Enable Store Connection Item Matching to Unique Items in QuickBooks Online

marc · July 31, 2022, 10:54pm

Overview

Match each item records every product on a Shopify order under its own item in QuickBooks Online, so your QuickBooks sales reports show what you sold, product by product. weintegrate finds each item by comparing one field from the Shopify order line, such as the SKU or product name, with one field on your QuickBooks Online items. If the product isn’t in QuickBooks yet, weintegrate can create a new item for you or use a default item you choose, depending on your If Product is not found then setting.

Match each item works whether or not your QuickBooks Online company tracks inventory:

With inventory tracking, new items can be created as Inventory Item, so QuickBooks keeps stock levels for them.
Without inventory tracking, new items are created as Non Inventory Item: sales are still recorded product by product, without stock counts.

Inventory tracking needs two things in QuickBooks Online: a plan that includes it (Intuit: “Inventory features are available only for QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced.”), and inventory tracking turned on in your company settings. When either is missing, weintegrate shows a note that lets you fix it. Item matching is set per Shopify store connection.

Quick setup

Open the item matching settings.
- In the setup wizard: the How should we match your products? step.
- After setup: go to Connections, click Edit Settings on your Shopify store, open the Item Matching tab and switch to Advanced at the top right.
Choose Match each item. It’s available on every QuickBooks Online plan.
Want QuickBooks to track stock? Look for an inventory note (explained below) and click click here in it:
- Inventory tracking is turned off…: click here turns it on in QuickBooks Online for you.
- Your QuickBooks Online plan doesn’t include inventory tracking…: upgrade to Plus or Advanced first, then click here to refresh your plan.
Set Create Item as. In Advanced (the wizard’s How should we match products? step, or the Item Matching tab), with If Product is not found then set to Create New, choose Inventory Item and check the Inventory Asset Account.
Click Continue (setup wizard) or Save (Item Matching tab).

No note? Your QuickBooks Online company already tracks inventory, and Inventory Item is available.

The inventory notes explained

When inventory tracking isn’t available, a note shows under the choices on the How should we match your products? step, and in Advanced at the top of the item settings on the How should we match products? step and the Item Matching tab.

Note starts with	What it means	What click here does
Your QuickBooks Online plan doesn’t include inventory tracking…	Your plan (Simple Start or Essentials) has no inventory features.	Reads your QuickBooks Online plan again. Use it after you upgrade to Plus or Advanced.
Inventory tracking is turned off in your QuickBooks Online company…	Your plan includes inventory, but the setting is off.	Turns inventory tracking on in your QuickBooks Online company, then checks it again.

A spinner shows while click here works. Once inventory tracking is confirmed on, the note goes away and Inventory Item becomes available.

Prefer to do it in QuickBooks yourself? Follow Intuit’s Set up and track your inventory in QuickBooks Online (Account and settings → Sales → Products and services), then click click here in the note so weintegrate checks again.

Bulk is suggested, never forced

Both notes say we’ve preselected Bulk, use one default catch-all item. That happens only in the setup wizard, and only until you make a choice or save item matching for the store. On the Item Matching tab the note reads the same, but your saved choice is never changed.

What changes without inventory tracking

Create Item as is set to Non Inventory Item and locked, with the note Only Non Inventory Items can be created — inventory tracking isn’t available in this QuickBooks Online company.
Inventory Asset Account is hidden, because only Inventory items use it.
Everything else works the same. See Set unique item matching between Shopify and QuickBooks Online.

Once inventory tracking is on, Create Item as unlocks. If it still shows Non Inventory Item, switch it to Inventory Item, check the Inventory Asset Account, and click Save. Items already in QuickBooks keep their type.

For your accountant / bookkeeper: click here in the inventory-off note turns on these QuickBooks Online Products and services preferences: the product/service column on sales forms and on expense and purchase forms, Track quantity and price/rate, and Track inventory quantity on hand. Items weintegrate creates get an income and an expense account; an Inventory Item also gets the Inventory Asset Account, a quantity on hand of 0 and an inventory start date before the order date. See If Shopify item not found in QuickBooks Online, auto-create a new item in QBO.

Troubleshooting

I can’t choose Inventory Item under Create Item as.
Inventory tracking isn’t available yet. Switch to Advanced, find the note at the top of the item settings and click click here in it, as described in The inventory notes explained.

I upgraded my QuickBooks Online plan, but the plan note still shows.
Click click here in the note, wait a few seconds, then reload the page. Once the plan note is gone, a second note may ask you to turn inventory tracking on: click click here in that one too.

I turned inventory on in QuickBooks, but the note still says it’s off.
Click click here in the note. It checks again and turns on anything still missing.

Clicking click here shows an error under the note.
Reload the page and try again. If it keeps failing, turn tracking on yourself with Intuit’s steps, then click click here again.

I don’t see the note on the Item Matching tab.
It shows in Advanced only (top right).