Ideas on Tracking Inventory

[val2525]

Feb 9, 2015 1:33:11 GMT @betsroff said:

Feb 9, 2015 0:35:29 GMT val2525 said:

Pictures taken, uploaded to Mac and rotated. Now I'm assigning inventory numbers. Once that's done, I'll go tag the batch and pull 10 to measure and list tonight. I think I'll be lazy and pull 10 very similar items so I can list 'em faster.

Now that you mentioned assigning inventory numbers, would you care to elaborate on your numbering system? And anyone else who'd like to chime in and add what works for them would be appreciated.

Currently, I'm at a crossroads with so much inventory...and I NEED a good system. To date, I'd just been putting stuff in the XL zippered Ziploc clothing bags by item type. Recently I decided to refine so the smaller, lighter things get bagged in individual clear, self-seal 10" x 15" bags by Upak. They're just stuffed in totes hodge-podge for the time being, but easy to manage at this point because I only have about 40 items done this way.

TIA 

Betsroff's post on the listing motivation discussion was a good question - one that many sellers have. So, I thought I'd start a discussion. I know there are many ways to do this, so remember when you read everyone's suggestions, there is NO wrong or right way to track inventory. Read how others track their stuff, and pick the ideas that work for you and your situation.

And don't be afraid to try something new. If it doesn't work, you can always change it.

Post on!

[Deleted]

I keep an Excel spreadsheet where I enter every single item I bring home. One of the columns is for the location, it will have a tote/bin#, or it will say FB for 'flaw box' or 'd' for donated/ready to donate.

I have several totes but items that are newer and haven't made it to the totes yet are stored in paper bags. Those are a pain to search when something sells and the item hasn't been put in a tote yet.

Every week or two I will move as much as I can from the bags to the totes so there will be room in the bags for new listings.

I try to keep the bulkier stuff in the bags because I can fit more of the blouses, etc. in the totes where they're easier to find.

[val2525]

I do everything in batches - pictures, assign inventory, measure, write up listings. When I first started selling, I had to find a way that would let me work eBay in with my day job. And that is still the case. So…

I pull a large batch of items to photograph, usually about 2 weeks worth of items. That can be as few as 30 if it will be a busy week, or as many as 60 if the next two weeks will be slow at the other job. Picture taking takes about 2-4 hours, depending on how many items and what I selected (dresses/2 pc sets take longer, skirts are faster, etc.). That includes 'set up' time, which is moving Kevin's lights from behind the door and leaning them against a chair, facing my 'photo area'.

Pictures are uploaded to my computer and I assign an inventory #. My number system is simple - 2 digit year/next available number. Today's first picture is 14-541a, 14-541b, 14-541c, and 14-541d as I took 4 pictures of the item. I go in order until the entire batch is numbered. It also allows me to do a quick preview of the pictures, to make sure they came out. If they didn't, I delete those pics and make a note to move that item to the unphotographed hanging bar, or to a tote. I then go place a small paper tag on the hanger of each item, with the inventory # on it. Since everything is numbered in the order it was photographed, this part goes fast. When I'm ready to measure, I grab whatever I want to list, and the inventory number is recorded on an inventory sheet I use (1/2 piece of paper, with some prefilled data). Items measured are marked on the tag and hung in the 'listed' area, in numerical order. When it's time to ship, I just go to that part of the hanging rack and pull the item. Bulky items I store in a tote, that's marked on the inventory sheet so I don't look on the rack and wonder WTH did it go?

Over the years, I've discovered some additional advantages to this system (for me). If a seasonal item didn't sell, I pull it from the rack, attach the inventory tag (usually just staple to the brand label) and put the items in a tote. Outside of tote is noted "fall tops w/ pics" (or whatever season it is). I move the paper inventory slip to a folder "next season listings" and forget about it until that season rolls around. These are the first listings I do for the season when it arrives - most of the work is done already! Usually they sell on the second go, BTW.

