Editing Units and Conversions

After you create an item, you might need to update a unit name, change a conversion factor, or add a new size. Here's how to make those changes — and one important thing to watch out for.

How to Get There

Open any item from Buy > Items to buy or Sell > Items to sell, then edit the variant on the item detail page.

Editing a Buy or Sell Variant

To change the unit name or conversion factor on an existing variant:

1. Go to the item's detail page.
2. Click on the buy or sell variant you want to edit.
3. Update the unit name, conversion factor, or both.
4. Save your changes.

The update applies to future orders only — existing purchase orders and sales orders keep their original values.

Example: Your hot sauce supplier switched from 24-count cases to 30-count cases. Open the buy variant, change the conversion from 24 to 30, and save. Your next PO will use the new case size.

When Two Variants Would Share a Unit Name

Two variants in the same item family can use the same unit name only if they also use the same conversion. Otherwise every "pick a unit" dropdown elsewhere in Peasy would have two options both labeled (for example) case and no way to tell them apart.

If you save a change that would leave your variant with the same unit name as another active variant in the family but a different conversion, Peasy blocks the save and shows an amber notice above the conversion fields. You have two ways to resolve it:

• Rename this variant's unit. Use the Unit dropdown at the top of the same popover to pick a distinct name (e.g. case → pack). The pick is staged — it isn't saved until you click Save, so you can change the unit and the conversion together in one save.
• Match the existing conversion. If you actually want this variant to be the same as the other one (e.g. you wanted pack = 6 jars to become case = 12 jars to match a sibling that's already case = 12 jars), set the conversion to match. The save will go through because the resulting state is consistent.

The notice doesn't appear when nothing has changed, when the unit name doesn't collide with another variant, or when the conversion already matches the existing variant.

Adding a New Variant

You can add buy or sell variants to any existing item:

1. Go to Buy > Items to buy or Sell > Items to sell.
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to + New Item.
3. Select New Variant.
4. Choose the parent item and enter the new unit name and conversion ratio.

Example: You sell honey in 12-oz jars but want to start offering a 32-oz bottle too. Add a new sell variant — both sizes share the same inventory pool.

Archiving a Variant

If you stop buying or selling a particular size, you can archive the variant. Historical records (purchase orders, sales orders, receives) are preserved — the variant just stops appearing in new orders.

Changing the Inventory Unit

Every item family has an Inventory Unit — the base unit at the root of its conversion chain. You'll see it labeled "Inventory Unit" on the item detail side panel, where you can rename it or swap it for a different unit.

Caution: The Inventory Unit is the foundation all your conversions are built on. Changing it does not automatically convert your existing quantities — the number stays the same, but its meaning changes. If you have 50 "lbs" and change the unit to "kg," Peasy will show 50 kg — not the converted amount.

If your family has no inventory history yet, changing the Inventory Unit is safe — just update it from the item side panel.

If your family already has inventory history, it's best to create a new family with the correct Inventory Unit and adjust your inventory over. This avoids mismatched records and keeps your history clean.

Good to Know

• Edits don't rewrite history. Changing a unit or conversion only affects future orders. Past POs, SOs, and receives keep their original values.
• You can have multiple buy and sell variants. Buy flour in 50-lb bags and 5-lb bags from different suppliers — both draw from the same inventory pool.
• Archiving is reversible. Archived variants can be restored if you need them again.

Related

• Understanding Items and Units — How items, variants, and conversions work
• Understanding Item Types — Buy variants, sell variants, and finished goods explained
• Counting Inventory — Counting stock in different units