Understanding item types

Every item you track has a type that tells Wasp Inventory how to handle it. Choosing the right type when you create an item keeps your counts accurate and unlocks the right features for that item. Here’s what each type means and when to use it.

Caution

You choose an item’s type when you create it, and it can’t be changed afterward. If you pick the wrong type, you’ll need to create a new item of the correct type. When in doubt, start with the Quick comparison below.

The five types

• Inventory — physical stock you count and keep on hand. Choose this for anything whose quantity you want to track as it’s added, removed, moved, checked out, and received. This is the most common type.
• Non-Inventory — something you buy, sell, or list but don’t count as stock. Choose this for items you don’t need running quantities for.
• Assembly — a finished product you build from other items using a bill of materials (a recipe of component items). You produce assemblies with Build Orders, which consume the components’ stock. See Assemblies, kits & services and Building & disassembling products.
• Kit — a bundle of items sold together. Unlike an assembly, a kit is put together at the moment it’s picked or sold rather than built and stocked ahead of time.
• Service — labor or another non-physical offering, such as installation or a support plan. Services aren’t counted as stock because there’s nothing to put on a shelf.

Quick comparison

Type	Counted as stock?	Built from components?	Best for
Inventory	Yes	No	Physical goods you count on hand
Non-Inventory	No	No	Items you buy or sell but don’t count
Assembly	Yes	Yes (bill of materials)	Finished goods you build and stock
Kit	No (assembled at sale)	Yes (bill of materials)	Groups of items sold together
Service	No	No	Labor and non-physical offerings

Note

Assemblies, kits, and services are available on the Complete edition of Wasp Inventory. If you don’t see them when creating an item, they may not be included in your plan.

Tip

Pick the type based on how you want the item to behave, not just what it is. If you need to know how many you have at any moment, it’s an Inventory item; if you build it from parts and keep it in stock, it’s an Assembly.

Common questions

• Assembly or kit? Both are made from other items. Choose Assembly if you build the finished product ahead of time and want to track how many completed units you have on hand. Choose Kit if you gather the parts only at the moment of sale or pick and never stock the bundle itself.
• Non-Inventory or Service? Use Non-Inventory for a physical thing you buy or sell but don’t count (a low-value consumable, say). Use Service for something with no physical form at all, like labor or a support plan.
• I chose the wrong type; how do I fix it? Type is fixed once an item is created. Create a fresh item of the correct type and, if needed, delete the old one from the Item Grid.
• Why don’t I see Assembly, Kit, or Service when creating an item? Those types require the Complete edition of Wasp Inventory. If they’re missing, they aren’t part of your current plan.

Related

• Adding a new item — create an item of any type.
• Assemblies, kits & services — a deeper look at the special types.
• Building & disassembling products — produce assemblies from their components.