SKUs are an important piece of the puzzle while selling on Amazon to manage your stock better. However, if it’s your first time, you might wonder how to create them for your products.
SKU is a unique alphanumeric code that acts as an identifier for your Amazon listings. To create one for every product, write an alphanumeric code with hyphens.
To do this:
- Use two letters at the beginning for the product’s manufacturer.
- Write the next two letters to represent the product category.
- Next, add the characters for the product’s condition, such as NP for New Product.
- Next, write product specifications, like size, color, or date it was sent to the warehouse.
- Finally, add a few digits for the price.
Do not exceed the SKU code by 40 characters.
To help you with this process, we have written a complete guide on creating SKUs for Amazon, so you can do it hassle-free.
What Is an SKU on Amazon?
SKU or Stock Keeping Unit is a unique alphanumeric code that identifies your products as an Amazon seller. Creating an SKU is necessary to help you categorize all your items and manage your stock.
According to Amazon’s seller guidelines, all products sold on Amazon must have an SKU number, and the length of each SKU should be under 40 characters, including hyphens.
They can be a combination of numbers and letters arranged in any particular way.
Creating SKU for Amazon
Amazon doesn’t have a predefined way to create SKUs. You can easily create one using pencil and paper if you have enough knowledge of your products.
Let’s discuss everything you can include in your SKU:
If you don’t create SKU for your products, Amazon will automatically generate one, a mandatory step in the listing process.
1. Manufacturer Name
First, use the manufacturer’s initials in the Amazon SKU as two letters. This will help you categorize every item from the same company to identify the products better.
2. Product Type
The next thing to include in the SKU for Amazon is the product type. You can use two letters to represent the category to quickly identify it in the future. For example, use the letters BK for books.
3. Product Condition
Another important thing you can add to the SKU of your product is its condition. Try using the letters NP for new products and UP for the used ones.
4. Product Features
To ensure you don’t get confused between two products, include any distinguishing feature in the SKU—for example, the size, the model number, the color, etc., in the form of digits.
You can also mention when you sent the item/product to the Amazon warehouse.
5. Product Price
Although it’s not essential, you can make the price you paid for a product a part of its SKU. This information might come in handy when you need to restock the items again.
After you’ve added all the necessary details, your SKU might look like AH-BK-NP03-250.
Don’t start your SKU with 0; it will likely cause issues in different management applications. Instead, to manage your inventory effectively, use the same SKU with only a slight variation for similar products, and stay consistent with the structure.
Why Do I Need Sku for Amazon?
Creating SKUs is convenient for you to manage all your products as an Amazon seller.
You need to create an SKU on Amazon for multiple reasons, which are discussed below;
1. Easy Identification and Product Representations
Amazon products are famous for having lengthy names and descriptions. If you have a long list of products, going through each one every time you check their stock can be very time-consuming.
Having an SKU helps you save time by condensing down those heavy descriptions into a small, easily identifiable code.
2. Convenient Data Management
Creating SKUs will be a lifesaver if you use inventory management software for your products on Amazon. Most software programs work better using condensed input rather than lengthy descriptions.
Additionally, your data becomes more organized and readable.
3. Improved Communication With Vendors
SKUs also help in making your communication with your vendors quick and easy. For example, in every invoice to your vendor, your work can be done by adding a few characters instead of paragraph-long details for each product.
Try using an SKU generator if you don’t want to spend a lot of time creating the SKUs for all your products on Amazon.
Takeaway
In this guide, we have discussed how to create SKU for Amazon. We also discussed what an SKU is and why you must create one.
We hope your question is answered in this article and you now know about SKUs and how creating them can make life easier for your listings as an Amazon seller.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is SKU Decided on Amazon?
When creating a listing on Amazon, you are asked for different details about your items, such as their condition, price, quantity, etc.
The SKU is part of the same page you must fill after deciding on one for your product.
Can We Edit SKU on Amazon?
No, SKUs are uneditable. If you wish to change one for any of your products, you have to delete the listing from Amazon and start the whole process from the beginning, adding the new SKU this time.
Can SKUs Be Duplicated?
If you’ve used duplicate SKUs for any of your products on Amazon, it will show the total number of all items with the same SKU in your inventory.
Since SKUs can’t be edited, it might create a problem for you in the long run.
Can I Use a Barcode As SKU?
Although you may think the barcodes and SKUs are similar, they are the opposite. A barcode is assigned to every product that needs to be sold, whereas an SKU is an identifier unique to your product.
