Dealer Estimates Guide: Create, Share & Invoice

Approved Worldstar dealers can build branded estimates for their customers right from their account. Share them with a private link, let customers approve online, turn approved estimates into invoices, record payments and track monthly sales. This guide walks you through every step.

1. Find the estimate tools

1. Log in to your dealer account on worldstarsecuritycameras.com.
2. Go to My Account > Estimates (/my-account-2/estimates/).
3. Use the tabs along the top to move between Estimates, Invoices, Unpaid and Reports. The Unpaid tab shows a red badge with the number of open invoices.
   

   

Estimates, invoices and reports are only for approved dealers. If you don't see Estimates in your account menu, see the FAQ.

2. Set your customer encryption key (first time only)

Before you create your first estimate, you choose a private key, or passphrase. It encrypts your customers' names and contact details so only you can read them.

1. Open My Account > Estimates. You'll see Set your customer encryption key.
2. Type a key in Encryption key (at least 10 characters), then type it again in Confirm encryption key. Tip: use a phrase of several words. This key is separate from your website password.
3. Click Set key and continue.
   

   

4. On Save your recovery code, copy the code or click Download .txt. Store it somewhere safe, like a password manager or a printed copy in a secure place. The code is shown only once.
5. Tick I saved my recovery code in a safe place and click Continue.

Unlocking, locking and changing your key

• Unlock: when you come back, Unlock your estimates asks for your key. Your customer details stay unlocked in that browser for up to 12 hours, or until you log out or click Lock now.
• Lock now: click it when you step away from a shared computer.
• Change key: enter your Current encryption key and a New encryption key. Your customer details are kept, and your recovery code stays the same.
• After too many wrong attempts, wait 15 minutes and try again.

Forgot your key?

1. On the Unlock your estimates screen, click Forgot key?
2. Enter your Recovery code, then type a New encryption key and Confirm new encryption key. Click Set new key. Your customer details are kept, and you get a new recovery code. Save it.
3. If you've lost the recovery code too, click Lost the recovery code too?, or Reset everything on the unlock screen. Type RESET, choose a new key, and click Erase customer details and reset key. This cannot be undone. Your estimates and line items stay, but customer names and contact details on earlier estimates are erased, so you'll need to enter them again.

3. Add your branding and estimate settings

Estimates use the logo, company details and colors from your Spec Sheet Profile. That's the same profile used for custom spec sheets.

1. Go to My Account > Spec Sheet Profile. Upload your logo and fill in your company, contact name, phone, email, website and address. Pick your sheet color and click Save profile. If your profile is empty, the estimate editor shows a tip with a Set up profile link.
2. In the Estimates & invoices section of the same page, choose how estimates and invoices work for you:
   • Let customers approve estimates from the shared link
   • Also let customers decline
   • Email me when a customer responds
   • Name shown in the email: the name the customer typed, the customer name on the estimate, or no name (estimate number only)
   • Invoice number prefix, Payment due (days after issue) and Default invoice terms (pre-filled on new invoices)

   

3. Click Save profile.

4. Create an estimate

1. On the Estimates tab, click + New estimate. You can also click Create estimate next to any product in My Account > Spec Sheets to start a new estimate with that product already added.
2. Customer: fill in Customer name, Company, Email, Phone, Project / site name and Address. These details are encrypted with your key.
3. Estimate details: the Estimate number is assigned automatically when you save. Set the Date and a Valid until date. Status can be Draft, Sent, Approved, Declined or Accepted.
4. Add products: in Add product: search name or model…, type a product name or model number. Each result shows the product's list price and your price, which is your dealer cost. Click a product to add it. The unit price fills in, and Your cost is filled in for you. If a result says no price on file, type your own cost on that line.
   

   

5. Add labor and other lines: click + Labor, + Installation, + Cabling or + Misc, then type a description, quantity and price. Labor and installation lines start as non-taxable. You can change that with the Tax checkbox on any line.
6. Quantities and discounts: set Qty and Unit price on each line. Use Disc. % for a line discount, or Overall discount (choose % or $) for the whole estimate. Use the × button to remove a line.
7. Tax and shipping: enter your Tax rate % (taxable lines) and any Shipping charge. The Subtotal, Discount, Tax, Shipping and Total update as you type.
8. Click Save estimate. To print right away, click Save & print. From the list you can also Edit, Print, Duplicate or Delete an estimate.

5. See your profit in real time (only you see this)

While you build an estimate, the editor shows your cost and profit on every line, plus a running profit panel.

1. Look at the Your cost and Profit columns on each line. Product costs come from your dealer prices. For labor, installation, cabling and misc lines, type your own cost, for example what you pay your installer, so your profit is accurate.
   

   

2. Check the Profit (only you see this) panel under the totals. It shows Gross profit, Margin and Markup, with a breakdown of Revenue (after discounts, excl. tax), Your cost and Shipping profit.
3. If you pay for shipping, enter it in Your shipping cost (optional) so shipping profit is counted correctly.
4. Watch for warnings. A line priced below your cost turns red, and the panel tells you how many lines are below cost.
   

   

6. Add notes and terms

1. Under Notes & terms, type anything the customer should know in Notes to customer, for example "Includes remote viewing setup on two phones."
2. Open the Insert terms template… dropdown above the Terms box. Pick one of the Samples or one of My templates, and the terms box fills in. You can still edit the text afterward. The samples are:
   • Standard installation (50% deposit)
   • Net 15
   • Net 30
   • Due on receipt
   • Equipment-only sale (no installation)
   • Service / maintenance agreement
   • 1-year labor warranty
   • Quote valid 30 days

   

3. To reuse terms you've typed, click Save as template.
4. To manage your templates, click Manage templates, or go to My Account > Spec Sheet Profile > Terms & conditions templates. There you can click + Add a template, give it a Template name and Terms text (or Start from a sample (optional)), and tick Use as my default for new estimates and invoices. You can also Set as default, Remove as default or Delete a template. You can save up to 30.
   

