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What is a SKU?
A SKU, or stock-keeping unit, is retail industry lingo for an individual product offered. If you sell a shirt in 3 sizes, then you need one SKU for each size.
How do I input my SKUs into Shipwire?
Instructions:
- Create a unique SKU for each individual product you offer
- Synchronize your store with Shipwire. Or upload all the SKUs in a spreadsheet. Or add each SKU individually, in your browser.
- Our online software reviews every SKU, and activates it.
To get started, sign into your account, and click the Store tab.
Can I reuse SKUs?
Yes, you can reuse SKUs. Shipwire only counts SKUs with 1 or more items as a SKU. The rest are regarded as for planning purposes only.
For example, if you have 200 SKUs in your account, but only 6 carry inventory, then Shipwire only regards you as carrying 6 SKUs. Further, if you stock out of one of the SKUs, and begin carrying stock for another SKU, then Shipwire will still only regard you as carrying 6 SKUs.
Why are my SKUs under review?
Large items need to be manually reviewed by our team, in order to avoid problems or questions later. The review process typically takes 1 business day. If you find your SKUs under review for more than 1 business day, and you are in a rush to get started, please feel free to contact us.
How do I handle sub-characteristics?
If your product has sub-characteristics, such as size or color, then you will need one SKU for each unique item. For example, if you sell a shirt in 3 sizes, then you need one SKU for each size — e.g. 3 SKUS.
The if they also come in 3 colors, you need another 3 SKUs each, bumping it up to a total of 9 SKUs.
If you have cartons that you want to sell wholesale, and you also want to sell the items inside individually direct-to-consumers, then please read our tutorial on Master Cartons.
How do I add a product spreadsheet?
When you add one or two SKUs to Shipwire, it’s fast and easy to enter them in the browser. However when you have dozens of SKUs, it is faster to simply upload a spreadsheet with SKU information.
Instructions
- Download the list of SKUs currently in your account.
- Update the SKU information.
- Upload the updated spreadsheet.
Limitations
- Do not add additional columns or rows to the spreadsheet.
- Do not change the format of the spreadsheet.
Why do I need to enter dimensions?
Proper dimensions, weight and declared value are required to properly use the Shipwire service.
There are a lot of checks and balances in shipping. So if at any time you are found to have submitted erroneous information for a SKU, all shipments associated with that SKU will be rebilled, and the inventory associated with that SKU will be reclassified as Unqualified inventory, typically resulting in additional fees. Please check that all SKUs are properly entered before sending us inventory.
How should I name my SKUs?
Most products are clearly labeled with a model number, or other unique identifier. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it is:
- Clearly and consistently labeled on each item
- 12 or fewer characters
- Contains no spaces or characters aside from the numbers 0-9, a-z or A-Z.
A clear SKU label is mandatory
If you are having trouble finding any unique identifier on your product, comsider the following suggestions:
- Use the UPC barcode, as long as it is 12 or fewer digits in length.
- Use the first 12 letters of the product name, as long as it is listed somewhere on the product.
- Have your vendor place labels somewhere on each product, with a unique identifier.
- In the case of boxes, consider just writing a unique identifier on each box, with a permanent marker.
SKUs typically describe the product, in an extremely brief way. For example:
| SKU | Product Description |
| TB0003LB12 | Think Big T-Shirt - Large - Bag of 12 |
| TB | Short for Think Big |
| 0003 | The 3rd shirt this company made |
| L | This shirt is a Large size |
| B12 | This is a Bag of 12 “TB0003L” shirts |
How does a mixed order work?
If an order contains one Lick ‘n Stick™ item OR a few Pick and Pack items, shipping is straightforward. Here are more complex scenarios:
An order is for 2 or more Lick ‘n Stick™ items
Shipwire bills for each tracking number. Since each Lick ‘n Stick™ item must have its own tracking number, an order for 5 Lick ‘n Stick™ items would be 5 times the price of 1 Lick ‘n Stick™ to the same address. For example, if you ship 1 Lick ‘n Stick™ Item, it may cost $5. If you ship 5 Lick ‘n Stick™ items to that same address, the cost would be 5 x $5 = $25.
| Quantity | Type | Sample Fee |
| 1 | Lick ‘n Stick™ | $5 |
| 5 | Lick ‘n Stick™ | $25 |
An order contains Lick ‘n Stick™ AND Pick and Pack items
Again, Shipwire bills for each tracking number. In this case, there would be one tracking number for each Lick ‘n Stick™, and one tracking number for all the Pick and Packs as a group. For example, if you add 2 Pick and Packs to the order, in a box that ships for $7, your new total would be $25 + $7 = $32.
| Quantity | Type | Sample Fee |
| 5 | Lick ‘n Stick™ | $25 |
| 2 | Pick and Pack | $7 |
| Total: | $32 |