===== 🔄 Customer vs Vendor Roles =====

In CushionsERP, every **Third Party** (👥) can act as a **Customer**, a **Vendor**, or both — depending on your business relationship with them.  
This flexible approach allows for efficient record-keeping and reduces duplicate data.

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**🛒 Customer Role**

A Third Party is considered a **Customer** when you:

  * Sell products or services to them
  * Issue **Sales Orders**, **Proposals**, and **Sales Invoices**
  * Track **receivables** (money they owe you)

**Key Features:**

  * 💰 Payment terms, price levels, and credit limits
  * 📦 Shipping addresses and delivery tracking
  * 📑 Sales history and account balance overview

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**🏭 Vendor (Supplier) Role**

A Third Party becomes a **Vendor** when you:

  * Purchase raw materials or services from them
  * Create **Purchase Orders** and **Vendor Invoices**
  * Manage **payables** (what you owe them)

**Key Features:**

  * ⏳ Supplier lead times and payment conditions
  * 🧾 Purchase tracking and invoice matching
  * 📊 Cost analysis by supplier

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**🔁 Dual Role: Customer & Vendor**

Some companies act as **both** customers *and* suppliers. In CushionsERP, this is easy:

> ✅ You simply check both "Customer" and "Supplier" when editing or creating the Third Party profile.

**Examples:**

  * A contractor who buys your parts and also does subcontracting work for you
  * A partner company with reciprocal transactions

This allows you to:

  * Issue **Sales Orders** *and* **Purchase Orders** to the same entity
  * Track all transactions in one place
  * See combined financial balances

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**🔐 User Permissions Tip**

Depending on your role (e.g., Sales vs Purchasing), you may only see **one side** of the transactions. Admins can configure permissions for each user profile accordingly.

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**📎 Related Topics**

  * [[contacts:third_party_concept|Third Party Concept]]
  * [[sales_order:creating_sales_order|Creating Sales Orders]]
  * [[purchase_order:creating_purchase_order|Creating Purchase Orders]]