Free Stock Control Spreadsheet for UK Sellers

Before inventory software, there were spreadsheets. Most successful ecommerce businesses started with one. They are free, flexible, and require no setup beyond opening a file. A well-designed stock control spreadsheet handles the fundamentals perfectly well for sellers who are just getting started or keeping things simple.

The template below is designed specifically for UK eBay and Shopify sellers. It covers the columns that actually matter, includes conditional formatting to flag low-stock items automatically, and comes with a supplier contact sheet and a stock movement log built in.

What is in the template

The spreadsheet has three tabs, each serving a different purpose.

Tab 1: Product inventory

The main stock control sheet. One row per SKU with the following columns:

• Product name — what the item is called
• SKU — your internal stock-keeping unit code
• Barcode — EAN or UPC if applicable
• Supplier — which supplier this product comes from
• Cost price (£) — what you pay per unit
• Sale price (£) — your selling price
• Current stock — units currently on hand
• Reorder point — stock level that triggers a reorder
• Reorder quantity — how many units to order at a time
• Location — bin, shelf, or warehouse reference
• Notes — anything else relevant to this SKU

The Current stock column uses conditional formatting: the cell turns red when stock falls at or below the reorder point, giving you an instant visual alert when it is time to order.

Tab 2: Supplier contact list

A simple reference sheet with one row per supplier. Columns include supplier name, contact name, email, phone, website, payment terms, and average lead time in days. Having this in the same file as your stock data means you can check reorder points and place a call to your supplier without switching between documents.

Tab 3: Stock movement log

A running log of every stock movement — deliveries in and sales out. Columns: date, SKU, movement type (in / out / adjustment), quantity, reason, and running balance. Keeping this updated gives you an audit trail that is useful for stocktakes, accountants, and diagnosing discrepancies between what you think you have and what is actually on the shelf.

How to use it

Getting started takes about 30 minutes for most sellers:

• Add each of your products to Tab 1 — one row per SKU
• Fill in your current stock levels, cost and sale prices, and reorder points
• Add your suppliers to Tab 2
• From that point on, update the stock column manually after each sale or delivery
• Log every movement in Tab 3 as it happens

The reorder point column does the thinking for you. Set your reorder point based on your supplier lead time — if your supplier takes 7 days and you sell 5 units per day, your reorder point should be at least 35 units plus a safety buffer. When the cell turns red, it is time to order.

Review the sheet at a consistent time each week — Friday morning works well for many sellers, giving you time to place orders before the weekend.

Download the template

The template is free and works in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

When to upgrade from a spreadsheet to software

A spreadsheet is the right starting point. It is also the right tool to stick with until it starts causing more problems than it solves. Here are the clearest signals that it is time to move on:

• You are selling on more than one channel. If you list on eBay and Shopify simultaneously, a spreadsheet can only reflect the stock level you manually update it to. It cannot tell eBay that a Shopify order just came in, and it cannot adjust your Shopify listing when an eBay sale happens. Multi-channel selling with a spreadsheet means frequent overselling — it is not a question of if, but when.
• You have more than 100 SKUs. Updating stock manually across 10 products is fine. Doing it across 150 products, multiple times a day, while also picking, packing, and handling customer queries, is not sustainable. Errors creep in and time cost mounts up.
• You have stock in more than one location. If you have inventory at home, in a prep centre, or at a third-party warehouse, tracking it accurately in a spreadsheet becomes complex and error-prone. Software that integrates with your fulfilment partners handles this automatically.

Salync's free plan supports up to 50 SKUs and connects to both eBay and Shopify — so you can move from spreadsheet to real-time sync without any upfront cost. Start for free →

Frequently asked questions

What should a stock control spreadsheet include?

At minimum: product name, SKU, current stock level, reorder point, reorder quantity, supplier, and cost price. A complete template also includes a supplier contact list and a stock movement log.

Is there a free inventory management spreadsheet for UK sellers?

Yes — download Salync's free stock control template above. It works in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets and includes a product inventory tab, a supplier contact list, and a stock movement log.

When should I stop using a spreadsheet for inventory?

When you sell on more than one channel or have more than 100 SKUs, manual spreadsheet updates become error-prone and time-consuming. That is when inventory software pays for itself.