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Sale Items

Sale Items are pre-configured charge types that standardize billing across your district. Think of them as charge templates - reusable billing definitions that ensure consistent pricing, descriptions, and categorization when creating invoices.

Permission Required

To view Sale Items, you need the View Sale Items permission. To add or edit Sale Items, you need the Add/Edit Sale Items permission assigned to your role.

Understanding Sale Items​

Think of Sale Items as the items in your price list - predefined charges that can be added to invoices quickly and consistently.

What Sale Items are:

  • Standardized billing templates
  • Reusable charge definitions
  • District-wide price lists
  • Categorized charge types

What Sale Items contain:

  • Item name and description (what appears on invoice)
  • Sale price (what user is charged)
  • Unit cost (internal cost tracking, optional)
  • Item type/category (for reporting)
  • Status (for sale or disabled)

Why Sale Items are important:

  • Consistency - Everyone charges the same price for screen repairs
  • Efficiency - Select from list instead of typing descriptions each time
  • Accuracy - Reduces pricing errors and typos
  • Reporting - Categorize charges for analysis
  • Clarity - Professional, standardized descriptions on invoices
  • Central management - Update pricing district-wide from one location

How Sale Items Work​

Creating Invoices with Sale Items​

When creating an invoice:

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Add line item to invoice
  3. Select Sale Item from dropdown (e.g., "Screen Repair")
  4. Description and price auto-populate from Sale Item definition
  5. Adjust quantity if needed (price × quantity = total)
  6. Edit description or price if special circumstances require (typically)
  7. Complete and save invoice

Example:

Sale Item: "Screen Repair"
Description (auto-filled): "Chromebook screen replacement"
Price (auto-filled): $125.00
Quantity: 1
Total: $125.00

Managing Sale Items​

Administrators with appropriate permissions can:

  • View all Sale Items - See district's complete price list
  • Add new Sale Items - Create new billable charge types
  • Edit existing Sale Items - Update prices, descriptions, or categories
  • Disable Sale Items - Retire outdated charges without deleting history
  • Categorize Sale Items - Organize by type (fees, replacements, etc.)

Changes to Sale Items affect future invoices only. Existing invoices are not retroactively modified.

Common Sale Item Examples​

Districts typically create Sale Items for:

Device Damage and Repairs​

  • Screen Repair ($75 - $150)
  • Keyboard Replacement ($35 - $75)
  • Battery Replacement ($50 - $100)
  • Trackpad Repair ($40 - $80)
  • Case/Housing Replacement ($25 - $50)

Lost or Missing Items​

  • Charger Replacement ($15 - $30)
  • Charging Cable Replacement ($10 - $20)
  • Power Adapter Replacement ($20 - $35)
  • Protective Case Replacement ($10 - $25)
  • Stylus Replacement ($5 - $15)

Device Replacement​

  • Chromebook Replacement - Lost ($300 - $500)
  • iPad Replacement - Lost ($400 - $700)
  • Laptop Replacement - Lost ($500 - $1,200)
  • Chromebook Replacement - Damaged Beyond Repair ($300 - $500)

Fees​

  • Annual Technology Fee ($25 - $100)
  • Device Checkout Fee (One-time, $0 - $50)
  • Late Return Fee ($5 - $25 per day/week)
  • Administrative Processing Fee ($10 - $25)

Insurance and Protection​

  • Device Insurance Premium (Annual, $50 - $100)
  • Accidental Damage Deductible ($25 - $75 per incident)
  • Loss/Theft Deductible ($50 - $150)

Benefits of Using Sale Items​

For Billing Staff​

Speed: Select from list instead of typing descriptions and prices repeatedly

Accuracy: No typos, no math errors, no inconsistent pricing

Confidence: Know you're charging the correct amount per district policy

For District Administrators​

Control: Set pricing centrally, enforce district-wide consistency

Flexibility: Update prices at beginning of school year from one location

Reporting: Categorize charges to analyze revenue by type

Audit trail: Track what items are available and when prices changed

For Parents/Guardians​

Clarity: Professional, consistent descriptions on invoices

Fairness: Same charge for same damage across all buildings

Transparency: Clear itemization of charges

Sale Items vs. Manual Charges​

You can create invoices with or without Sale Items:

With Sale Items (Recommended):

  • Select "Screen Repair" → Auto-fills description and price
  • Fast, consistent, accurate
  • Supports reporting by item type
  • Enforces district pricing policy

Without Sale Items (Manual Entry):

  • Type description manually: "screen repair for chromebook"
  • Enter price manually: $125.00
  • Risk of typos, inconsistent descriptions, pricing errors
  • Harder to report and analyze

Best practice: Use Sale Items for all common charges. Only use manual entry for truly unique, one-off charges.

Common Questions​

Q: Who can create and edit Sale Items? Administrators with the Add/Edit Sale Items permission (typically district-level administrators, billing coordinators, or business office managers). Building-level staff usually have view-only access.

Q: Can I edit a Sale Item after it's been used on invoices? Yes. Editing a Sale Item updates its definition for future use. Existing invoices are not changed - they retain the description and price that was used when they were created.

Q: What happens if I change the price of a Sale Item? The new price applies to all invoices created after the change. Invoices created before the price change are unaffected. Example: Screen Repair was $100, you change it to $125. Old invoices still show $100, new invoices will use $125.

Q: Should I delete old Sale Items we no longer use? No. Disable them instead (set status to "Disabled"). This preserves historical data and references while preventing the item from appearing in the invoice creation dropdown.

Q: Can different buildings have different prices for the same item? Sale Items are district-wide by default. If your district needs building-specific pricing, you can create separate Sale Items (e.g., "Screen Repair - Elementary" vs. "Screen Repair - High School") or configure building-specific sale items if your system supports it. Check with your system administrator.

Q: What's the difference between Unit Cost and Sale Price?

  • Unit Cost - Your internal cost (what you paid for the part/service)
  • Sale Price - What you charge the user (what appears on the invoice)

Example: Charger costs you $15 (unit cost), you charge users $25 (sale price). The $25 is what appears on invoices.

Q: Do I need to create Sale Items for everything? No, but it's helpful for common charges. Create Sale Items for:

  • Charges you use repeatedly (screen repairs, charger replacements)
  • Items with standardized pricing
  • Charges that need consistent descriptions

For rare, one-time charges, you can manually enter description and price on the invoice.

Q: Can I have multiple Sale Items with the same price? Yes. You might have "Screen Repair - Chromebook" and "Screen Repair - iPad" both at $125, or "Administrative Fee - Lost Device" and "Administrative Fee - Late Return" both at $10. Different items can have the same price.

Q: What are Item Types used for? Item Types categorize Sale Items for reporting and organization. Examples: "Fees," "Replacements," "Repairs," "Insurance." This helps you generate reports like "Total revenue from repair charges" or "All technology fee income."

Q: Can I change the description of a Sale Item without affecting its price? Yes. You can edit description, price, or any field independently. Changes affect future invoices only.

Sale Items streamline invoice creation by providing standardized, reusable charge definitions. Properly configured Sale Items ensure billing consistency, reduce errors, and support clear communication with families about charges.

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