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How to Export Purchase Orders from Craftybase to QuickBooks (PO Sync Guide)
A step-by-step guide to Craftybase QuickBooks PO Sync — how to export purchase orders directly to QuickBooks Online, which plans support it, and what's coming next for the integration.
If you run a product-based business and use both Craftybase and QuickBooks, you’ve probably done this dance: a stock run finishes, you record the purchase in Craftybase, and then you spend the next 15 to 20 minutes copy-pasting the same line items into QuickBooks so your books match. Supplier name, materials, quantities, unit costs, all entered twice.
That’s the gap Craftybase QuickBooks PO Sync was built to close. It’s a one-click export that pushes a complete Purchase Order from Craftybase straight into QuickBooks Online, with every line item already populated. No double entry, no spreadsheet bridge, no late-night reconciliation.
This guide walks through what PO Sync does, who it’s for, how to set it up, and what’s coming next for the broader Craftybase QuickBooks integration.
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What is QuickBooks PO Sync?
QuickBooks PO Sync is a direct integration between Craftybase and QuickBooks Online that exports your Purchase Orders as fully-formed POs in QuickBooks. When you record a purchase in Craftybase (supplier, materials, quantities, unit costs), you can push it to QuickBooks with one click.
It does one job, and does it well: it gets your purchasing data where it needs to go, quickly and cleanly. It covers the full purchase cycle, exporting supplier details, material descriptions, quantities, and unit costs to QuickBooks as a complete Purchase Order in a single click.
It’s available on all paid Craftybase plans: Pro ($24/mo), Studio ($49/mo), and Indie ($99/mo). Not gated to higher tiers. Manual PO re-entry was the #1 integration request we heard from Craftybase customers who also use QuickBooks across 2024, so we wanted the fix in everyone’s hands from day one.
Why we started here (and not with full inventory sync)
When we set out to build a QuickBooks integration, we asked one question: how do we save you time without adding complexity? Full two-way inventory sync sounds appealing on a feature list, but it introduces a lot of failure modes (duplicate items, mismatched valuations, sync conflicts at month-end). Most makers we spoke to didn’t want that. They wanted the boring win: stop typing the same purchase twice.
So we shipped the boring win first. PO Sync covers the most common (and most tedious) accounting task our customers told us about: getting purchase data from Craftybase into QuickBooks without double entry. The deeper integration work (COGS, inventory valuation, full sync) is in active development, but we wanted the first piece to be something everyone could use immediately.
If you’ve ever sat there at 9pm with two tabs open re-entering the same fragrance oil purchase line by line, you’ll understand the design choice.
How to set up QuickBooks PO Sync (step-by-step)
Setup takes about five minutes. You’ll need a Craftybase account on any paid plan and a QuickBooks Online subscription you can log into.
Step 1 — Open the integrations panel in Craftybase
Log in to Craftybase and go to Settings in the main navigation, then open your shops list where all integrations live. You’ll see QuickBooks listed alongside your Etsy, Shopify, and other connections.
Step 2 — Connect your QuickBooks account
Click Connect QuickBooks. You’ll be redirected to QuickBooks to log in and authorise the connection. Craftybase requests permission to create Purchase Orders, suppliers, and items. Read access to your Chart of Accounts is included so the export can map to the right accounts.
Once you authorise, you’ll be redirected back to Craftybase. The integration is now live.
Step 3 — Map your default account and currency
Before your first export, set the default expense account that PO line items will post against (most makers use Cost of Goods Sold or a sub-account like Materials), and confirm your currency matches between Craftybase and QuickBooks. If they don’t match, the export will warn you before pushing anything.
Step 4 — Record a purchase in Craftybase as you normally would
Add a purchase in Craftybase: pick the supplier, list the materials, enter quantities and unit costs. This is the same workflow you’ve always used; PO Sync doesn’t change how you record purchases.
Step 5 — Push the PO to QuickBooks
On the saved purchase record, click Push to QuickBooks. Craftybase sends the supplier (creating them in QuickBooks if they don’t exist yet), each line item, and the totals. Within 5 to 10 seconds, the PO appears in QuickBooks under Expenses → Purchase Orders, ready to be matched against the supplier bill when it arrives. A typical 12-line purchase that took 18 minutes to copy by hand now takes one click.
That’s the whole loop. One click, no spreadsheet bridge, no copy-paste.
For the full setup walkthrough with screenshots, see Connect QuickBooks in the help centre.
What gets exported (and what doesn’t)
It’s worth being explicit about scope, because “QuickBooks integration” can mean a hundred different things.
