Managing eBay inventory

[fivestarparts1]

To the people who have hundreds and hundreds of listings, how do y'all manage inventory? By managing inventory, I mean keeping storage, knowing what exact item is in the box, keeping track of items, PLUS staying on top of orders. As a new seller, I've been just storing things in the garage and labelling them by number. Just curious for those that have a lot of stuff.

[frecklesfinery88]

All hanging items we keep hanging up in a spare closet.  We also have shelving and totes clearly marked and stored. Keep in a conditioned space, its important. We also keep a print out of listings and mark it when sold.  It comes in handy especially when it is moved at anytime.  Do Not do the; "I'll remember where it is. " Because no matter the age you will not remember.  Haha

We hope this is helpful and best wishes.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

A numbering system for totes etc and spreadsheets

[dhbookds]

When we list an item....it's put into a "to be stored box".  When we sell something, we try to grab a like size item and put it into an inventory box...labeled with the # of the box.  (have 100+ boxes now) or we start a new box.....Boxes are banana boxes (free from W Mart) and Banker's boxes.....  We bought shelves on casters some time ago....4 x 8, adjustable shelves, and 2 banana boxes and 1 banker box fits on a shelf.......  When it's put into the inventory box, it's entered into a dedicated note book.  When I have time, the box # is entered into the sku box on the listing.    I insist on keeping the notebook as have always been afraid Ebay would wipe out the sku info at some point. 

Inventory boxes aren't necessarily kept in order......but we don't have any trouble finding xx # box.    Important thing is to "think" it thru.....considering what you are listing, the space you have, etc.....  Do NOT just start throwing stuff in a box thinking you'll "remember" where it is.........

[luckythewinner]

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@fivestarparts1 wrote:

To the people who have hundreds and hundreds of listings, how do y'all manage inventory? By managing inventory, I mean keeping storage, knowing what exact item is in the box, keeping track of items, PLUS staying on top of orders. As a new seller, I've been just storing things in the garage and labelling them by number. Just curious for those that have a lot of stuff.

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I use the custom label field to indicate where the item is. 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Also helps to keep "like items" together.

That way if you DO every now and then stash something and forget to enter it on the spreadsheet at least you have a fair chance of finding it among other like items.

I have one shelf which is purely beer mugs, one which is JUST pint glasses, dedicated boxes for plates, shot glasses, basic carded Hot Wheels have their own same type totes (numbered), larger carded Hot Wheels are in sterilite drawer units (numbered). etc etc etc.

[gloryglorygifts]

As far as staying on top of orders and tracking inventory is concerned, most orders are done in the morning to have the packages picked up in the afternoon. My inventory is tracked on a spreadsheet and updated daily. Set a specific time to do that and stick to it. A spreadsheet doesn't work for everyone but it has always worked for me even tho it is old school.

As for how my inventory is warehoused, everything is in drawers, bins and even just kept in boxes, with the name of the product on the side of the box. I have the drawers and bins dedicated to specific products, like all olive wood are in one, jewelry in another, rosary beads in another. Maybe you can do something similar with your speedometers in one box or area and hand mirrors, fenders in another. It's all about the labeling when you have multi-products in the same area. 

Good luck to you. 

[meme6253]

Shelving, Clearly marked totes & boxes, Grouping like items, Many methods, The Keep Listing, Keep Listing, gets out of control when sales are slow!

[lux-libri]

This won't apply to everyone, but never put an item inside another item, thinking you will remember later.

I once put a signed picture of a silent film star inside a book for safekeeping so it wouldn't get creased. Both items were for sale at the same time, and the book sold first. You can guess the rest ...

[fern*wood]

I have over 1400 listings now with virtually no system. I do try to store similar items together, but it isn’t a good “system” by any means.  When I started selling I only had about twenty listings at most, so I never felt the need. 😝  You are smart to think about using a system from the start.

[yuzuha]

Every item (aside from boxed figures) goes in a box. Every box has a list of what's inside taped to the front. I organize things by type-- Christmas items in one box, keychains in another, stuffed animals in another, etc. That way, even if I can't immediately remember which box something is in off the top of the head, I know where to start checking the lists on the box, since if I sell something Christmas it's going to be in one of my four Christmas boxes.

[from_me_2_you]

Most of the items I get are on consignment, and the item title contains a 3 letter code.

That same 3 letter code is written on or taped to a box dedicated to that person. Generally works well. Most of my auctions also have a "locate box #" in the auction which guides me to the correct area for that box.

And yeah, sometimes I miss one, and have to search a few extra boxes to find it.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

I don't use totes, only hanging racks with the exception of 1 shelf of other.  All items are in date order with divider by years.  Each listing has in the Custom Label, the date of the pics which correlates give or take to the dates on the racks.   So, it's not fancy, it's just date order & it's worked great for me over many years & much growth.  I also have a couple of storage units, but those are for unlisted items.  

Organizing unlisted has gotten to be a bigger ordeal, but I'm working on it. I sell mainly clothes, so I am doing it seasonally b/c that's what makes sense for my business. 

ETA:  I sell unique one-offs, this wouldn't work if you sell items that all look similar. 

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

I don't have a big problem physically locating items, because they are coins and are relatively small so it's not like I'm searching a huge storage locker... but my biggest issue is keeping track of where/how I received the item. Most items are ourchased in larger lots. So I rarely have a specific apportioned COG for each individual item. I have a COG for the whole lot of items. I account for lots separately or some lots I batch together and make one larger conglomerate. I then attribute the accounting for any given sale to the lot it came from. Not only helps keep track of inventory accounting for taxes (what specifically has sold, whats in inventory still) but also for my own internal accounting I can track what my ROIs are on various types of items... did I make a 20% return? 40%? 60%? 120%? 500%? (Yeah... on the low end I hit 20 and on the high end I regularly hit 100-120 and sometimes as high as 3-5x. It varies quite greatly).

So I have an alpha-numeric system to account for various purchase origins. To track this I just "add/edit" a note to the listing...notes only I see, not the buyer, and show on active/sold listings so I know where to go fishing for the item or can help narrow down its the right item. I may have 10 different 1857 flying eagle pennies... instead of pulling all 10 out and trying to match it up with pics, i can verify it's got the right alpha-numeric signature. So doesn't help me locate the item per say because I know where they all are but helps me decipher the item!

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Oh lord yes.

I have a very bad habit of popping little figurines etc inside mugs.

And flat stuff can easily end up down the side of a drawer and box and hide in plain sight.