What is the Scratch Pile and how do I scratch an item?

Updated September 23, 2026

The Scratch Pile is where items go when they're no longer for sale -- whether they're damaged, kept for personal use, lost, or removed for any other reason. Scratching an item removes it from your active inventory while keeping a record of the cost for your reports.

How to Scratch an Item

Open the item you want to scratch
Tap the ⋮ (three dots) menu in the bottom bar
Select Scratch

The item is immediately moved to your Scratch Pile. For a faster route, swipe left on an item in the inventory list and tap Scratch.

What Happens When You Scratch

The item is removed from active inventory counts (Unlisted, Listed totals)
The item's cost is tracked separately as Cost of Goods Scratched in your reports
The item is not deleted -- it stays in your account for record-keeping
Date Scratched is recorded for accurate tax reporting, and you can edit it on the item if needed

Viewing Your Scratch Pile

Filter your inventory by Scratch using the status chip at the top of the Inventory screen
Or see your Scratch Pile totals in Reports

Scratched items show the date they were scratched.

When to Scratch

Use the Scratch Pile for items that are leaving your sellable inventory:

Damaged -- Broken, stained, or otherwise unsellable
Keeping -- You decided to keep it for personal use
Lost -- Can't find it or it went missing
Other -- Any reason the item is no longer for sale

Flippd doesn't ask you for a reason -- this list is just guidance. If you want to keep track of why, add it to the item's notes.

Good to Know

Scratch vs. Delete -- Scratching keeps the item in your records for reporting and tax purposes. Deleting removes it from your records -- you can restore it for 3 days, then it's gone for good. Use scratch when you want to preserve the cost history.
Tax reporting -- Scratched items are recognized as a loss in the month they were scratched, not the month they were acquired. This matches standard inventory accounting rules.
You can undo a scratch -- Open the scratched item, tap the ⋮ menu, and choose Restore to put it back in active inventory -- there's no separate Unscratch. The same menu also offers Delete.
Scratch date updates -- Changing the Date Scratched on an item correctly keeps the item in Scratch status. The updated date is reflected in your reports.