Another perk -for me - is that since I use handwritten inventory slips, I can take the slips with me and list while on the road, out at dinner, etc. As long as I've uploaded the pics to Photobucket and have them on my laptop or flash drive, I can list from anywhere I have internet access. I've listed at Panera while enjoying a leisurely dinner, at my moms, from the hotel while on thriftcation in another city, on my patio with morning coffee (once I got a wifi modem) on the bus (before I bought my car), etc. I don't feel like I'm chained to my desk.

It makes listing easier (for me) too, all I do is go down to the area where the html is for the picture host and change the numbers.

It also tells me how long I've had the item, since I change the first two digits every January.

It's a longer process on the front end (prep) but greatly speeds up the second half (listing and shipping) for me.

YMMV.

[Deleted]

I also use color codes in the spreadsheet (can be either font color or highlight) to tell me which sites my items are listed on.

So when something sells and I go to move the item to the sold page, I will immediately see that I have it listed on another site as well and I need to take it down.

[val2525]

^^^^that's slick!

[Deleted]

I have everything hanging organized on racks by gender and general size (boys, mens, womens, girls, infant boy, infant girls) and type of item and in banker boxes labeled by item like boys swimsuits, girls swimsuits etc. So I just start at the front of the rack, take some off and put on an empty rolling rack, photograph, list and hang them back up where they were. When something sells I know if it's in a box or hanging up by the type of item it is so I can just go to the area of the rack (or box) it will be and pull it.

This way will be much easier than when I had everything in tubs, that was a horrible, you always needed the tub on the bottom. Now only sweaters are in a big tub, don't want to hang and stretch them.

New items coming in just get put on an empty rack or in a tub and when they are listed they will get hung up or put in the box they go in.

[mykidzmom2]

When I purchase, every items gets entered onto a spreadsheet in excel. Each thrift store has a page, and I log them by date purchased and include: Item description and cost, then when they sell I enter sale price, shipping costs and then have excel calculate Ebay and Paypal fees, net profit. I also keep track of which items were discarded as unsellable or kept for personal use. This is helpful for tax prep.

I keep my listed items either in the giant Ziplock bags or totes. When I list, each item gets a code included at the end of the listing title (that way I can see it on my phone). It indicates the item location, thrift store code and year purchased ie: GGW5 = Tote G, Goodwill, 2015. All my totes are coded with a letter - A, B, etc. I just fill them up as they have room. I then enter the tote letter in the custom label field on Ebay so I can sort by location when it's time for inventory.

[Deleted]

Thank you! I'm very grateful for everyone's time and input detailing their inventory management systems. What I'm now contemplating will incorporate several methods, which should be simple and doable. 

1. Start a spreadsheet with item description
2. Coding: current year/month, adding 1st two numbers of camera pics and adding a bin/tote ID letter
3. Adding a tag with measurements! I don't want to have to open a sealed pkg and retake them if the item doesn't sell right away.

Meanwhile, I just concluded a 5-hr stint of more picture taking and need to take a short breather before listing again...



 

[Deleted]

This is a really great discussion, and its important to try different things to get a feel for what works for you.

I keep a mostly handwritten log. However, I usually have less than 400 items at a time and usually do not have many multiples. From start to finish my work flow is a process.

I have a three ring binder with plenty of lined paper. When I get home from my shopping trip, I unpack one item at a time, snip off the tags or barbs, write down what it is in my book and the price I paid. I do not use inventory numbers. When something gets listed, it is sealed in its Ziploc and put into the appropriate labeled bin (ie: shirts, skirts, etc.) I am exceedingly careful, knock on wood have never lost, misplaced or misfiled an item. It can sometimes be a pita to dig the item out when it sells, oh well - working with what I have for space.

After my eBay statement is prepared, I print it out and highlight the sold items listed from my inventory to indicate that it sold.

Beginning of the new year, everything that is not highlighted is typed into a document and printed as my carry over inventory. I retain every scrap of paper from inventory and receipts and file them for taxes.

The only time this is a bother, is if I get something returned (and it is not often as I do not accept them). Then I have to go back and re-add it to my inventory.

Works for me for now. Am not computer savvy and software scares me.