> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/llms.txt).

# Create a product or service

Save what you sell or buy once, with its price and category, and every invoice or bill line that uses it fills itself in.

## Create an item

1. In the left navigation, click **Bills & Invoices** › **Products & Services**.
2. Click **New Item**. The **Create Item** screen opens.
3. Enter the **Name**, and optionally a **Description**.
4. Under **Grouping**, choose a group or leave **No Group**. See [Variants and groups](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/vendors-customers-and-products/variants-and-groups).
5. Leave **Basic** selected for an item with one price. Enter a **SKU** if you use one.
6. Under **I sell this**, enter the **Sell Price** and choose the **Income Category** the sale posts to.
7. If you also buy this item, turn on **I purchase this** and enter the **Buy Price** and **Expense Category**.
8. Click **Save & Close**.

![Creating a product or service: name and group, whether you purchase it, and the sell price and income category](https://www.zerabooks.com/help/shots/items-create.png)

## How items are used

- On an **invoice** line, pick the item and its sell price and income category fill in.
- On a **bill** line, pick the item and its buy price and expense category fill in. Only items with **I purchase this** turned on are offered on bills.

You can still change the price or category on any single line.

## Edit or deactivate an item

Click an item in the list to open it, click **Edit**, make your changes and click **Save & Close**.

Items aren't deleted. To stop offering one, open it in **Edit** and turn off the **Active** switch at the top right. To change several at once, switch the list to **Edit**, tick the items, choose **Active** or **Inactive** under **Status**, and click **Apply to N**.

## Find items

Type in **Filter N items…** to search, use **Filters** to narrow the list, and click a column heading (**Name**, **Source**, **Sell price**) to sort. **Show insights** adds **Product revenue by month** and **Top Sellers** beside the list. An item's own **Insights** tab shows its **Latest Transactions**.

## Frequently Asked Questions

<details>
<summary>How do products and services speed up invoices?</summary>

Picking a saved item on an invoice or bill line fills in its price and category, so you don't retype them or choose the wrong income or expense account.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Why isn't my item offered on a bill?</summary>

It isn't marked as something you buy. Open it, click **Edit**, turn on **I purchase this**, and add a buy price and expense category.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I delete a product or service?</summary>

No. Set it to **Inactive** instead. It stays on the invoices and bills that already use it, but isn't offered on new ones.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I create an item I only buy and never sell?</summary>

No. Every item you create here is sold, so **I sell this** is always on. Turn on **I purchase this** as well to use it on bills, and choose the category you want its sales to post to.
</details>

<details>
<summary>What does "An item must be sold, purchased, or both" mean?</summary>

The item has neither a sell nor a purchase side. Give it a sell price and income category, or turn on **I purchase this**.
</details>

<details>
<summary>Does ZeraBooks track inventory quantities?</summary>

No. Items carry a name, prices and categories. ZeraBooks doesn't count stock on hand or cost of goods by quantity.
</details>

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