Inventory Management Guide

This guide explains how to create, update, and delete SKUs using the inventory management endpoint.

Endpoint

POST /inventory

Full URL: https://api.spreetaileu.com/api/api/v1/inventory

Authentication

Use Bearer token authentication:

Authorization: Bearer your-access-token

Get your token from POST /auth/login.

How SKU scoping works

You send your SKU as plain text, for example SKU123
The API stores and manages it in Linnworks as BRAND_SKU123
BRAND is taken from your authenticated client name
You only see and submit your own SKU, never the brand prefix

This guarantees you can only manage SKUs in your own brand scope.

Operations

Set operation to one of:

create
update
delete

Each request supports multiple SKUs in one items array. sku is always required for each item.

Request format

Use the same items array shape for all operations.
If required fields are missing for the selected operation, the response will tell you exactly which fields are required.

{
  "operation": "create",
  "items": [
    {
      "sku": "SKU123",
      "itemTitle": "Test Product",
      "barcodeNumber": "1231231231231",
      "height": 34,
      "width": 21,
      "length": 123,
      "weight_kg": 12
    }
  ]
}

Operation examples

Create (all fields required)

{
  "operation": "create",
  "items": [
    {
      "sku": "SKU123",
      "itemTitle": "Test Product",
      "barcodeNumber": "1231231231231",
      "height": 34,
      "width": 21,
      "length": 123,
      "weight_kg": 12
    }
  ]
}

Update (`sku` + `itemTitle` required)

{
  "operation": "update",
  "items": [
    {
      "sku": "SKU123",
      "itemTitle": "Updated Title",
      "length": 42,
      "weight_kg": 11.5
    }
  ]
}

Delete

{
  "operation": "delete",
  "items": [
    { "sku": "SKU123" },
    { "sku": "SKU124" }
  ]
}

Field notes

length maps to Linnworks Depth
weight_kg is in kilograms

Validation and business rules

For every SKU, the API checks Linnworks first.

If a SKU already exists during create:
- SKU already exists, Please use Update operation to change details
If a SKU exists and has inventory during create:
- SKU already exists and with Inventory, please reach out to AM for any changes
If update/delete is requested for a SKU with inventory:
- Can't Update/Delete SKU as we already have inventory, please reach out to AM for any changes.

Delete logging

Delete responses include:

delete_log.deleted - SKUs archived successfully
delete_log.unable_to_delete - SKUs that failed with reason

Typical workflow

Create SKU(s)
Use update for metadata changes
Delete/archive only when no inventory is present

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "operation": "delete",
  "client": "EMKE",
  "processed": 2,
  "success_count": 1,
  "failed_count": 1,
  "results": [
    {
      "sku": "SKU123",
      "status": "success",
      "message": "Deleted successfully",
      "operation": "delete"
    },
    {
      "sku": "SKU124",
      "status": "failed",
      "message": "Can't Update/Delete SKU as we already have inventory, please reach out to AM for any changes.",
      "operation": "delete"
    }
  ],
  "delete_log": {
    "deleted": ["SKU123"],
    "unable_to_delete": [
      {
        "sku": "SKU124",
        "reason": "Can't Update/Delete SKU as we already have inventory, please reach out to AM for any changes."
      }
    ]
  }
}