When you connect your ecommerce store to Stamps.com, you can also add details about the products you sell into the Product Catalog. Stamps.com uses the details in these product records for your packing slips, customer email notifications, and to automatically configure your shipments. Additionally, automation rules can leverage these details to perform actions you would otherwise have to do manually.
This article discusses how to add and edit product records and highlights features such as adding an alias to products and using product categories.
Available for Stamps.com Online only
The Product Catalog feature is not available in the PC software version of Stamps.com.
Product records are automatically created when orders import from your stores. You can also create product records in the PRODUCTS tab without importing orders from a store.
At minimum, the product record requires a SKU and a name. We recommend to including weight, dimensions, and customs information to help get rates quickly and automate parts of the shipping process.
To manually add a product:
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Go to the PRODUCTS tab.
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Click the Add button to open the Product Details.
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Add a SKU and Name to the Product Details (all other fields are optional).
Important
Once a SKU has been saved for a product, it cannot be changed.
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Enter the Weight and Dimensions for your new product in the Shipping Defaults section. Warehouse Location (for example, Aisle F Bin 90245) is optional.
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Enter the customs details if you plan to do any international shipping.
This includes a product Description, Declared Value, Country of Origin, and the HS Tariff (Harmonization Tariff Code).
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Add a Store Alias for a product if needed.
You can make changes to your product records at any time. Any changes made to a product's details will apply to future orders when they import and will not affect already imported orders.
To edit a product record:
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Go to the PRODUCTS tab.
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Select the product to edit.
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Change any details (except the SKU) by replacing what is already in the fields.
You can edit the following details:
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Name - this is the name of the product in your product catalog
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Override Imported Name - if checked, this will override the name of the item imported from the store with the Name entered into the product record
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Description - a short description of the item
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Override Image - enter the URL of a product image if you want packing slips or confirmation emails to use a different image than what imports from the store
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Category - assign a category for reporting purposes
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Tags - assign tags to help with filtering or to trigger Automation Rules
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UPC - the universal product code for this product
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Weight - the weight of the product
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Dimensions - the dimensions of the box required to ship the product
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Warehouse Location - the row, aisle, and bin location of the item in your warehouse
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Customs Description - the description of the product that will print on the customs forms
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Declared Value - the value of the product that will print on customs forms
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Country of Origin - where the item was manufactured
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Store Alias
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Assign Categories to your products to help organize them and allow for reporting by category.
To create a category and assign to a product record:
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Go to PRODUCTS.
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Click Categories and select Add/Edit Categories from the drop-down menu.
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Click Add in the Manage Categories window.
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Enter a Category Name and click Save.
The new category will appear in the left panel under Category.
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Select a product to open the Product Details.
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Select the name of the category from the Category drop-down menu.
The Category will be displayed for each product in the Category column.
You can change the category of a product at any time. Keep in mind that any changes you make will not show on currently imported orders.
SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit or Storage Keeping Unit. It is an alphanumeric coding system for inventory management and is one of the most popular methods used for product identification in online marketplaces.
By including a SKU on your product records, it is easier to ship the correct item to your customer and ensure you always have enough of your most popular items available.
SKU vs UPC
UPC (Universal Product Code) is a universal numeric code system for identifying and tracking an individual product, regardless of where it is being sold. Customers can price shop by searching for a UPC online. A SKU is your personal identifier for a product.
There are no standardized rules for SKUs, so you can choose any group of letters and numbers. If you are new to ecommerce, here are a few suggestions to create useful SKUs:
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Keep it Simple
Avoid including too much information in SKU Codes. Just include the information you need to differentiate, ship, and keep track of your products.
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Use a logical naming system
Think logically about future use and leave room for growth. The goal is an easily read and understood SKU Code.
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Letters and Numbers
We suggest using a combination of letters and numbers. This tends to make SKUs easier to read.
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What to Avoid:
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Avoid characters like 0 and O, 1, l and I as they can often be confused for each other.
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Don’t use symbols in your SKU, like @,#,*. It can cause confusion, and the slash characters (/ and \) can cause formatting problems in spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel.
With just a little planning, SKUs can make your ecommerce business more efficient.
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Duplicate SKUs
When uploading your products to a large online marketplace, like Amazon or eBay, it's possible that there may already be a product using your SKU. In this case, the online marketplace may assign a new SKU for the product on their site. If this happens, set up a Product Alias in Stamps.com for that product.
When selling on multiple online stores, sometimes multiple SKUs can be used for the same product. To make inventory tracking accurate, you can use a Product Alias to link a product record to a SKU that is different than the SKU for the record itself. That way, all SKUs used for a single item will link back to your primary SKU in the product catalog.
To add an alias to a product record:
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Go to PRODUCTS.
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Select the product to open the Product Details.
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Scroll down to the Store Aliases section and click Add Store Alias.
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Enter the additional SKU and choose the Store from the drop-down menu. Click Save.
From this point on, any alias SKU that imports on an order will be associated with its primary SKU in your catalog.