Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Seller SKUs on Amazon

As your Amazon business grows, managing product listings efficiently becomes critical. One key tool for organizing and tracking your inventory is the Amazon Seller SKU — a custom code that helps you manage stock, track performance, and streamline fulfillment.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to create seller SKU on Amazon, the difference between manual and bulk uploads, and the role of SKU generators in simplifying your operations.

Key Summary

• Amazon SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) are unique alphanumeric identifiers assigned to each product you sell on Amazon. 🛒
• They help track stock levels, product variations, and order fulfillment, making inventory management more efficient. 📦
• Sellers can create SKUs manually or let Amazon generate them automatically — but custom SKUs offer better control and visibility. ⚙️
• SKU generators like Zoho Inventory, Gorgias, and QuickBooks Commerce can automate the process for large catalogs. 💡
• A well-structured SKU system ensures consistency, simplifies reporting, and supports scalable business growth. 🚀

What Are Seller SKUs?

An Amazon Seller SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique alphanumeric code assigned by a seller to identify and manage a specific product and its variations (like color, size, or condition).

Think of your SKU as a digital fingerprint for your products — no two should be the same. Each code helps both you and Amazon’s system keep track of your listings accurately.

For example, if you sell a T-shirt in three colors and two sizes, you’ll need six unique SKUs, one for each variation. This makes it easier to monitor inventory, prevent overselling, and optimize fulfillment processes.

Why SKUs matter for sellers:

• Streamline product organization and inventory tracking.
• Help forecast demand and identify top-performing products.
• Improve supply chain communication with vendors and warehouses.
• Simplify integration with tools like QuickBooks or inventory management systems.

In short, a consistent SKU structure builds the backbone of your Amazon operations, helping you stay organized and data-driven as your business scales.

How to Create a Seller SKU on Amazon

Creating a seller SKU is straightforward. You can either manually create your own custom SKU or let Amazon auto-generate one. However, manual creation is recommended for long-term tracking and reporting consistency.

If you’re adding a few products, creating SKUs manually is the most efficient route. Here’s how to create seller SKU on Amazon step-by-step:

1. Log in to Your Amazon Seller Central Account

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Start by signing into your Amazon Seller Central account using your registered credentials. This is your control panel for managing inventory levels, product listings, and overall SKU management.

2. Go to ‘Add Product’ Under the Inventory Tab

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Under the Inventory tab, click on Add Product. This section allows you to either link products to the Amazon catalog or create a new product listing from scratch.

3. Search for the Product or Create a New Listing

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Use the search bar to locate an existing product in Amazon’s catalog or select the option I'm adding a product not sold on Amazon to create a new product. This step ensures your SKU aligns with the right product detail page.

4. Enter Product Details and Navigate to the SKU Field

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Fill in key details like product name, product category, and product identifiers (UPC, EAN, or GCID). This information connects your listing to the Amazon system for easy identification and tracking.

5. Manually Enter Your Custom Seller SKU

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In the SKU field, type in your unique SKU. For example, you can include details such as size, color, or condition for similar products.

6. Submit the Listing

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Review all product and SKU details for accuracy. Once confirmed, click Submit. Your new SKU will now serve as a unique product identifier within the Amazon marketplace.

Pro Tip by beBOLD Digital:
Create a consistent SKU structure that your entire team follows. For instance, use the same sequence (Brand–Category–Item Code–Variant) across your catalog for easy searchability and automated reporting.

Can You Do Bulk SKU Uploads on Amazon?

If you manage hundreds or thousands of listings, bulk SKU uploads are the most efficient way to create and update your inventory in Amazon Seller Central. Rather than adding each SKU one by one, you can use Amazon’s bulk upload tool to process multiple product listings at once.

Here’s how it works:

1. Download the inventory file template from Seller Central (Inventory → Add Products via Upload). Amazon provides various templates based on your product category, ensuring all necessary fields are included.
2. Fill in detailed product information including product title, ASIN, description, SKU codes, price, quantity, and fulfillment details in the Excel or CSV sheet.
3. Create structured SKUs using a consistent format across all listings. Keep codes short and uniform to simplify tracking and reporting.

For example:

• BB-PT-DOG01-LRG (beBOLD Pet Treats Dog Biscuits Large)
• BB-MED-VITA05-60CT (beBOLD Medical Vitamin 60 Count)

1. Upload the completed file back to Seller Central via “Upload your Inventory File.” The system will validate your data, highlight any errors, and automatically create or update listings once approved.
2. Verify the results by checking the Manage Inventory section to ensure all new SKUs have been properly added and linked to your product listings.

Bulk uploads are ideal for sellers managing seasonal inventory or multiple marketplaces since you can maintain and update SKUs in one centralized file. Pairing this process with automated software or SKU generators can streamline updates even further.

Pro Tip by beBOLD Digital:
Maintain a comprehensive master SKU database spreadsheet. This allows you to track variations, pricing, sales velocity, and supplier details and sync seamlessly with platforms like QuickBooks, Zoho, or other inventory management systems.

What Are SKU Generators?

For larger brands with hundreds or even thousands of products in their inventory, creating a structured Amazon SKU system manually can become time-consuming and prone to error. This is where SKU generators come in.

