Planning with friends? The shared-sheets guide separates group suggestions from individual purchase decisions.
Use a LitBuy sheet to keep one planned purchase understandable from discovery to delivery. The simplest useful version is not a catalogue of hundreds of products: it is a small record of the item you want, the option you selected and the decision you still need to make.
Copy the table below into your own notes or spreadsheet. It is a personal planning layout, not a live feed of prices or orders. For browsing collections, start with the LitBuy spreadsheet overview; for combining several collections without duplicate finds, use the multiple-spreadsheets guide.
Start with one item record
| Field | What to enter for your purchase |
|---|---|
| Item and purpose | Your own short description and where you expect to use it |
| Product link | The exact product destination, kept separately from private order links |
| Selected option | Colour, size, version and quantity |
| Fit or capacity requirement | The measurement or usable space that matters to you |
| Item amount | The displayed amount, currency and date checked |
| Current question | One question whose answer could change whether you buy |
| Decision | Keep considering, purchase, choose an alternative or stop |
Use separate records when two options genuinely differ. A black and beige bag may share a listing, but your chosen colour still needs to remain explicit. Do not let an appealing thumbnail stand in for the variation you intend to order.
Walk through an accessory example
Open the floral embroidered crossbody bag on OG. Begin with your intended use, such as carrying your usual small essentials. Record the selected colour, then ask about the dimensions and opening relevant to those objects. A description of the outer appearance does not establish internal capacity.
Do not fill a price from memory or copy an amount without its currency. Recheck the actual selection when you are ready to order. If an important dimension is absent, keep that as the current question and request clarification rather than inventing a value.
The useful outcome is a decision you can explain: the item meets the requirement, it does not, or a specific answer is needed. Filling every cell is not more important than understanding what belongs in it.
Add purchase details only after an order exists
Once you buy, keep the confirmed option, purchase amount and order reference in your private record. Preserve the original selection instead of overwriting it with a later variation you happen to prefer. A saved product link and an order record serve different purposes.
Add the warehouse inspection outcome when it becomes available. Write a concrete note such as which measurement or visible feature you checked, rather than a vague “looks good.” Use the QC guide to decide which questions photographs can answer.
If you request a return or exchange, retain that event separately. The returns guide explains why an item coming back and money arriving are different stages.
Keep a parcel section separate
A parcel may contain several item records. Create a separate section for destination, actual contents, packing choices, measured weight and dimensions, selected service and the current quoted freight. This prevents a shipping estimate from looking like a permanent part of one product's price.
When contents or packaging change, revisit the quote. Do not add a percentage to each item and call it a verified delivered cost unless that calculation actually matches the charges you are comparing. The shipping calculator guide helps identify the required inputs.
Record changes without losing the earlier decision
If the product link changes, preserve what you ordered and create a new candidate record for a replacement. If only your plan changes before purchase, note the new option and recheck its details. Avoid constructing a candidate from one listing's price, another listing's photograph and a third person's QC result.
For a shared sheet, keep account identifiers, addresses, receipts and private tracking information outside the public copy. Share the public product and the question you need help with, not your entire transaction history.
Review the sheet before the next action
Before buying, read the selected option and unresolved question. Before dispatch, read the parcel section. Before closing the purchase, compare the received item and payment outcome with what you recorded. The sheet is useful when it prevents a mistaken next action—not when it contains the largest possible number of columns.
Continue with the buying guide when your next decision is clear.
Begin with a small decision list
Choose the purchase you are actually planning. A general collection of interesting products can remain a browsing list; it should not automatically become the set of things you order. Keep a separate shortlist for the items that serve a current purpose.
For each candidate, write a short reason to consider it. “An extra top for layering under my jacket” gives you something to assess. “Popular” does not explain whether the item belongs in your wardrobe. If several candidates serve the same purpose, group them as alternatives rather than treating them as separate needs.
The best spreadsheet guide helps assess the collection you start from. Your personal list has a different job: preserving your decisions after discovery.
Use fields that answer practical questions
The following structure is a suggested starting point. It is not a downloaded product catalogue or an automatically updated feed.
| Field | Useful entry |
|---|---|
| Product destination | The particular detail page, not only a changing search result |
| Intended role | What the item would add to your existing wardrobe or routine |
| Selected variation | Colour, size, quantity and included pieces you mean to compare |
| Deciding detail | The measurement, construction feature or specification that matters most |
| Amount observed | The selected item's displayed amount, currency and date, kept separate from shipping |
| Next action | One question to resolve before keeping or rejecting the candidate |
Only record a value when you know what it describes. If a displayed price spans several options, do not insert the lowest figure as the price of the version you want. If the page does not explain a measurement, record the question rather than inventing an answer.
You can extend the list later when the item enters a different stage. A browsing candidate does not yet need a parcel tracking number or a received-item assessment.
Keep estimates out of the product-price column
Product cost and international shipping answer different questions. A product row can record an observed item amount, but that number does not describe the delivered cost of a future parcel. Do not spread one old shipping total across unrelated items and present the result as a quote.
Instead, compare shipping scenarios separately using their actual inputs. Identify which items belong to each scenario, the destination and the relevant parcel measurements when available. The shipping calculator guide explains how changing those inputs affects the usefulness of a comparison.
For a fictional example, two products costing 20 and 30 units produce a goods subtotal of 50 units. That addition supplies no information about freight or other applicable charges. Leave those questions separate until you have information for the intended transaction.
Protect the version you share
If you share product ideas with someone else, send only the information they need. Remove private order identifiers, addresses, account details and payment information. A useful public collection does not require exposing your purchasing records.
Keep any private history needed for your own support questions separate from the shared list. Review attached pictures too: removing a personal field from a table does not remove the same information from a screenshot.