Thank you for posting here in the Community, FUNUNLIMITED.
Currently, the ability to archive an old item that shows if the item has not been on an invoice and mark it as inactive in the report is still unavailable in the system.
I can see how the workflow you're looking for is beneficial to your business. We always make improvements to the features in QuickBooks Desktop, and this preference might be available in the future.
For the time being, you can visit the New Features section within QuickBooks. It'll keep you up to date about any changes in the product.
I've also included some articles in case you need some ideas about modifying items, as well as modifying reports to acquire the data you need:
Let me know if there's anything else that I can assist you with. I'll be around to help. Have a good one and stay safe!