Creating Product Items in CustomBooks™

Creating Product Items

Product Items are physical goods that are tracked in your inventory. These items require careful management to ensure accurate stock levels, cost tracking, and order fulfillment.

Viewing the List of Items

To view the list of Items: Go to Lists > Items.


From the Items List View, you can:
  • Create a new product item or Copy an existing one.
  • Show or run an Item Quick Report, Price Matrix, or Audit Log for the selected product item.
  • Attach files to the selected product Item.
  • Export the Items List to Excel, PDF, or other formats.
  • Manage Columns by adding, removing, or reordering them.
  • Refresh the Items list.
  • Create multiple custom views using filters, sorting, ordering, and conditional appearance settings.

Creating a New Product Item

To create a new Product Item:
  1. Go to Inventory > Items, or List > Items. 
  2. Click Create > New.
  3. Enter the Item Code. Assign a unique code or identifier for the product (e.g., product number, SKU).
  4. Enter the product name or Description. Provide a descriptive name or detailed description of the product.
  5. Select 'Product' as the Item Type.
  6. Enter the Item Category to classify the product (e.g., electronics, apparel).
  7. Set the selling Price of the product. For a more complex pricing structure using Price Levels and/or Categories, use the Price Matrix.
  8. Enter the Cost of acquiring or manufacturing the product.
  9. Use Lots: Check this box if the product is tracked using lot numbers for batch management.
  10. Use Serial Numbers: Check this box if the product is tracked using serial numbers for individual identification.
  11. Taxable: Check this box if the product is subject to sales tax. See the Built-in Sales Tax System for more information on calculating and tracking sales taxes.
  12. Discount is Taxable: Check this box if discounts applied to this product should be taxable.
  13. Assembly: Check this box if this item is the final product that your company produces for which the inventory and its raw materials will be managed in the system. For more information about the Assembly feature, see Assembly/Bill of Materials.
    1. Check Has Residuals to track residuals produced as a part of the assembly process.
    2. Check Has Labor if the Assembly/Bill of Materials will include service items like labor.
    3. Check Allow to be Disassembled if the product can be disassembled into its component parts.
  14. Go to the Setup Tab, and set the product item Costing Method, default Inventory account, default Sales account, default Cost of Goods Sold account, Universal Product Code (UPC), and the Decimal Precision (Price & Cost).
    1. Costing Method: Choose the costing method for the product (e.g., Average Cost, FIFO).
    2. Default Inventory Account: Select the default account used for inventory transactions.
    3. Default Sales Account: Specify the account where sales revenue from this product will be recorded.
    4. Default Cost of Goods Sold Account: Choose the account where costs related to goods sold will be recorded.
    5. Universal Product Code (UPC): Enter the UPC for the product, if applicable.
    6. Decimal Precision (Price & Cost): Set the number of decimal places for price and cost calculations.



  15. Go to the Units of Measure (UoM) Tab and set the product item default Units of Measure Set, the default Sales Unit, and the default Purchase Unit. You can also set the product item Weight and Dimensions: Weight, Length, Width, and Height.
    1. Default Units of Measure Set: Select the default unit of measure set for the product. To know more about the UoM Sets, see the UoM Sets knowledgebase article.
    2. Default Sales Unit: Specify the unit used for sales transactions.
    3. Default Purchase Unit: Specify the unit used for purchase transactions.
    4. Weight and Dimensions:
      1. Weight: Enter the weight of the product.
      2. Length: Specify the length of the product.
      3. Width: Specify the width of the product.
      4. Height: Specify the height of the product.

  16. A picture of the product item can also be added. Click the Add Picture box/button.
  17. To save the product item, click the Save/Sales and Close button.


For a step-by-step walkthrough, check out the video below.
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Create a Copy of an Existing Product or Service Item

If you are creating a product item similar to another existing product item, you may copy it to save time. You can copy an existing item from the Items List View and by opening the Item Card.

Copy a Product Item from the Items List View

  1. In the Items List View (Inventory > Items), right click the product item > Create > Copy; Or highlight/select the product item > click the More Actions button in the top-right corner > Create > Copy.
  2. Change the item information that is different from the existing original item (the Item Code must different and unique).
  3. Save/Save and Close.


Copy a Product Item from the Item Card

  1. Go to Inventory > Items > then open the product item that you would like to copy.
  2. On the Item Card, go to the More Actions button located in the top-left corner > select Copy.
  3. Change the item information that is different from the existing original item (the Item Code must different and unique).
  4. Save/Save and Close.