Deleting Products​

To permanently delete a product:

  1. Find the product in your catalog
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm deletion

Restrictions:

  • Cannot delete products already used on invoices
  • Deactivate instead if the product is referenced in historical invoices
  • Deleted products cannot be recovered

Managing Your Catalog​

Viewing All Products​

Go to Product Catalog to see:

  • All products with their names, SKUs, prices, and status
  • Sort by name, price, or status

Use the search feature to find products:

  1. Go to Product Catalog
  2. Enter product name, SKU, or description in the search box
  3. Results appear instantly
  4. Click a product to view or edit

Best Practices​

  1. Name Clearly — Use descriptive names your customers understand
  2. Include Descriptions — Help customers understand what they are paying for
  3. Set Realistic Prices — The default price should reflect your actual rate (before VAT)
  4. Review Regularly — Deactivate products you no longer offer
  5. Update Prices — When your rates change, update product prices immediately
  6. Keep SKUs Unique — If using SKUs, ensure each product has a unique identifier

VAT and Compliance​

VAT Rates:

  • The VAT rate is set per invoice line item, not per product
  • Your country's default rate is typically pre-selected when adding items
  • Can be adjusted per line item for special cases (reduced rate items, exempt supplies)
  • VAT data is embedded in ZUGFeRD/Factur-X XML for compliance

Product Type Impact:

  • Some countries treat services and products differently for VAT
  • Correctly classifying as Service or Product improves compliance
  • Example: Cross-border B2B services may use the reverse charge mechanism

Common Use Cases​

Consultant / Freelancer:

  • Create a product: "Consulting Hours" with your hourly rate
  • Vary quantity per invoice based on hours worked

Software Company:

  • Create products for each license type or service tier
  • Consistent pricing across all customer invoices

Agency:

  • Create separate products for design, development, and project management
  • Reuse across similar client projects

Next: Set up your Subscription & Billing plan.