A SKU, stock keeping unit, is the code that identifies one exact product: one design, in one size, in one colour. Marketplaces let you type almost anything as a SKU, and many sellers end up with a mix of supplier codes, long product names and numbers that meant something to someone two years ago.
That mix is harmless in a spreadsheet. On the packing table, at the end of a long day, it is where mistakes start. A good SKU is one a packer can read and match at a glance.
What makes a SKU easy to pack from
- Short. Ten to fifteen characters is plenty. It should fit on a shelf tag and print clearly on a label.
- Readable. Someone new should be able to guess roughly what it is.
- Unique. One code, one product. Never reuse a retired code for something new.
- Consistent. The same pattern for every product, so the eye knows where to look.
A simple pattern
Build the code from the attributes that tell products apart, from general to specific:
category - design - colour - size
For example:
- TEE-CREW-BLK-M: crew neck t-shirt, black, medium
- TEE-CREW-BLK-L: the same, large
- MUG-PLN-WHT-350: plain mug, white, 350 ml
- KRT-FLR-BLU-XL: floral kurti, blue, XL
Products that differ only by size sit next to each other in any sorted list, and the size is always in the same place at the end.
Mistakes to avoid
- Letters that look like numbers. O and 0, I and 1, S and 5 are easy to confuse in a small font. Pick one and avoid the other, or leave the confusable letters out.
- Spaces and special characters. Some systems trim or change them. Hyphens are safe.
- Lower and upper case mixed. Use capitals throughout.
- Meaning hidden in numbers. A code like 10045-3 tells nobody anything. If you need a running number, add it after the readable part.
- Codes that depend on the supplier. If you change supplier, the product has not changed, and neither should its SKU.
Use the same code everywhere
The real benefit comes when the same code appears in every place a product is handled:
- On the shelf tag or bin.
- On the pick list.
- On the shipping label.
- In your stock sheet.
Then packing is a straight match: the code on the label is the code on the shelf. See our guide to pick lists for how that check works at the packing table.
When your marketplace SKUs are already messy
Renaming SKUs on a live listing can be risky. On some marketplaces it can affect how the listing is linked to its stock or its history, so check the marketplace's own help pages before you change anything.
A safer path is to keep the marketplace SKU as it is and add your own readable code alongside it: in your stock sheet, on your shelf tags, and on the label. That way nothing on the listing changes, but everyone in your shop reads the same code.
Your own SKU on every label
The Sellerio Seller Toolkit, a free Chrome extension for Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho, lets you type your own SKU for each product once in My SKU Setup. From then on it prints on the label and the pick list in place of the marketplace's code. Where you leave it blank, the marketplace's own SKU prints as before1.
Add to Chrome — freeAmazon, Flipkart & Meesho · Free for everyone · No API key or password
It runs in Chrome on a computer. On a phone, send yourself the link.
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