Glossary · Inventory
Item, copy and title
Two of the same game on the shelf are not two of the same thing. These three words keep that straight, and they are not interchangeable.
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The short version
A store handles one physical copy at a time. Several copies can share a title and still differ in condition, in what they cost and in what work they still need, so each one has to be tracked on its own. RetroBase calls that tracked thing an item.
The terms
- Item
A single piece of stock a store handles on its own, with its own condition, its own price and its own workflow stage.
Often confused with
A copy. An item is the thing itself, the one you handle and price. A copy is what that thing is one of, so a console or a controller is an item but not a copy of anything. Item is also the word RetroBase uses on screen.
In the store
A traded-in cartridge, a console and a controller are three items, and only one of them is a game.
- Copy
One specific physical instance of a title, distinct from any other instance of the same title.
Often confused with
The title. A customer asking for a game is asking about the title. What you hand them is one copy, with its own condition and its own price.
In the store
Two copies of the same game come in the same week. One is complete and tested, the other is loose and still needs a save battery.
- Title
The game release that one or more copies share.
Often confused with
A copy. A title is what a game is called and catalogued as. It has no condition, no cost and no workflow stage, because those belong to the copies.
In the store
A shelf holds three copies of one title. The store owns three items, not three of a countable thing called a game.
Why the distinction matters
Say two copies of the same game arrive in one week, one in a trade and one inside a collection. They are the same title. One is complete and already tested; the other is loose and waiting on a save battery. They cost the store different amounts and they are at different points in the workflow.
A record that counts titles cannot say which of those two is ready to sell, what either one cost, or where each is sitting. A record that tracks items can, because each item carries its own facts. That is the whole reason a used store tracks copies rather than counting games.
Item stays the word RetroBase uses for the thing it tracks, including consoles, controllers and accessories. Copy and title describe the relationship between a physical game and the release it is an instance of. See how the distinction plays out across a real back room in tracking used video game inventory.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an item and a copy?
An item is what RetroBase tracks. A copy is one specific physical instance of a title. In a used game store an item represents one copy, but the two words answer different questions.
Why track copies instead of titles?
Because two copies of one title can differ in condition, in what they cost and in what work they still need. A count of titles cannot answer which one is ready to sell.
Is every item in RetroBase a copy of a game?
No. A console, a controller or an accessory is an item too. Copy describes the relationship between a physical game and the title it is an instance of.
Every item carries its own facts.
RetroBase tracks each used game as its own item, with its condition, what it cost and the work still waiting on it.
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