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Show HN: Invoicing directly from WordPress

47 points by peacemaker 9y ago

peacemaker 9y ago
Happy to hear any feedback and suggestions
- msumpter 9y ago
  Just some random feedback, all of course my personal opinion: 1) Editing paid invoices shouldn't be allowed after a payment has been made. 2) Quotes should have an accept or sign option, the quote list should reflect the status. 3) Quotes should also have templates similar to invoices 4) Dashboard widget reflecting outstanding payments, recent payment stats, etc. Could be handy.
  - peacemaker 9y ago
    Thanks for taking the time to give feedback like this. 1-3 definitely agree and I've just put them on the backlog. I've already got 4 on there and will likely add it in the next update.
- mstolpm 9y ago
  Site mentions "Free Lifetime Updates" but Codecanyon sales page says "6 months support from QuipCode" with a paid option to extend to 12 months. That seems somehow misleading and may potentially damage trust and cost customers.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - peacemaker 9y ago
    It's misleading from the Codecanyon side unfortunately. You do get all updates forever on items bought through Codecanyon regardless of if your support has run out. The support part refers to answering questions and the like and it's defined by Codecanyon. I used to have other plugins that were sold directly, plus a couple in development which I may sell directly as well. When selling directly I have full control over the updates but through Codecanyon I do not have that benefit. My preferred option would be to add support forever (helping people with the product, questions and so on) but actually limiting updates for a certain period, perhaps 1 year. That way I am paid for continually developing and improving the plugin but customer support is included always, which I think is important as a small business.
fbu2017 9y ago
Why would I want to send an invoice from wordpress? Why turn a CMS into a CRM, if it lacks all required features?
- owlninja 9y ago
  Then don't use it?
- chatmasta 9y ago
  You obviously haven't spent much time in internet marketing. People who are somewhere in betweeen a non technical user and developer are productive because they use Wordpress for everything. There are entire ecommerce stores built around Wordpress. At this point Wordpress is like an operating system for web apps; it doesn't matter what the apps do, only that they're easy to install/run/customize for semi-technical users.
  - blowski 9y ago
    Yep - there are ecommerce plugins (WooCommerce being the big notable one, owned by Automattic themselves), CRM plugins, project management plugins, etc.
  - peacemaker 9y ago
    Exactly! Answered it better than I would have :)
  - dang 9y ago
    > You obviously haven't Could you please not do this making-it-personal trope on HN? It's internet incivility that mars your otherwise fine comment.
    - pg_is_a_butt 9y ago
      moron... the original question was "why would I..." it was inherently personal. you're all idiots.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
Justin_K 9y ago
What are the benefits over something free like https://www.waveapps.com https://www.waveapps.com? I've had success with their invoice and accounting for many years.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  A lot of people run their entire business directly from their WordPress website. Having a plugin that allows quotes, invoicing and payments in the same place is quite convenient for them. I built this because people were asking me for it before I sold my previous software business. I know tools like WaveApps (and countless others!) are really useful but I think invoicing built into WordPress does meet a need.
  - Justin_K 9y ago
    I hear ya, appreciate the follow up!
- thedangler 9y ago
  How does wave make money if most of it's services are free? Do they sell your data?
  - peacemaker 9y ago
    I've used Wave before, they have a payments solution and I think they charge around 5% fees per payment taken on your behalf. At bulk you can usually get fees down to the 1% mark so they'll make their ~4% per invoice paid via their system. I think they also have a paid support option but I can't remember, it's been a while since I used them.
  - xeromal 9y ago
    They explain it pretty clearly on their site.
handzhiev 9y ago
A bit offtopic, but I don't understand why plugin authors are so happy to give 30%-60% of their revenue to Codecanyon. What value are they providing to charge so much?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- kentt 9y ago
  Would love to know as well. I'm selling a plugin from my own site and had wrote of Codecanyon once I saw their pricing structure. I'm a bit curious if a big part of the reason is that doing the payment & plugin delivery is difficult for average WP dev. Would be interested to here success stories and comparisons.
  - peacemaker 9y ago
    Setting up payment and delivery is very simple and I've done it a bunch of times. I wouldn't underestimate the "average WP dev" either, they are getting a lot better than perhaps people on here may give them credit for. I can say the competition is certainly higher quality since when I started a few years ago but this has always been a side-business of mine alongside various startup jobs and other businesses. The simple answer to why I use Codecanyon is access to a large, targeted customer base that is ready to spend money. That's not an easy thing to replicate. No matter the combination of PPC, content marketing, influencers and direct contact I try.
    - kentt 9y ago
      Thanks. Based on your feedback, I'll evaluate Codecanyon again when I revamp my plugin. Just so you know, I didn't mean to come across as flippantly judgemental about Codecanyon or WP plugin devs. All the best.
      - peacemaker 9y ago
        Hey no worries, I didn't take it as judgemental. There are a wide range of skillsets in WP dev and I agree that traditionally it's been seen as a bit more low quality. However that is definitely changing as more people get into WordPress development. Good luck with your plugins!
ezequiel-garzon 9y ago
I may be wrong, but I feel that making this website https-only could only add potential customers. Making matters worse, trying https://invoicingplugin.com https://invoicingplugin.com gives you a warning and redirects you to https://woodenracks.co.uk https://woodenracks.co.uk.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  Hey thanks for pointing that out. That other site is a side project for a friend and I used letsencrypt certbot to auto-configure it. Assumed it was fine but obviously not! Will fix.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  That issue is fixed now. Thanks again.
ilamont 9y ago
Within the WooCommerce universe there are plugins or extensions that have some overlapping functionality, drawing directly from sales and the product database. WooCommerce PDF Invoices is one of the free ones.
revmoo 9y ago
So we're posting advertisements on HN now?

