Book depot software that knows one edition from the next

The 2025 and the 2026 edition of the same reader are two items, each with its own stock and price. Receiving the new edition never changes what the shelf says about the old one, and a return goes back to the edition that was sold.

ISBN is optional. When you type or scan one, its check digit is verified; a wrong ISBN is refused rather than guessed. Books without an ISBN get an internal BooksPOS code to scan instead, and barcode labels for it print on A4 label sheets or a label roll. BooksPOS never makes an ISBN up.

Take an advance from a parent in cash, bank, card or wallet. It is held for that customer, not counted as a sale. When the books are collected, pay the bill "From advance", alone or with cash. What is left stays as the parent's advance, and can be refunded.

At the till, Order (F7) turns the bill into an order for that customer. Copies in stock are held for them until a hold date (14 days by default), and a walk-in sale cannot take them. Items not in stock are awaited; when they arrive, "Reserve what is free" holds them. A hold that lapses simply stops counting.

The Pending deliveries screen lists what each customer is still to collect. Hand-over is a normal bill at the agreed order price, and can be paid from the parent's advance. You can print a pending-items slip for the parent; it says it is not a bill. Cancelling what is left needs a manager.

Receive books with the publisher's bill in one step, including free copies, paid now, on credit or from an advance you paid them. The same supplier bill number cannot be entered twice. Record payments to suppliers and see their statements. Opening balances bring in what you owed before BooksPOS.

Books sent back to a publisher become a claim at the net price you last paid them. Their credit note settles the claim, and a shortfall can be written off with a reason. Each supplier can have a return window; a return past it needs a manager and a reason.