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Serialising items means giving each product a unique identifier, a digital fingerprint. This transforms your inventory from generic stock into a traceable network of assets you can measure, automate, and monetise.

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Benefits of serializing items

  • Item-level reporting such as item utilisation, lifecycle, and revenue attribution.
  • Consignment tracking for accurate payouts and settlements on consigned stock.
  • Operational speed and accuracy by quickly scanning items without the need to search or touch the app admin.
  • Automated workflows can be triggered to update item status, send reminders, or prompt actions based on specific item data.

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Supported tag types

Supercycle supports QR codes, barcodes, and RFID tags, depending on your scale and use case.

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QR codes

QR codes are 2D scannable codes readable by smartphones and tablets. QR codes are well suited to industries where staff scan items with phones rather than warehouse hardware.
  • Fashion rental and resale
  • Consumer electronics rental
  • Baby gear and lifestyle equipment rental

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Barcodes

Barcodes are one-dimensional codes and widely used in retail and logistics. They can be scanned using standard barcode scanners or compatible mobile devices.
Bluetooth barcode scanners can also be used directly in the Supercycle admin in any search field.
Barcodes are best suited to high-throughput or hardware-driven operations where dedicated scanners are already in use.

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RFID tags

RFID (radio frequency identification) tags use embedded chips to transmit data wirelessly. They can be scanned in bulk, even without direct line-of-sight.
This is our recommended route for most merchants where scale is a key consideration.
RFID is best suited to high-volume environments that require automation, rapid throughput or full asset traceability.

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Adding serials

To add a serial, you’ll first need to create an item, then add a unique serial number to that item.

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Create items

You should create inventory inside your Supercycle product, not your Shopify product, as Supercycle is responsible for inventory management after import.
1

Navigate to the product

In Shopify Admin, head to Supercycle > Products > Product.
2

Add inventory

In the variants table, under the status you want to add a product, select the current quantity dropdown followed by Add inventory.
3

Add serials

On the next page, add a serial number on a new line for each item you’d like to create.Alternatively, select Add without serials and enter a number of items. You can add serials to the newly created items later from their item page.
Click Review to continue.
4

Review new items

Review the items you’re about to add and click Add inventory to save your changes.
1

Download the import template

Always use the provided template (Sample CSV). Exports often contain extra columns that imports ignore.
Download example CSV
2

Fill in required columns

Every row represents one item. Include these columns:
ColumnPurpose
ItemUnique ID for the item (for example, #2001). New ID = new item. Existing ID = update that item.
Variant Shopify IDLinks the item to its Shopify product variant.
SKUStock keeping unit. Recommended even if Variant ID is included.
VisibilitySets whether the item is available or unavailable.
StatusWorkflow state, such as processed, unprocessed, or retired.
Optional columns include Condition.
Mandatory fields for the import
3

Add new items

Use a new Item ID or Serial number and provide the correct Variant Shopify ID and SKU.
Example:
Example CSV row for new items
4

Update existing items

Keep the same Item ID but change values like condition, visibility, or status.
Example:
Example CSV row for updating existing items
5

Deactivate items

The importer cannot delete items. To remove an item from circulation, set:
  • Visibility = unavailable
  • Status = retired
Example:
Example CSV row for deactivating items
6

Upload the file

Import the completed CSV into Supercycle. Changes are applied immediately, and the store owner receives an email report showing how many items were added, how many were updated, and any failures.

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Common mistakes

  • Leaving Variant Shopify ID and SKU blank → item cannot be linked.
  • Reusing an Item ID for a new unit → overwrites instead of creating.
You can create a new item by scanning a serial number with the Supercycle Scanner.
1

Scan a barcode, QR code or RFID tag

If the scanned serial number doesn’t already exist in Supercycle, the Create item modal opens automatically.
2

Select a product

Press Select a product to load the full product list. Scroll or search to find the product and variant for the item you’ve scanned.
3

Select a status

Confirm the status for the new item (Active, Draft, Retired, Sold).
4

Create the item

Press Create item to finish adding the new item to your inventory.
After the item is created, Supercycle opens the item details page. From there, you can review and update additional info, such as the pick location.
When you’re in a multi-scan session with a Zebra scanner, any unknown serials show as Unknown tag rows. You can turn them into items in one step:
1

Press Create item in the bulk action bar

The count next to Create item shows how many unknown serials will be created.
2

Pick a product and status

The same product and status applies to every serial in the batch. The serials are listed read-only so you can confirm what you’re creating.
3

Create the items

Press Create items to create them in one call. The multi-scan list automatically re-resolves the serials, so the rows flip from Unknown to Matched and become eligible for the other bulk actions.

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Create serials

To create a serial, you can either generate your own unique code and program it onto a tag, or use pre-coded tags with unique IDs and assign those to items in Supercycle.
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