An Amazon SKU generator is an automation tool designed to create standardized SKU codes for your products. These tools use key product attributes like category, color, brand, condition, and supplier to generate unique identifiers that follow a consistent structure across your catalog.

Think of SKU generators as your digital assistant for inventory coding. They eliminate the guesswork and manual labor involved in SKU creation, especially when scaling your Amazon business.

Why Should You Use an SKU Generator?

1. Efficiency and Time Savings
   Instead of manually typing hundreds of SKUs, generators create bulk codes in seconds. This is especially beneficial for sellers uploading large inventories or managing multiple product variations.
2. Consistency Across Listings
   Maintaining a uniform SKU structure helps avoid duplicates and confusion. For example, all products in your “Pet” category might begin with “PT,” while “Beauty” products might start with “BTY.”
3. Reduced Human Error
   Automated SKU tools minimize typographical mistakes or inconsistent naming that can cause discrepancies in your Amazon Seller Central reports or third-party integrations.
4. Integration with Other Systems
   Many modern SKU generators, like those within QuickBooks Commerce or Zoho Inventory, sync directly with accounting and fulfillment software, ensuring seamless alignment between your listings, stock counts, and sales data.
5. Scalability for Growing Businesses
   As your Amazon store expands, SKU generators allow you to scale inventory tracking without losing organizational clarity, which is a vital step for sellers moving into international marketplaces or multi-channel eCommerce.

Top SKU Generators for Amazon Sellers

Selecting the right SKU generator can greatly improve how efficiently you manage listings and maintain inventory accuracy. Below are some of the best options that fit a range of seller needs and budgets, from small merchants to enterprise-level brands.

1. Zoho Inventory

• A powerful inventory and order management tool that includes a free SKU generator.
• Allows CSV exports for bulk uploads, making it perfect for Amazon sellers with large catalogs.
• Offers real-time stock tracking, order fulfillment management, and sales analytics to streamline operations.
• Integrates easily with accounting software like QuickBooks and Shopify for cross-platform data consistency.

2. Gorgias SKU Generator

• A user-friendly, web-based SKU creation tool that generates clean, readable, and compliant SKUs in seconds.
• Automatically removes special characters, spaces, or symbols to ensure full compatibility with Amazon Seller Central uploads.
• Ideal for smaller sellers or startups looking for a lightweight, no-signup solution for consistent SKU structures.

3. QuickBooks Commerce

• Tailored for brands that want to merge inventory management with financial tracking and analytics.
• Generates SKUs that connect directly with your product, pricing, and accounting data for seamless reporting.
• Enables multi-channel inventory synchronization—perfect for sellers operating on Amazon, eBay, and Shopify simultaneously.
• Offers profitability insights and demand forecasting through advanced reporting dashboards.

By leveraging these tools, Amazon sellers can dramatically reduce manual workload, avoid duplicate SKUs, and maintain a consistent inventory structure that supports faster scaling and more accurate reporting.

Best Practices for Using SKU Generators

• Customize for Brand Consistency: Even when using automation, include your brand prefix or supplier code to make SKUs uniquely traceable to your business.
• Avoid Special Characters: Stick to alphanumeric structures to ensure compatibility across Seller Central and spreadsheets. This means no slashes, hashtags, or space.
• Limit to 40 Characters: Keep SKUs concise yet descriptive; shorter codes are easier to manage and integrate with external systems.
• Update Your Master List Regularly: Store all generated SKUs in a central inventory file (Google Sheets or Excel) to prevent duplication and enable quick cross-checking.

Pro Tip by beBOLD Digital:
Automated tools are fantastic for speed, but your SKU strategy should still reflect your brand’s internal logic. Add a custom prefix or supplier shorthand to every SKU. This ensures that even automated codes support your business intelligence, making inventory analysis and profit tracking faster and more accurate.

Streamline Your Business Processes with beBOLD Digital

Mastering how to create seller SKU on Amazon is more than an administrative task. It's a foundation for operational excellence. By setting up a consistent SKU structure, you gain control over inventory, pricing, and fulfillment data across platforms. Whether you manage a small catalog or a global brand, a robust SKU system ensures your Amazon business runs smoothly and scales efficiently.

If you’re ready to take SKU optimization to the next level, partner with beBOLD Digital. Our Amazon experts help brands design data-driven systems that simplify operations, boost visibility, and drive sales growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an Amazon SKU and ASIN?

An ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) is assigned by Amazon for catalog tracking, while a SKU is created by the seller for internal inventory management.

Can I change my SKU after listing a product?

No. You’ll need to delete and re-upload the listing with a new SKU since it’s tied to the specific product record.

How many characters can an Amazon SKU have?

Up to 40 characters. However, keeping SKUs short and structured improves readability.

Should I let Amazon generate my SKUs automatically?

It’s possible, but not ideal. Auto-generated SKUs are random and can make tracking difficult across multiple stores.

What’s the best way to manage hundreds of SKUs?

Use a combination of bulk uploads and SKU generators for speed and accuracy. Integrate your SKU data with accounting or ERP tools to automate syncing and reporting.