What Is The Item Master

What Is The Item Master?

The Item Master is your central, master list of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) that serves as the foundation for inventory management in OneCart. Think of it as your definitive catalog of all products you sell, complete with quantities and other important attributes.

Why OneCart Needs An Item Master

OneCart requires an Item Master because it serves as the single source of truth for tracking your inventory across all sales channels. Without this master list, it would be impossible to:

• Maintain accurate stock levels across multiple platforms
• Prevent overselling when inventory is shared between channels
• Provide centralized inventory management and reporting
• Sync quantity updates to all your connected marketplaces

What Can Serve As Your Item Master?

Your Item Master can come from several sources:

Existing Warehouse System If you already have a warehouse management system or inventory tracking system, you can use your existing SKU list as the foundation for your Item Master.

Spreadsheet or File Any organized file (like an Excel spreadsheet) that contains:

• Your product SKUs
• Current quantities
• Product attributes (name, price, etc.)
• Other relevant product information

E-commerce Platform Data If one of your e-commerce platforms contains the most complete and accurate list of all SKUs you want to manage, OneCart can use that platform as the source.

How To Create Your Item Master

OneCart offers three main methods to establish your Item Master:

Method 1: Manual Creation (SKU by SKU) Create inventory items one at a time directly in OneCart. This method is ideal for:

• Smaller inventories
• Precise control over each item
• Adding new or high-priority products individually
• Learn how to create inventory manually

Method 2: Bulk Upload (Excel File) Upload a spreadsheet containing all your product data at once. This method involves:

• Downloading OneCart’s template
• Filling it with your SKU data (product name, SKU, price, quantity)
• Uploading the completed file for batch processing
• Learn about bulk upload process

Method 3: Generate From Platform Let OneCart create your Item Master from an existing e-commerce platform:

• Choose the platform with your most complete SKU list
• OneCart pulls all product data from that platform
• This becomes your master list within OneCart
• Other platforms will then sync to this master data
• Learn about platform generation

Best Practices

• Choose your most complete source: Use the platform or file that has the most accurate and comprehensive product information
• Include all necessary attributes: Ensure SKUs, quantities, product names, and pricing information are included
• Regular updates: Keep your Item Master current by updating quantities and adding new products as needed

Important Notes

Note: If you finished OneCart’s automated onboarding process, you likely already have some inventory created. Use the methods above to either add more SKUs or reset and set up your inventory from scratch.

Remember: Your SKUs must be unique across your entire Item Master.

Next Steps

Once you understand what an Item Master is, you can proceed to:

1. Create your inventory in OneCart
2. Import listings from your platforms
3. Turn on inventory sync

Your Item Master is the cornerstone of effective multi-channel inventory management with OneCart!