Core stock record

SKUs

A SKU is the stock item TrueSKU treats as the source of truth. Listings and supplier items usually point back to SKUs.

When to create a SKU

Create a SKU for anything you sell and need to count.

This includes single products, stock-controlled variations, and stock items that appear on more than one channel.

Use clear, stable SKU codes.

A SKU code should not change just because the title, supplier or listing changes.

Use notes for operational context.

Notes are useful for packing hints, supplier caveats or setup reminders.

Ways to create SKUs

Method	Best when
Create manually	You want precise control over each stock record.
Create from listings	Your marketplace listing SKUs/custom labels are clean.
Create from supplier items	Your supplier spreadsheet/order codes are the cleanest source of truth.
CSV import/upsert	You want to bulk create or update existing SKUs by SKU code.

Whichever route you choose, the SKU should become the central stock record. Listings and supplier items can then be linked to it.

Updating SKUs with CSV

You can export SKUs, edit supported details such as name, barcode, location, image_url and notes, then re-import the file. Existing SKUs are matched by the sku column and updated rather than duplicated.

Stock quantities are not imported through the SKU CSV tool. That is deliberate. Stock changes should go through audited movements such as sales, purchase order receiving, manual adjustments or stock takes.

For the full rules, see CSV Imports & Exports.

Opening stock

When you create a SKU with an opening quantity, TrueSKU records the SKU at zero first and then applies the opening balance through a stock movement. That keeps the audit trail complete from day one.

Changing stock

Stock changes should always have a reason. Manual and error corrections require a note so you can later understand why the figure changed.

Good practice: use purchase orders for supplier deliveries, sales imports for sales, and manual adjustments only when correcting or counting stock.

SKU locations

SKUs can optionally store a location reference such as a shelf, bay, aisle, picking position or bulk storage reference. This is a flexible text field, so you can use the structure that suits your warehouse or stock room.

A location is a label, not a warehouse. This field does not split your stock count. If you keep the same products in more than one place and want a separate count for each, see Multiple Warehouses.

Use a consistent format.

Examples might include A-01-03, PICK-A2, RACK-4-BIN-12, or your own zone/aisle/bay/shelf format.

Import and export locations with CSV.

The location field can be maintained directly in TrueSKU or included when importing and exporting SKU data.

Locations are informational for now.

TrueSKU currently stores the SKU location as a reference field. Stock is still controlled at SKU level rather than being split into separate warehouse or bin balances.

Low-stock threshold and email alerts

Give a SKU a low-stock threshold and it counts as low (the Low stock filter and the dashboard tile) whenever its stock is at or below that number. You can set it on the SKU page, in Bulk edit, or by CSV.

You can also have TrueSKU email you when a SKU reaches its threshold. This is available on the Growth plan and up, like Reorder Insights, and works per SKU:

1. Turn alerts on for the account.

An account owner goes to Settings → Email Alerts, ticks the low-stock alert box, and lists the email addresses to notify (up to 5, one per line). If the list is blank, the alert goes to the account owner. You also choose how often TrueSKU checks: every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, hour, 2, 6 or 12 hours, or once a day.

2. Choose the SKUs.

On a SKU's page tick Email me when stock reaches the low-stock threshold, or select several SKUs in the SKU list and use Bulk edit → Set low-stock email alert (you can set the threshold for them in the same step).

3. Get grouped emails.

At the frequency you chose, TrueSKU sends one email per account listing every chosen SKU that has newly reached its threshold since the last email. A longer gap means fewer emails, each covering everything that reached its threshold in the meantime. Nothing is sent when there is nothing new.

Each SKU alerts once per dip.

A SKU is not repeated in later emails while it stays low. It alerts again only after it has been restocked above its threshold and then drops back to it. A SKU that is already low when you switch alerts on is included in the next email.

This is separate from the daily digest. The daily digest (also under Email Alerts) is a once-a-day summary of SKUs running low on cover and newly out of stock. The alerts above are per SKU and use your own thresholds.