Product SKU and Variant Register

Who this is for

One code for every version you sell. Each product and each of its size, colour and material variants gets its own SKU, with the design it comes from, the retail and wholesale price, the weight for postage and where it is listed, so labels, listings and stock counts all use the same code.

Makers whose range has grown beyond what they can remember, especially those selling through more than one shop, marketplace or stockist.

What this helps you track

• A unique code for each product and variant
• The design reference each variant comes from
• Retail and wholesale prices side by side
• The weight of each item for postage
• Where each SKU is listed and whether it is active, seasonal or retired

How to use it

1. Write your business name, the date and your SKU naming convention at the top, such as product code, then colour, then size.
2. Give every variant its own line and code, even when only the colour changes.
3. Add the design reference from your design register, and your own retail and wholesale prices.
4. Record the packed weight and the platforms or stockists where it is listed.
5. Mark each SKU active, seasonal or retired; never reuse a retired code for a different item.
6. Keep the register printed with your price list or fill it in online, where it saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How should I build a SKU code?

Any pattern that is short and consistent. Many makers join a product code with short codes for colour and size. Write the pattern at the top so every new variant follows it.

Should a one-off piece have a SKU?

It helps if you list it on a website or marketplace, or leave it with a stockist, because the code ties the listing, the label and the sale together. Mark it retired once it has sold.

Where do the prices come from?

From your own costing and price list. The register does not suggest prices or a wholesale margin; it keeps the figures you have already set in one place.

Why record weight?

Postage is usually charged by weight and size. Having the packed weight of each SKU to hand makes postage profiles and shipping costs quicker to set.