How to create items in MYOB

Decide how the item will be used: do you sell it, buy it, and want MYOB to count how many you have on hand? Settle the stock question first. If the item is used in a sale or purchase without stock tracking turned on, that choice is locked in, and turning tracking on later means making a new item.

Watch the stock limit. With the inventory included in MYOB Business, up to 10 items can track stock. At that limit, I track stock for this item can't be selected on a new item until you mark another tracked item as Inactive item, or add Premium Inventory to your subscription for more.

Plan the names or numbers you'll use as Item IDs, so similar items end up grouped together. If there are a lot of items to set up, MYOB suggests importing them. Items can also be created on the spot while you're entering an invoice or a bill.

1. Go to the Create menu and choose Item. The Create item page opens.
2. In the Details section, enter a short Name and a unique Item ID.
3. Add a fuller Description for invoices and bills, or leave it blank to use the Name.
4. Select Use item description on sales and purchases if the description should show on them. Leave it clear and only the Name appears.
5. To count stock, select I track stock for this item in the Inventory section. MYOB fills in a default category for the stock's on-hand value. You can change it, but check with your accountant if you're unsure.
6. If you sell the item, select I sell this item, then enter the Selling price ($), a Unit of measure such as boxes or hours, and the Items per selling unit. Default categories are filled in for you.
7. If you buy the item, select I buy this item, then enter the Buying price ($), its Unit of measure and the Items per buying unit. You can also enter a Supplier Item ID, the supplier's own number or SKU for the item, to check against their bills.
8. Optionally, fill in the Restocking information: a Minimum stock level, the Primary supplier for reorders and a Default reorder quantity.
9. Click Save. Or click Save and duplicate to start a copy with a new Item ID, or Save and create new to start a blank item.

The item can now be chosen on invoices and bills, filling in its description so you don't retype it. A tracked item starts with nothing on hand. To record the stock you already hold, MYOB recommends an inventory adjustment. From then on, sales and purchases change the on-hand count by the units you set, and when the count drops below the Minimum stock level, the Reorder report shows it.

To change an item later, go to the Products & services menu, click the item, make your changes and save. Once the item has been used in a transaction, though, its inventory settings, such as I track stock for this item, can't be changed.

The way round that is a duplicate. Open the item, click Save and duplicate, give the copy a new Item ID, select I track stock for this item and click Save. If the copy replaces the original, open the original, select Inactive item and save, so it stops appearing in selection lists and reports.

Can't select I track stock for this item? Either you've reached the limit on tracked items, or the item has already been used in a transaction. Can't save a duplicate? The copy needs its own Item ID, different from the original.

If you use AccountRight on the desktop, items are created from the Inventory command centre: click Items List, then New, and enter an Item Number and a Name. Select I Buy This Item, I Sell This Item or I Inventory This Item, and fields for the accounts the item uses appear for each choice; check with your accountant if you're unsure which to use. Copy From fills the new item with another item's details. The Buying Details and Selling Details tabs hold the units and prices. Click OK to save.