How to build a purchase record
- Copy the receipt. Item, store, purchase date and price from the receipt; brand, model and serial number from the label on the product or the box.
- Set the windows. Return days from the receipt or store policy (30 is common), warranty months from the warranty card (12 or 24 is typical), extended cover if you bought a plan.
- Note where the receipt lives. A drawer, an email folder, a photo in Paperlock — the claim fails without it, so write it down.
- Export the dates. Add the calendar file so the return deadline and the warranty end come to you, and keep the CSV as the household record.
What it does
- One card per purchase: item, brand and model, serial number, store, price, receipt location
- Derives the return deadline, warranty end, extended-cover end and a 30-day test-before-it-ends date
- Calendar export with alerts 3 days before the return deadline and 7 days before the warranty ends
- CSV export of every record for a household spreadsheet
- Printable record card for the folder or the claim
- Saved in your browser’s local storage only — no account, no upload
What a complete purchase record contains
When an appliance fails, the claim is won or lost on paperwork you assembled on the day you bought it: the receipt with the date and price, the product's model and serial number, the return window the store gave you, and the warranty terms the manufacturer promised. Most people have some of these in a drawer, some in an email, and one in a photo. This tool puts them on one card and works out the three dates that follow from them.
| Field | Why it matters | Where it usually lives |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase date | Every deadline counts from it | Receipt, order confirmation |
| Price paid | Refund amount; proof of value for insurance | Receipt, card statement |
| Model and serial number | Manufacturer warranty claims require both | Label on the product, box, invoice |
| Store | Returns go to the seller, not the maker | Receipt |
| Return window | Usually 14–30 days; some sellers longer | Receipt footer, store policy |
| Warranty length | Manufacturer's promise; EU law adds 2 years minimum from the seller | Warranty card, manual, product page |
| Extended cover | Paid plans start when the manufacturer's ends | Separate contract |
| Where the receipt is | The claim fails without it | Your note to yourself |
The three dates the tool derives
Return by is the purchase date plus the return window. Warranty ends is the purchase date plus the warranty months, using calendar months and clamping to the last day of a short month, so a 31 January purchase with six months of warranty ends on 28 February, not 3 March. If you add extended cover, it starts when the manufacturer's warranty ends and the record shows both. Test everything by is 30 days before cover ends: the day to run every program on the washing machine and press every button on the remote while a fault is still someone else's problem.
Keep separate things separate
A return deadline, a warranty expiry and a legal guarantee are three different rights with three different clocks. The return window is the seller's goodwill or policy; the manufacturer's warranty is a promise about defects; and in many places (the EU, the UK, Australia) consumer law adds a guarantee that runs regardless of what the warranty card says. The tool records the first two because they are dates you can know on day one. For the legal guarantee, read the guide to tracking warranties, which covers the rules by country.
Exports
The calendar file holds up to three events per purchase: the return deadline with a 3-day alert, the test-everything day, and the warranty end with a 7-day alert. The CSV has one row per purchase with every field and derived date, ready for a household spreadsheet. Print gives you the record card alone.
Limits
Records live in this browser's local storage: nothing is uploaded, and nothing follows you to another device. Clearing site data removes them, so export the CSV once your list is complete. The tool does not know your country's legal guarantee period or the seller's actual return policy; it computes from the numbers you type. If you would rather not type at all, Paperlock reads the receipt and the warranty card from a photo, stores them together, and reminds you before the warranty ends.