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Creating an item

Last Updated: September 30, 2026

What it does

Create Item opens one long form, with a card for each part of an item.

The first card takes the fields below.

FieldWhat it takes
ProductA picture for the item
TitleThe item’s name
DescriptionDetail shown alongside the item
Unit of MeasureA unit drawn from the units your organisation has set up
This is a physical productA checkbox marking the item as physical
This is a subscriptionA checkbox marking the item as a subscription

Pricing takes the fields below.

FieldWhat it takes
Cost PriceWhat the item costs you
Cost price includes taxA checkbox marking the cost price as tax-inclusive
TaxThe tax rate applied to the item. It starts on your default tax, or None when you have no default
Compare at PriceThe higher price you show a discount against
PriceWhat you sell the item for
Price includes taxA checkbox marking the sell price as tax-inclusive
Purchase CategoryFree text for your own purchasing accounts
Sales CategoryFree text for your own sales accounts

Shipping appears once the item is marked physical and takes a Shipping Weight with its unit, a Shipping Origin Country and an HS Code. Inventory takes the Track inventory for this item checkbox, a SKU and a Barcode. Variants is where option dimensions such as Size or Colour are defined.

The column on the right holds Status, Vendor with its Vendor SKU, and a Product Category and Subcategory.

Before you start

The form warns you before you leave with unsaved changes.

The free plan allows 50 items. A banner above the list warns you as you get close. The Create Item button turns off once you are 2 items past it, with a tooltip about upgrading your plan to continue.

Money is entered and stored in your organisation’s currency. Change it in organisation settings rather than on the item.

The default tax is set in Settings under Taxes. An item created by Hermes, an MCP client or an import without a tax also gets the default tax.

How to use it

  1. Open the Items list and select Create Item.
  2. Give the item a Title. Everything else has a sensible empty state, so this is the one field to fill before anything else.
  3. Set the Price, and the Cost Price if you want margin figures later.
  4. Look at the Tax. It starts on your default tax, and you can choose another or set it to None.
  5. Tick Track inventory for this item if you want on-hand quantities per location.
  6. Choose the Status. Active can be put on orders straight away, Draft keeps the item off orders while you finish it.
  7. Select Create. The item opens on its own page.

Troubleshooting

An item with variants can end up saved without them. This happens when creating the variants fails right after the item itself is saved, and the only message is that creating the variants failed. Add the variants again from the item page.

  • Items and locations: Inventory is two lists, one of the items you buy and sell and one of the locations you keep them in.
  • Pricing, shipping and vendor details: The cards on an item cover its prices and tax, its shipping details, the vendor you buy it from and its categories.
  • Options and variants: Option dimensions such as Size and Colour generate a variant for every combination, each with its own price and stock.
  • Adjusting stock: The Inventory card shows an item’s quantity at each location and opens the window that moves it up or down outside an order.

Changes