Supplier vs Scout: What’s the Difference?

Suppliers and Scouts can both help you organize information about where your inventory comes from, but they serve different purposes.
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A Supplier represents the source or business where you obtain your inventory.

Depending on your sourcing process, a supplier could represent a store, wholesaler, distributor, or another inventory source.
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Using Suppliers can make it easier to identify where inventory was purchased and keep your sourcing records organized.
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A Scout represents the person responsible for finding or sourcing inventory.

Scouts are especially useful if multiple people are purchasing or sourcing inventory for your business.
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The easiest way to remember the difference is:
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Supplier = Where the inventory came from
​Scout = Who sourced the inventory
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For example, if an employee named John purchases books from a local thrift store:

Using both allows you to keep more detailed sourcing information as your inventory grows.