Understanding SKU and Variety of Products from Wholesalers by Worldwide Brands

By Chris Malta, Founder & CEO of Worldwide Brands

Wholesale Tips Series - How to find wholesalers, doing business with a wholesaler, what to expect when purchasing from wholesalers and more.

Tip #18

“SKU” is a highly used wholesale term you hear frequently when dealing with genuine wholesale suppliers. SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit.

A SKU is a number. It is the unique number assigned to a product type by the wholesaler. It could a product number or a model number. When you hear that your wholesale supplier carries 8,000 SKUs, it means they inventory 8,000 unique products. The wholesaler may have millions of units in stock but they are grouped into 8,000 unique products.

The wholesaler will typically assign three SKUs to identify a product that has three different colors. There will be one SKU for each color so that the wholesaler’s staff can cross-check that they have picked the correct product to match your purchase order. This is not like your Social Security Number a number with only one number per product. The SKU is a number that is unique to each item type that can be picked and packed for shipment.

It's just that simple.

Worldwide Brands is an eBay Certified Solution Provider, providing product sourcing access and information for eBay sellers. They are the publishers of an extensive directory of legitimate, fully-verified ecommerce wholesalers and manufacturers.