Gold Shop: 7 WhatsApp Messages to Track Every Gram
A gold shop cannot run on a piece count. At closing you need to know the grams left in each karat and whether every piece sold at today's price, above your making-charge floor. Then come used gold, exchanges and repairs. Seven short WhatsApp messages from the salesperson's or owner's phone control all of it. If you need gold shop management software or jewellery shop accounting software that tracks each piece by weight and karat, this method is built for that.
The rule: grams per karat, not pieces
Similar pieces differ in weight, so each gets a code and stock is counted in grams per karat. Six fields per piece:
- Code, type, description and stones.
- Karat: 24, 22, 21 or 18.
- Weight in grams.
- Making charge paid.
- Supplier and date received.
- Status: new, used, in repair or sold.
It is tracking stock from WhatsApp, with the gram as the unit. Request these or other fields in Arabic; Fahim shows the change and applies it after your approval, without touching past data.
Seven messages from morning price to closing
1. Today's price
Staff may sell at yesterday's gram price, so the owner opens the day with one message: the selling price per gram for each karat, the buying price for used gold and the minimum making charge. You set them; the system does not fetch market prices.
2. Receiving stock
The employee sends the wholesaler's invoice; the system extracts pieces, weights, karat and making charges, and the employee fills gaps. Each piece enters stock by weight and the supplier's account updates; if you settle in grams and riyals, ask by message to see both.
3. The sale and the invoice
The salesperson sends, by text or voice, the piece code, scale weight, making charge and payment method. The invoice comes from the piece's record, making invoicing from WhatsApp part of the sale, and the grams leave that karat's balance. Request a custom alert for sales below the charge floor. A hypothetical example: 21 karat at 400 riyals a gram plus 20 riyals making charge per gram puts a 10-gram bracelet at 4,200 riyals before VAT. ZATCA's customer-care account says jewellery from a VAT-registered seller carries 15% VAT, but 99%-pure gold tradable on the global bullion market is zero-rated, so check bars separately. The official reference is zatca.gov.sa; confirm with your accountant.
4. Buying used (scrap) gold from individuals
The employee sends weight, karat and price, plus the seller's name, ID number and nationality. Per the Ministry of Commerce, amendments to the Precious Metals and Gemstones Law took effect on 11 October 2025, and the amended regulation requires a special invoice with these details when buying from individuals, plus a display area for used items. The piece enters the used section at cost until a message decides resale, repair or melting; if resold, state on the invoice that it is used. The regulation also fixes how long purchase invoices and source records are kept; check it all at mc.gov.sa.
5. Exchange: old for new
An exchange is two transactions in one visit, so one message carries both: the old piece's weight, karat and owner details, and the new piece's code and weight. Each gets its own invoice, and the customer pays the difference. Do not guess the VAT treatment; check zatca.gov.sa or ask your accountant.
6. Repairs
For a ring to resize or a chain to solder, the employee sends its weight, description, fee and due date. Moeen, Fahim's personal assistant, reminds you a day ahead. At handover the weight is sent again, showing any gap from intake before the fee is invoiced.
7. Closing by cash and weight
Two checks close the day. Sales and till: ask in Arabic for today's sales by payment method (cash, mada, transfer) and compare the report with the till. Weight per karat: opening plus received and used bought, minus sold, melted or paid to suppliers; customers' repair pieces are weighed separately. A hypothetical example: 1,200 grams of 21 karat at opening, 150 received, 40 bought used, 210 sold and nothing melted or paid out leave 1,180. If the scale reading you send is 1,176, four grams need explaining.
WhatsApp Status ads: four details per piece
The Ministry of Commerce says the amended regulation bans advertising precious-metal products without each one's type, weight, karat and price. Moeen drafts the ad text with those details; you review it and post it yourself. Check the rule at mc.gov.sa.
Notebook and Excel versus structured messages
| Situation | Notebook and Excel | Structured messages |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Piece count | Grams per karat |
| Used gold bought | A handwritten slip | An invoice with seller details |
| Day close | Cash only | Cash and weight per karat |
Four numbers after a month
- The daily and monthly weight gap per karat.
- Average actual making charge against your floor.
- Used gold bought, its cost and where it went.
- Each supplier's balance, in grams and riyals if agreed.
How to start this week
- Tag each piece with code, weight and karat, send the list in Excel, then weigh your stock per karat to set the opening balance.
- Set the minimum making charge and each role's permissions.
- Review the used-gold purchase invoice with your accountant.
- Never accept a repair without weighing it.
The takeaway: a gold shop runs by the gram, not the piece. Seven short messages fix the day's price, track each piece until sold or melted, and close the day on cash and grams per karat.