Have you ever been in a situation where someone tried to return a product to you, but it wasn’t the specific item that you sold them in the first place?

This is a sticky situation that can be easily avoided if there is an individual serial number or mac number on the product to differentiate it from others that look like it.

At SkuTouch, we refer to individual items, like in the situation above, that people want to track as High Value Goods (HVGs).

Products normally share a barcode or identification number with other products that are identical to it, but HVGs have more than these. Each item designated as an HVG can be tracked because they all have their own product identifiers, like mac numbers. These identifiers allow similar items to be differentiated from each other.

If someone buys an HVG, like a cell phone, from you, its unique product identifier (in this case a serial number) can help tell you many things. If looked up, the serial number can tell how long the warranty on that particular phone will last. If the phone is recalled, then you will know if they have returned their specific phone or not. The serial number can also keep them from returning a different phone that may look similar to the one they bought from you.

Other products that one may be interested in tracking are gift cards, communication devices, gaming systems, jewelry, and car parts.

Regardless of whether the HVG’s identifier is a mac number, serial number, etc., these will help you and your clients keep track of their individual items.