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Generic Items

Generic items are line items for small things you don't want to add to inventory one by one. Examples are a box of books, a pile of hand props or a set of dishes. Every generic line item on an order points to the same placeholder inventory item. The photos, description and memo on the line item are what tell one generic line item apart from another.

Generic line items have a purple Generic badge. Orders with generic line items show how many they have, like 3 Generics.

tip

Generic items are quick, but inventory items are better in the long run. Only inventory items show on your webstore, track availability and conflicts, and build a rental history. Use generic items for things you'll never rent again, or convert them to inventory items later.

Setting Up Generic Items​

  1. Create an inventory item called Generic Rental with a purchase type of For Rent and a quantity of 10,000. Give it an easy to remember SKU like RENTAL.
  2. For generic sale items, create another inventory item called Generic Sale with a purchase type of For Sale and a SKU like SALE.
  3. In your Line Item Settings, enter these SKUs as your Generic Rental Item SKU and Generic Sale Item SKU.

The Generic Rental Item needs a rental purchase type, and the Generic Sale Item needs a sale purchase type.

Other Generic SKUs​

Add any other inventory items that you use as placeholders to Other Generic SKUs in your Line Item Settings. Normally, adding the same SKU to an order twice raises the quantity of the existing line item. A generic SKU adds a new line item every time.

Adding One Generic Item at a Time​

  1. On the order, open the add line item menu and choose Add Generic Rental Item or Add Generic Sale Item.
  2. Take or upload condition photos of the item, or click Skip.
  3. Fill in the Item Description, Quantity, Unit Price and Memo, then save.

Each generic line item has its own description and price. They don't change the placeholder inventory item.

tip

If you add generic items often, make Add Generic Rental Item the main button on your orders. Set Primary Add Line Item Option in your Order Settings.

Adding Many Generic Items at a Time​

  1. On the order, open the add line item menu and choose Add Multiple Line Items.
  2. Choose Generic Rental Items or Generic Sale Items.
  3. Upload a photo for each item.

Propcart creates one generic line item for each photo. Open the line items afterward to fill in their descriptions and prices.

Writing Descriptions with PropGPT​

PropGPT can write a short description of a generic line item from its first photo:

  1. Turn on Use PropGPT for Generic Line Items in your Subscription Settings.
  2. Turn on the Use PropGPT for Generic Items? toggle when adding a generic item. If you skipped step 1, click Enable PropGPT there instead. PropGPT then writes a description whenever you add a generic item, whether one at a time or many at once.

To write or rewrite a description on an existing generic line item, click Generate next to Item Description.

PropGPT can interpret photos incorrectly, so check what it writes. See PropGPT for more.

Giving the Order a Weekly Price with a "Rentals" Item​

Some prop houses charge one price for everything on an order instead of pricing each piece. Here's how to do that:

  1. Create an inventory item called Rentals with a rental purchase type.
  2. Add generic line items at $0.
  3. Add the Rentals item to the order and set its unit price to the weekly price for the whole order.

The generic line items list what went out, and the Rentals line item holds the price.

Advanced Concepts​

Converting a Generic Item to an Inventory Item​

When a generic item turns out to be worth keeping, turn it into an inventory item:

  1. Open the generic line item's menu and choose Add Inventory Item.
  2. The new inventory item form fills in with the line item's photos, description and quantity. Add a title and price, then save.

The line item now points to the new inventory item and loses its Generic badge. The new item is public if the line item had photos.

The line item keeps its memo and private notes, and it takes the new inventory item's price.

To link a generic line item to an inventory item that already exists, change its Parent Inventory Item, or click Assign to search your inventory with the line item's photo.

Adjusting the "Rentals" Price After Converting​

If the order uses a Rentals line item for its weekly price, converting a generic item adds that inventory item's price to the order total. Lower the Rentals line item's unit price by the same amount to keep the order total the same.