In this article
	Why should I set up inventory? What are folders, products, and listing templates? How do I get started?

If you subscribe to Selling Manager Pro, you have an additional view in My eBay called the Inventory view. You use the Inventory view to track the products you sell and the different ways that you sell them (your listing templates).

Why should I set up inventory?

Although you’re not required to set up inventory, much of the power of Selling Manager Pro comes from your ability to:

• Track the products you’re selling

• Sell products using listing templates

• Automatically list and relist products

• Track inventory quantity, so you know your quantity on hand, quantity available to list, quantity listed on eBay, and when to restock

What are folders, products, and listing templates?

The top level of your inventory is the folder, which contains products that you sell. Everyone starts with one folder, but sellers with many products may find it helpful to organize their products into multiple folders.

Think of a product as a data record for an item that you sell. It helps you track information about your item, and contains listing templates for the different ways you sell your item.

The following table provides more detail about how you use folders, products, and listing templates.

How do I get started?

If you’re new to Selling Manager Pro, or you’re just starting to think about inventory, your Inventory view is probably empty. You’ll need to decide how you want to use inventory and start adding products and listing templates.

Here’s one way to approach your inventory:

1.	Decide which products and listing templates you’ll need. What products do you sell? If your items have SKU numbers, consider creating a separate product for each SKU. Do you create listings with variations, such t-shirts that are available in different sizes or colors? Depending on the listing category, you might be able to create a single product that contains all the variations. How many listing templates do you need for each product? Consider starting with one or two per product and adding more as needed. Will you need more than one inventory folder? If you have many products, you can save time later on by planning your folders from the beginning.
2.	Decide whether you’re going to track inventory quantity. Although it’s not a requirement, there are several advantages to tracking inventory quantity : You can easily view how many items you have in stock and how many you have available to list. Selling Manager Pro automatically increases or decreases the quantity available to list based on your listing activity. Optional restock alerts can notify you if your quantity falls below a certain level. When you create a new listing, you’ll be warned if you don’t have enough stock left to sell the item. Selling Manager Pro also alerts you if you’re out of stock on a product. If you don’t want to track inventory quantity, you can leave the quantity field empty when you create your products.
3.	Create products and listing templates. Depending on your needs, there are several ways to create products and listing templates. You can create new products and listing templates in the inventory view, or you can convert existing listings from other Selling Manager Pro views.
4.	Start selling products from your inventory. From the Inventory view, you can: List products one at a time or in bulk Automate your sales by defining rules for listing and relisting In each case, you select the listing template that should be used to sell the product. Learn more about the different ways to sell products.
5.	Monitor and update your inventory. See how many products are “Low stock” or “Out of stock” by checking the Product Inventory section of your Summary view. See the quantity that’s active on eBay, sold, or unsold. Adjust your inventory quantity, for example if you receive more products in stock.