> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Items

> Creating and organising the things you stock — codes, units, reorder levels, barcodes and reference photos.

An item is anything you hold in stock. Setting items up properly is what makes everything else —
counting, selling, scanning, reporting — work smoothly.

## Creating an item

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Inventory, then Items">
    Choose **New item**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the basics">
    | Field           | Notes                                                      |
    | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Name**        | What your staff call it. This appears everywhere           |
    | **Code or SKU** | Your unique reference. Must be unique across your business |
    | **Description** | Longer detail — size, colour, specification                |
    | **Category**    | For grouping and reporting                                 |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the unit of measure">
    How you count it — each, kilogram, litre, box. Choose carefully; changing it later makes
    historical quantities ambiguous.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the reorder level">
    The quantity at which you want to be warned. Set it on items you cannot trade without.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the barcode">
    If the item has one. Required for barcode scanning. See [Scanning](/inventory/scanning).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the cost and selling prices">
    Cost for valuation and margin; selling price for the till.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The item can now be used in operations.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Codes

A unique code per item. Bumara rejects duplicates.

A consistent structure makes searching fast. Something like a category prefix plus a sequence —
`BEV-0001` for beverages, `STA-0001` for stationery — works better than free-form codes.

If your products link to [Invoicing](/invoicing/products-and-prices), use the same code in both
places so selling moves the stock.

## Barcodes

Each item can carry one barcode, unique within your business.

| Source               | Notes                                                                |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Manufacturer barcode | Scan the product and record what comes up. Simplest for retail goods |
| Your own labels      | Print and apply your own. Necessary for unbarcoded goods             |
| No barcode           | Use the visual scanner or search by name instead                     |

Barcodes are what make the till and stock counts fast. If you handle any volume, they are worth the
setup effort.

## Reference photos

Upload a photo of an item to enable the visual scanner, which identifies products from a camera
image without needing a barcode.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the item">
    From Inventory → Items.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload a photo">
    In the attachments section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Take it properly">
    Good light, plain background, the product filling most of the frame, from the angle staff will
    normally see it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    The visual scanner can now recognise it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

A poor photo makes recognition unreliable. One good photo is worth more than five bad ones.

## Reorder levels

When a balance falls to or below the reorder level, the item is flagged as low stock and can
trigger a notification.

A workable starting point: normal usage over the time your supplier takes to deliver, plus a
margin for variability.

| Item                           | Weekly usage | Supplier lead time | Suggested level |
| ------------------------------ | ------------ | ------------------ | --------------- |
| Fast-moving, reliable supplier | 100          | 1 week             | 150             |
| Fast-moving, slow supplier     | 100          | 3 weeks            | 400             |
| Slow-moving, critical          | 5            | 2 weeks            | 20              |

Review levels after a few months against what actually happened.

## Organising items

| Approach                       | Benefit                              |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| **Categories**                 | Group related items; report by group |
| **Code conventions**           | Fast searching and sorting           |
| **Consistent naming**          | Staff find things without guessing   |
| **Archive rather than delete** | Keeps historical movements intact    |

<Warning>
  Never delete an item that has stock movements against it. Archive it. Deleting breaks the link
  from historical adjustments, transfers and counts to the item they concerned.
</Warning>

## Archiving

When you stop stocking something:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Run the balance down to zero">
    Sell it, transfer it, or adjust it out with a reason.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Archive the item">
    It disappears from selection lists but stays in your history.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reactivate if you stock it again">
    All its history is still there.
  </Step>
</Steps>

An archived item cannot be used in new operations, which is the point.

## Viewing an item

| Panel         | Shows                                                      |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Details**   | Name, code, unit, category, prices, reorder level, barcode |
| **Balances**  | Quantity on hand, per location                             |
| **Movements** | Every operation that has affected this item                |
| **Value**     | Quantity multiplied by cost                                |
| **Photos**    | Reference images                                           |

The movements panel is the one to open when a balance looks wrong. It shows every change with its
date, its reason and who made it.

## Naming that works

| Instead of | Use                      |
| ---------- | ------------------------ |
| `Sugar`    | `Sugar — White, 1kg`     |
| `Paper`    | `Paper — A4 80gsm, ream` |
| `Cable`    | `Cable — HDMI 2m`        |

Include the distinguishing detail in the name. Staff searching at the till do not open the
description.

## Bulk import

For a large catalogue, import rather than typing.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download the template">
    From Inventory → Items.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill it in">
    One row per item, with codes, units and reorder levels.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check for duplicate codes">
    The commonest reason an import partly fails.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload and review">
    Check the count and spot-check several records.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Next: [Adjustments](/inventory/adjustments) for changing stock quantities.
</Note>