eBay inventory spreadsheet

Create the internal SKU and storage bin before the listing goes live. After publishing, paste the eBay item ID into the same row. That two-key system lets you find the physical item by SKU while still matching payouts, returns, and listing edits to eBay records.

Do not reuse a SKU for a replacement item. If a returned item is relisted, keep the original SKU only when it is the same physical unit and record the new item ID or relist date in notes.

eBay describes selling charges as a combination of insertion fees, final value fees, and charges for optional listing or promotion features. The applicable amounts can depend on category and account details. Record the fee shown for the completed order rather than applying one percentage across the entire sheet.

Keep buyer-paid shipping and actual label cost separate. A shipping charge collected from the buyer is revenue on the order, while the label is an expense; combining them too early makes it harder to see whether a shipping policy is helping or hurting margin.

Use a return-status field with a small controlled set such as none, requested, refunded, returned, and relisted. Add separate refund and recovered-cost fields so the original sale can remain intact while the financial result changes.

Review sold rows against eBay records on a regular schedule. The spreadsheet is most useful when every sale reaches a terminal state: completed, cancelled, or returned and reconciled.