   

7. Print, save as PDF and attach spec sheets

1. To add product details, tick Attach spec sheets (adds an unbranded spec sheet for each product after the estimate) before you save.
2. Click Save & print in the editor, Print / PDF at the top of a saved estimate, or Print in the estimate list.
3. On the print page, click Print / Save as PDF. To print, choose your printer. To get a PDF file, choose Save as PDF in your browser's print window. The estimate shows your logo, contact details, customer, line items, totals, notes, terms and an Accepted by (signature) line.

8. Share the estimate with your customer

1. Open a saved estimate. Under Share with customer, click Share link. If the estimate is a draft, leave Mark as Sent ticked to update its status.
2. Your private Customer link appears. Anyone with this link can view the estimate, so only send it to your customer.
   • Copy copies the link so you can paste it into a text or message.
   • Email to customer opens your own email app with the subject, link and a short message already filled in. It is sent from your email, not by Worldstar.
   • Open shows the estimate exactly as your customer will see it.
   • Regenerate link creates a new link. The old link stops working.
   • Disable link turns the link off so the customer can no longer open it.

   

3. See when it's viewed: under the link you'll see Not viewed yet. or Viewed by customer on a date, along with the last view and the number of views.

9. Customer approves or declines, and you get an email

Your customer opens the link on any phone or computer. They don't need an account. They see your branded estimate with your logo and pricing and no Worldstar branding. They can print it or save it as a PDF, and they never see your cost or profit.

1. The customer clicks Approve estimate.
2. They type their name in Your full name, can add a Note (optional), tick I approve estimate … and accept its terms., and click Confirm approval.
   

   

3. Or, if you allow it, they click Decline, can give a Reason (optional), and click Confirm decline.
4. You get an email at your account email address, for example "Your customer approved estimate #…". It includes the estimate total and a link to open the estimate in My Account. If the customer left a note, the email asks you to open the estimate and unlock it with your key to read it. Your customer is not emailed, and Worldstar never contacts your customers.
5. On the estimate you'll see Approved by customer or Declined by customer, with the date, the name they typed and their note.

• Once the Valid until date passes, the estimate can't be approved online. Update the date or send a new estimate.
• If something changes after the customer responds, click Reset response. They can then approve or decline again from the same link. If you edit an estimate after a response, it shows the total at the time of the response so you can tell what changed.

10. Convert an approved estimate to an invoice

1. Open the estimate, or find it in the list, and click Convert to invoice. You'll see "Invoice created from the estimate. Review it, then share or print it." You can also start one from scratch with + New invoice on the Invoices tab.
2. Check the Invoice details. The Invoice number is assigned automatically using your prefix. Then set the Issue date and the Payment terms: Due on receipt, Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45 or Net 60. The Due date is set from the payment terms.
3. Click Save invoice. You can share the invoice with its own customer link, using the same Copy, Email to customer, Regenerate link and Disable link buttons, or print it with Print / PDF.
4. Made a mistake? Void keeps the invoice in your records marked Void, and Restore brings it back. An invoice that already has payments can't be voided until you delete them.

11. Record payments

1. Open the invoice. At the top you'll see the Invoice total, Paid, Balance due and Terms.
2. Under Record a payment, enter the Date and Amount. You can't enter more than the balance due, because overpayments can't be recorded.
3. Choose a Method: Cash, Check, Card, Zelle, Wire, PayPal or Other. Add a Reference, such as a check number or transaction ID, and an optional Note.
4. Click Record payment. The balance updates, and the invoice status changes from Unpaid to Partial to Paid.
   

   

5. Use Edit or Delete next to a payment in the payment list to fix it. The balance is recalculated.

12. Track unpaid invoices (aging)

1. Click the Unpaid tab. It lists open invoices with a balance, oldest overdue first.
2. The cards at the top show Total outstanding and the balance in each age group: Current, 1–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days and 90+ days overdue. A colored bar shows the mix.
3. Each row shows the invoice, customer, due date, Days overdue, age and balance. Click Record payment to go straight to that invoice.
   

   

When everything is collected, you'll see "Nothing outstanding. Every invoice is paid."

13. Monthly estimates and sales reports

1. Click the Reports tab. Pick a month and click Show, or use the ‹ and › buttons to step through months.
2. At a glance shows that month's Estimates created, Sent, Approved, Declined, Conversion rate (approved ÷ sent), Invoiced, Collected, Outstanding (at month end), Profit (invoiced) and Profit (approved estimates).
3. The Invoiced vs collected chart compares months side by side, and the Month by month table lists each month's numbers.
   

   

4. Click Export CSV to download the report and open it in Excel, Google Sheets or your accounting software.

Estimates count in the month of their estimate date. Profit is invoiced sales (excluding tax) minus your cost, and only you can see it.

14. Using the estimate tools on your phone

• On a phone, the My Account menu shows as a grid of buttons, so every section is one tap away. You don't need to swipe.
• The Estimates, Invoices, Unpaid and Reports tabs stay at the top, and tables stack into easy-to-read cards.
• The Profit (only you see this) panel can be collapsed with a tap. That's handy when you're standing next to your customer.
• Your customers can open, approve or decline estimates from their phones too.

FAQ