Guides for Indian distributors
GST, e-way bills, stock and costing — the parts that actually catch people out, written by the person who builds the software.
- 6 min read
Marg's renewal keeps going up. Where should you shift?
What Marg actually costs once the AMC is counted, why the renewal climbs every year, and an honest shortlist of where to go instead — including the cases where the answer is to stay exactly where you are.
- 5 min read
How to read a receivables ageing report, and the four numbers that matter
What the buckets actually tell you, why DSO is more useful than a total, how to spot a retailer going bad before they stop paying, and the weekly routine that keeps cash moving.
- 4 min read
HSN codes for distributors: how many digits you need, and what happens when they are wrong
The digit requirement by turnover, why the code belongs on the product and not on the invoice line, what a wrong HSN actually costs, and how to fix a catalogue full of blanks.
- 4 min read
Margin is not markup, and the confusion is costing you money
The arithmetic most distributors get backwards, why a 25% markup is a 20% margin, how to price off real cost rather than list rate, and the three numbers to check before you quote.
- 5 min read
Batch and expiry tracking for pharma distributors, and what it costs to get wrong
Why batch numbers are not optional, how near-expiry returns actually work, the FEFO rule that beats FIFO, and a practical system for a distributor who is not going to run a warehouse management system.
- 5 min read
Free goods and trade schemes: how to cost 10+1, and what GST does with it
Why free units are not free, how a scheme changes your real cost per unit, the input tax credit question on free supplies, and how to tell a good scheme from an expensive one.
- 5 min read
Dead stock: how to find it, what it is really costing you, and how to clear it
A working definition of dead stock for a distributor, the two numbers that identify it, why it costs more than the money tied up, and a clearing order that does not wreck your prices.
- 5 min read
Credit notes, debit notes and sales returns under GST, without the confusion
Which document to raise when goods come back, the November deadline that kills your tax adjustment, why a credit note is not a discount, and what a return does to your stock and your profit.
- 5 min read
How to photograph a supplier bill so software can actually read it
What makes a phone photo of an invoice readable, why carbon copies and thermal prints fail, how to shoot a multi-page bill, and the checks worth running before you accept the numbers.
- 5 min read
Why your input tax credit does not match, and how distributors lose it
GSTR-2B is the only ITC that counts. Here is what causes a mismatch, the reconciliation that takes twenty minutes a month, and the supplier conversation that gets your money back.
- 5 min read
What your stock actually cost: weighted average, FIFO, and the mistake that inflates every margin
Why costing off the printed rate instead of the amount you paid quietly doubles your inventory value, how weighted average cost works with an example, and when FIFO is worth the extra work.
- 5 min read
The 45-day payment rule for MSMEs, and why it rarely gets you paid
What Section 15 of the MSMED Act actually says, the interest you are owed, the Section 43B(h) change that made your buyer's accountant care, and what to do the week a payment goes past due.
- 5 min read
How to generate an e-way bill for a sales invoice (2026 guide for distributors)
When an e-way bill is required, what goes in Part A and Part B, how long it stays valid, and the mistakes that get goods detained. Written for FMCG, pharma and general distributors in India.
- 5 min read
GSTR-1 for distributors: what B2B, B2CL and B2CS actually mean
Which table each sales invoice belongs in, the ₹1 lakh B2CL threshold that changed in 2024, why credit notes to unregistered buyers usually do not go in CDNUR, and the HSN summary rule that depends on your turnover.
- 5 min read
Should a distributor replace Tally? Usually not — here is what to do instead
An honest look at what Tally does well for Indian distributors, where it costs you hours every day, and why running something alongside it beats a migration you will abandon halfway.