Managing products with the SFN app

Before you send inventory to Flexport, you need to ensure that your products have all the necessary information associated with them.

SKUs

A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique alphanumeric code that's used to identify a product or variant of a product, based on details such as its model, size, or color. SKUs can vary in length and can include letters, numbers, or both. SKUs are used to distinguish product variants, track inventory, and ship the right item to customers.

Before you create an outbound transfer of inventory, verify that each product variant has a unique SKU. You can’t use the same SKU on different variants. If any of your variants have the same SKU, then change one of the variant's details. You can also edit SKUs in bulk using a CSV file.

Using another fulfillment service application in addition to SFN might block your ability to share the same SKU across multiple locations. To resolve this, you can stock the inventory in multiple locations or duplicate the variant that is to be stocked by Flexport.

Don't change the SKU of a product after you submit it to Flexport.

Learn more about Flexport’s barcode and SKU requirements.

Barcodes

A barcode is a machine-readable pattern that's used internationally to store and locate product information. Barcodes contain a series of numbers that can vary in length depending on the type of product. For Flexport to fulfill your orders, the barcodes on your products must be Industry Standard Barcodes.

Before you create an outbound transfer of inventory, verify that each product variant has a unique barcode. You can’t use the same barcode for different variants.

If you send a product with a barcode that's already being used for a different product by another merchant, then Flexport will assign your product a new barcode.

Learn more about using barcodes for your products.

Learn more about Flexport’s barcode and SKU requirements.

Harmonized System (HS) codes

HS codes are required only if you sell internationally. HS codes provide information to customs about which tariffs to apply to the order. Find your HS codes and assign them to the products that you ship internationally. Learn how to add HS codes to your products.

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