One of the most important concepts in ListForge is the separation between Items and Listings. Understanding this will save you confusion and help you work more efficiently.
Items: What You Own
An Item is the canonical record of a product in your inventory. It represents the physical thing you're selling — a vintage camera, a pair of sneakers, a board game.
An Item stores:
- Product identity (name, brand, model, category)
- Your photos and notes
- AI research results (comparable sales, pricing analysis)
- Condition assessment
- Inventory details (SKU, location, cost basis, quantity)
Items are marketplace-agnostic. They hold what ListForge knows about the product independently of the eBay Listing you publish today or any marketplace connections added in the future.
Listings: Where You Sell
A Listing is a marketplace-specific projection of an Item. Today, ListForge can create and publish an eBay Listing. Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Etsy, Depop, and Mercari are coming soon.
Each Listing stores:
- Marketplace-specific title and description
- Platform-required fields (item specifics, categories)
- The price you set for that eBay Listing
- Shipping configuration
- Publishing status (draft, listed, sold, ended)
Why They're Separate
eBay Listings need marketplace-specific data such as item specifics, a condition ID, a category, shipping settings, and business policies. Keeping that data on the Listing prevents eBay-specific edits from changing the Item's canonical product and inventory record.
By keeping Items and Listings separate, ListForge lets you:
- Keep one canonical record for the physical Item
- Customize the eBay title, description, price, and required fields
- Track the eBay Listing's status separately from the Item's lifecycle
- Edit the eBay Listing without overwriting the Item's research or inventory data
The Golden Rule
Listing edits never write back to the Item. If you change a listing's price on eBay, your Item's canonical price stays the same. This is intentional — your Item is your source of truth, and listings are marketplace-specific adaptations.
Lifecycle
Items move through a lifecycle: Draft → Ready → Listed → Sold → Archived
- Draft: created but not yet ready (maybe research is still running)
- Ready: research complete, approved, ready to list
- Listed: at least one active eBay Listing exists
- Sold: the Item's available quantity has sold
- Archived: removed from active inventory
Listings have their own lifecycle: Not Listed → Listing Pending → Listed → Sold → Ended