> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://itemstores.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How Itemstores works

> From a blank to a decorated product, an order, and a payout

## The flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find a blank">
    Import an undecorated garment from the supplier catalog, or add your own.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decorate it">
    Upload artwork, pick colorways, and place it on the blank.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Make a product">
    A blank plus decoration, priced and ready to sell.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sell it">
    List products in a store, or send a quote.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fulfill the order">
    Buy the blanks, decorate them, ship them.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get paid">
    Payouts land in your bank account.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Two ways an order arrives

A customer buys from a [store](/help/knowledge-base/stores), or you send a
[quote](/help/knowledge-base/quotes) and they pay it. Either way you end up with an
order.

A quote can start as a [proposal](/help/knowledge-base/proposals), which lets
customers approve designs before anything is priced. See
[Sell with quotes and proposals](/help/tutorials/sell-with-quotes).

## Fulfilling an order

<Steps>
  <Step title="Purchase order">
    Create a [purchase order](/help/knowledge-base/purchase-orders) for the blanks
    and stock you need.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Work order">
    Once the stock arrives and you have received it, create a
    [work order](/help/knowledge-base/production) to decorate and build the items.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Shipping label">
    Buy a label in [Shipping](/help/knowledge-base/shipping) and send it to the
    customer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Inventory

On hand is your physical shelf count, which is available plus committed.
Available is free stock new orders draw from. Committed is stock already
allocated to incomplete orders. Incoming is stock on open purchase orders.

An item needs purchasing when incomplete orders aren't covered by available or
incoming stock. Itemstores works that out across all of your open orders, so
you create one purchase order instead of checking orders one at a time.

Inventory is tracked per SKU, so several products sharing a SKU draw from the
same stock.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/itemstores/UwXex-HRiO-r4iYj/images/tutorials/inventory-columns.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=UwXex-HRiO-r4iYj&q=85&s=5d9110e21b1f6a00ad019f866d7c5963" alt="The Inventory table with the On hand, Committed, Available, Needs purchasing and Incoming columns side by side" width="2000" height="1042" data-path="images/tutorials/inventory-columns.png" />
</Frame>

## Getting paid

Customer payments go to your Itemstores account. Payouts to your bank follow
Stripe's standard schedule, usually 2 to 3 business days.