PO Sync exports:
- The purchase order itself: supplier, date, totals
- Each line item: material name, quantity, unit cost, line total
- Supplier details, created automatically in QuickBooks if they don’t exist yet
PO Sync does not (yet) handle:
- COGS posting at sale time. This is in development for a future release
- Inventory valuation sync. Your Craftybase inventory value won’t update QuickBooks asset accounts (yet)
- Sales orders or customer invoices. PO Sync is purchase-side only
- Reverse sync from QuickBooks back into Craftybase. This is one-directional
If you’re looking for full COGS sync or inventory valuation, those are on the roadmap (see “What’s coming next” below). For now, PO Sync handles the part of the workflow that wastes the most time week-to-week.
Who PO Sync is for
PO Sync is built for makers and small product-based businesses who:
- Already use QuickBooks Online (not QuickBooks Self-Employed; the PO feature requires QuickBooks Online Simple Start or higher)
- Record purchases in Craftybase to keep material costs accurate
- Have hit the wall of double-entering purchase data into QuickBooks for bookkeeping
If you don’t use QuickBooks at all, you can stick with Craftybase’s built-in purchase tracking and pull a Schedule C-ready report at tax time without any external sync. PO Sync is specifically for the Craftybase + QuickBooks Online combination.
If you’re still on QuickBooks Self-Employed and wondering whether to upgrade, our guide on tracking inventory in QuickBooks walks through the options.
What’s coming next
PO Sync is the first stage of a deeper QuickBooks integration. The rest of the roadmap, in rough priority order:
- Automatic COGS syncing. When you sell a product, the cost of goods sold posts to QuickBooks automatically. This is the biggest gap for handmade businesses today and a top customer request. See why QuickBooks doesn’t calculate COGS per product for the underlying problem.
- Inventory valuation. Your Craftybase inventory value flows through to QuickBooks asset accounts so your balance sheet matches reality.
- More advanced data flow. Supplier bill matching, deeper account mapping, custom field support.
We’re building each layer thoughtfully, learning from real customers, and making sure every step solves a real problem rather than ticking a box on a feature list. If you’ve tried QuickBooks PO Sync and have feedback on what to build next, tell us what’s working and what’s missing. Your feedback literally shapes the roadmap.
For broader context on how Craftybase fits with QuickBooks, see our QuickBooks inventory management guide. If you also sell on Shopify, the Shopify QuickBooks integration guide covers how the three pieces fit together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Craftybase sync with QuickBooks?
Yes. Craftybase QuickBooks PO Sync is a direct integration with QuickBooks Online that exports Purchase Orders as fully-formed POs (supplier, line items, quantities, and unit costs) in a single click. Full two-way inventory and COGS sync is in active development, but PO Sync is live today on all paid Craftybase plans.
What does QuickBooks PO Sync actually do?
It exports a Craftybase purchase as a complete Purchase Order in QuickBooks Online. The export includes the supplier (created automatically if new), each material line with its quantity and unit cost, and the PO total. The PO appears under Expenses → Purchase Orders in QuickBooks, ready to be matched against the supplier bill. It replaces the 15 to 20 minutes of manual copy-pasting most makers do for every purchase.
Which Craftybase and QuickBooks plans does PO Sync work with?
PO Sync is available on all Craftybase paid plans: Pro, Studio, and Indie. On the QuickBooks side, you'll need QuickBooks Online Simple Start or higher. Purchase Orders aren't available on QuickBooks Self-Employed. If you're still on QuickBooks Self-Employed, upgrading to Simple Start unlocks both PO Sync and the broader product-business features QBSE doesn't include.
What's the difference between PO Sync and full inventory sync?
PO Sync is one-directional and purchase-side only: Craftybase pushes purchase orders into QuickBooks. Full inventory sync would also push COGS at sale time, update inventory asset valuations on your balance sheet, and potentially handle supplier bill matching. Full sync is on the roadmap; PO Sync is the first piece because it solves the highest-volume manual task (re-entering purchase data) without the failure modes that two-way sync can create.
Can I undo or edit a PO after exporting it to QuickBooks?
Yes. The PO in QuickBooks is a normal QuickBooks PO once it's exported. You can edit, void, or delete it directly in QuickBooks. Craftybase keeps a record that the PO was pushed, but it doesn't lock the QuickBooks copy. If you make a correction in Craftybase after exporting, you can re-push to update QuickBooks, or edit the QuickBooks copy directly. Most makers find it easier to fix in Craftybase first and re-push, so both systems stay aligned.
