SKU naming convention – recommendations how it should work?! I try to use a descriptive name in case a tag gets lost etc. Also, since I operate hand-to-mouth I may only buy one or a just few of something each time. Many things are the same but different (earrings, journals, scarves, headbands, baskets…). Or they’re one-of-a-kind which makes it harder to have a unique name.

KEVIN:  You want to be sure you have a POS system that gives you plenty of data points to enter in all of the necessary data for properly tracking sales of every individual SKU in your inventory. You will need: your item number, vendor SKU, item description, country, artisan group, size, color, season, month received (critical), cost, sets (when applicable), retail, etc.

In terms of your description, it should match your item as best as possible. If you get the colorful cord bracelets and they come in three colors, you will have three SKU’s all with the same item description, same artist group, but a different item number and vendor SKU. Even if the vendor uses the same SKU for their SKU you will put XE-214-THT (Blue) for the blue one and same code plus red for the red one. That way you can track how each SKU does and your vendor is not getting confused by what you are ordering.