Talk:Stock keeping unit/Archives/2015

SKUs as used by webshops

Certain (Chinese) webshops that sell directly from factory to customer, such as DealExtreme, FocalPrice, and DealPerfect, use these SKUs as actual product numbers. Every product on their site has a certain SKU, which can be used to order the product. Maybe there should be a section on this use of the SKU numbers? (Every store assigns it's own SKUs. In two stores, the same product can have a different SKU. These shops usually start at 00001 and just count up) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joepie91 (talk • contribs) 20:08, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

I disagree with this. A SKU is to identify common properties of multiple items. A SKU will remain the exact same for every single item which is identical to eachother. In this case, the actual product number is to uniquely identify a particular item, which may be apart from another item using the same SKU. Djjd47130 (talk) 22:01, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

A possible change to simplify the article and make it more universally understandable would be to replace the language from "is a distinct item such as a product..." with something like "the SKU (Stockkeeping Unit)is not just a critical unit to the logistics' system but also can refer to a handheld device (Scanner/SKU) utilized by the team members to scan barcodes of each and every item. These items are then abled to be tracked and identified from the manufacturing point to stock. They are additionally at times used to assist in inventorying everyting at any giving location (ie. a store from what is on the floor to what in still in stock, to balance with what items are in route.)for accountablility purposes. In the event of anydiscrepancy the SKU can identify every piece that is on hand (has been shipped, lost in transit, sold, etc.) at most times even down to the color. --SFC Burch, Sr. (talk) 15:49, 6 July 2013 (UTC)SFC Burch, Sr.--SFC Burch, Sr. (talk) 15:49, 6 July 2013 (UTC)11:38 6 Jul 13

Questions about SKU

Say you have a box of 20 units of part number 1A and a box of 5 units of part number 1A- is this one SKU or two? -Nick Answer: It would be two different SKU's.:It depends on a company's preferences. Our company for example considers a case of 10 items with the same SKU, that SKU with a quantity of 10.

Is it a generic concept in China? Thanks Peter

• How are stock keeping units formulated?

Any way a company sees fit.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Is there any generally accepted format for SKUs?

In most cases, as SKU contains abbreviations of certain common properties of that item.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Are SKUs unique in the world or just to a vendor?

I'm unsure what you mean exactly, but when one company receives items from another Vendor, they have a choice of maintaining the Vendor's SKU or creating their own.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Is there a vendor-identifying prefix or suffix?

Along with the previous Q/A, a company may choose to use the same SKU from the Vendor, but add a prefix of the Vendor's Abbreviation.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Is there any standard or standards body relevant to SKUs?
• Would it be possible for company A to buy out company B and find that they have a range of identical SKUs for non-identical merchandise? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.16.96.33 (talk • contribs)

This is very possible, yet unlikely. Companies typically create a specific format of their SKU. Now if two companies use just numbers (like UPC), it is more likely that two numbers may match exactly. This is one reason why companies like to create their own SKU system.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

Also, we could do with more about how SKUs relate to UPCs / EANs.

• Do merchants use both?
• How do they co-ordinate them?

(Both previous questions) A company can store this information however they wish.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Did SKUs come first?
• If not, why was there felt to be a need for SKUs, given UPCs?

— Johan the Ghost _seance 20:14, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

This article is mainly about "SKU number/name", except in the "Consider this" section, where the description of the SKU concept that separate "SKU" goes into the main theory that confuses people.

The article should firstly be explained in theory: The example with the balls, that are concept with the ball boxes, explained that the stock contains 220 boxes, but only three SKUs, is right to the point, albeit a bit too complicated for the common non-merchant man: Perhaps the fact that there are loose balls inside the boxes confuse?

A better example is perhaps a shipment of DVD films: 300x Star Wars Episode 1, 400x of Star Wars Episode 2 and 200x of Star Wars Episode 3 is undoubtedly both 900 _films_ and 3 _SKUs_.

Once the concept is described, naming and principles on that should be described as well as it is the article as it is now

Further referances should be made to Forecast Keeping Units and other variants. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.70.78.190 (talk • contribs) (I reformatted a bit for readability. — Johan the Ghost _seance 13:46, 22 May 2006 (UTC))

I answered a few questions above. I hope someone considers those answers to re-evaluate the way SKUs are explained in the article. Currently, there is too much confusion, because there are so many different forms of SKUs. One may consider identifying different types of SKUs and dividing them into different subjects.Djjd47130 (talk) 22:17, 30 May 2009 (UTC)

• Shouldn't this read as "Selling companies use UPCs to see which company performs better with the same item." - from the SKU example?