47 points by peacemaker 9y ago

peacemaker 9y ago

Happy to hear any feedback and suggestions

msumpter 9y ago
Just some random feedback, all of course my personal opinion: 1) Editing paid invoices shouldn't be allowed after a payment has been made. 2) Quotes should have an accept or sign option, the quote list should reflect the status. 3) Quotes should also have templates similar to invoices 4) Dashboard widget reflecting outstanding payments, recent payment stats, etc. Could be handy.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  Thanks for taking the time to give feedback like this. 1-3 definitely agree and I've just put them on the backlog. I've already got 4 on there and will likely add it in the next update.
mstolpm 9y ago
Site mentions "Free Lifetime Updates" but Codecanyon sales page says "6 months support from QuipCode" with a paid option to extend to 12 months. That seems somehow misleading and may potentially damage trust and cost customers.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- peacemaker 9y ago
  It's misleading from the Codecanyon side unfortunately. You do get all updates forever on items bought through Codecanyon regardless of if your support has run out. The support part refers to answering questions and the like and it's defined by Codecanyon. I used to have other plugins that were sold directly, plus a couple in development which I may sell directly as well. When selling directly I have full control over the updates but through Codecanyon I do not have that benefit. My preferred option would be to add support forever (helping people with the product, questions and so on) but actually limiting updates for a certain period, perhaps 1 year. That way I am paid for continually developing and improving the plugin but customer support is included always, which I think is important as a small business.

fbu2017 9y ago

Why would I want to send an invoice from wordpress? Why turn a CMS into a CRM, if it lacks all required features?

owlninja 9y ago
Then don't use it?
chatmasta 9y ago
You obviously haven't spent much time in internet marketing. People who are somewhere in betweeen a non technical user and developer are productive because they use Wordpress for everything. There are entire ecommerce stores built around Wordpress. At this point Wordpress is like an operating system for web apps; it doesn't matter what the apps do, only that they're easy to install/run/customize for semi-technical users.
- blowski 9y ago
  Yep - there are ecommerce plugins (WooCommerce being the big notable one, owned by Automattic themselves), CRM plugins, project management plugins, etc.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  Exactly! Answered it better than I would have :)
- dang 9y ago
  > You obviously haven't Could you please not do this making-it-personal trope on HN? It's internet incivility that mars your otherwise fine comment.
  - pg_is_a_butt 9y ago
    moron... the original question was "why would I..." it was inherently personal. you're all idiots.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

Justin_K 9y ago

What are the benefits over something free like https://www.waveapps.com https://www.waveapps.com? I've had success with their invoice and accounting for many years.

peacemaker 9y ago
A lot of people run their entire business directly from their WordPress website. Having a plugin that allows quotes, invoicing and payments in the same place is quite convenient for them. I built this because people were asking me for it before I sold my previous software business. I know tools like WaveApps (and countless others!) are really useful but I think invoicing built into WordPress does meet a need.
- Justin_K 9y ago
  I hear ya, appreciate the follow up!
thedangler 9y ago
How does wave make money if most of it's services are free? Do they sell your data?
- peacemaker 9y ago
  I've used Wave before, they have a payments solution and I think they charge around 5% fees per payment taken on your behalf. At bulk you can usually get fees down to the 1% mark so they'll make their ~4% per invoice paid via their system. I think they also have a paid support option but I can't remember, it's been a while since I used them.
- xeromal 9y ago
  They explain it pretty clearly on their site.

handzhiev 9y ago

A bit offtopic, but I don't understand why plugin authors are so happy to give 30%-60% of their revenue to Codecanyon. What value are they providing to charge so much?

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
kentt 9y ago
Would love to know as well. I'm selling a plugin from my own site and had wrote of Codecanyon once I saw their pricing structure. I'm a bit curious if a big part of the reason is that doing the payment & plugin delivery is difficult for average WP dev. Would be interested to here success stories and comparisons.
- peacemaker 9y ago
  Setting up payment and delivery is very simple and I've done it a bunch of times. I wouldn't underestimate the "average WP dev" either, they are getting a lot better than perhaps people on here may give them credit for. I can say the competition is certainly higher quality since when I started a few years ago but this has always been a side-business of mine alongside various startup jobs and other businesses. The simple answer to why I use Codecanyon is access to a large, targeted customer base that is ready to spend money. That's not an easy thing to replicate. No matter the combination of PPC, content marketing, influencers and direct contact I try.
  - kentt 9y ago
    Thanks. Based on your feedback, I'll evaluate Codecanyon again when I revamp my plugin. Just so you know, I didn't mean to come across as flippantly judgemental about Codecanyon or WP plugin devs. All the best.
    - peacemaker 9y ago
      Hey no worries, I didn't take it as judgemental. There are a wide range of skillsets in WP dev and I agree that traditionally it's been seen as a bit more low quality. However that is definitely changing as more people get into WordPress development. Good luck with your plugins!

ezequiel-garzon 9y ago

I may be wrong, but I feel that making this website https-only could only add potential customers. Making matters worse, trying https://invoicingplugin.com https://invoicingplugin.com gives you a warning and redirects you to https://woodenracks.co.uk https://woodenracks.co.uk.

peacemaker 9y ago
Hey thanks for pointing that out. That other site is a side project for a friend and I used letsencrypt certbot to auto-configure it. Assumed it was fine but obviously not! Will fix.
peacemaker 9y ago
That issue is fixed now. Thanks again.

ilamont 9y ago

Within the WooCommerce universe there are plugins or extensions that have some overlapping functionality, drawing directly from sales and the product database. WooCommerce PDF Invoices is one of the free ones.

revmoo 9y ago

So we're posting advertisements on HN now?