Service items vs. inventory items

Not everything you put on an order needs stock tracking. Fiddle separates inventory items, which carry quantities, from service items, which don’t.

The difference

	Inventory item	Service item
Tracks stock	Yes	No
Has on-hand / available	Yes	No
Can be received on a PO	Yes	Charged, not stocked
Typical examples	Components, finished goods	Labor, freight, setup fees, design

When to use a service item

Choose a service item for anything you sell or buy but never hold in stock:

• Labor, consulting, or installation hours.
• Shipping and handling charges.
• Subscriptions, fees, or deposits.

These appear as line items on quotes, sales orders, and purchase orders and contribute to totals — but they never affect stock levels or reorder calculations.

When to use an inventory item

Use an inventory item whenever you need to know how many you have: raw materials, components consumed in production, and finished goods.

Set the type

1. Create or edit an item.
2. Set the item type to inventory or service. See item types and categories.
3. Save.

Changing an item from inventory to service hides its stock fields. Switch types only before any stock movement exists, or the on-hand history becomes meaningless.