How do you keep track of your items?

[#1]

Hi there,

Just wondered how everyone goes about keeping track of the items in their shops? If you have say, 100 items listed, what do you do with them and how do you know where each item is when you sell it? Do you have a numbering system or something else?

[SweetAngelVintage]

I have various china and collectibles with small to medium inventory, and so far just keeping a side file with a list of items in the box along with numbering the boxes- which can also be added to later...........works for me. I do not mind a little bit of digging, when I have a sale and yes I label each item in it's wrapping in the box.

[Former_Member]

I love plastic shoeboxes. I have them labeled with my made items. My headbands I keep in labeled zip lock bags and then in a big tub.

[Former_Member]

I store finished items in plastic tubs with other similar items. It is not the most organized system but at least the items are protected and together. I have storage space issues. Honestly I often have to look through several tubs before I find the sold item to ship. Reorganizing would be a good idea. I am inspired by some of the systems listed above. :)

[ThriftyVintageKitten]

Since all my items are vintage garments I have 3 garment racks where I hang everything. I've pretty much taken over our basement! I also keep an Excel spreadsheet and number all my items.

[Former_Member]

I have about 450 items in my shop. Most are already made and some I make as it gets ordered. I store everything by category in clear plastic bins so they are easy to find. I store all supplies in my office closet. As things start running low I reorder the materials.

[Former_Member]

I have a lot of made to order items but all my ready to ship cards are all stored with the envelopes in resealable plastic bags and then placed in plastic shoe boxes labeled by category such as "Halloween, Christmas" etc. All the plastic shoe boxes are then stored in a cabinet with a door that is in my craft room. It keeps everything neat and organized and easy to pull out when I am ready to ship an item.

[Former_Member]

I mostly cast sterling and don't stock any finished pieces. All my work is either custom or made to order. I typically have a handful of OzT on hand, but also have my ship times set a little long so if I really need to I can order some silver. My average fulfillment is about 3 - 4 days.

[philosophiacreations]

I used to number each and every piece of jewelry but found this a bit tedious.

I always keep my jewelry together and sorted onto cards. This makes it easy to find a specific piece -- just sift through my collection until I find what I want. I store all earrings in one airtight bin (organized further into rows), and all my bracelets/necklaces in another. All my bracelets/necklaces are kept safely in individual bags, with bubble wrap if necessary.

Even with an inventory of presently about 450 listings (only about 300-325 are on Etsy at any given time), it's not difficult to keep track of things using this method.

[Former_Member]

I make a piece of jewelry and then display it at the Studio. Once it is photographed and listed on etsy it is removed from display and placed in one of several plastic food containers organized primarily by color. If an item has more than one color, I store according to the predominant color.

This works as long as I don't do craft shows. When I do that it is total chaos and I need a better system.

[WhatnotGems]

I built a large earring display board for craft shows. Worked well. I also mad another for sets. these faces each other for transport and I hung them in my tent or used the stands I made on the tables.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/114610751804622117115/albums/5727567063708833041/5932840326004100...

[PurpleMoonDesigns]

I keep everything in zipper bags which are stored in plastic bins (Sterlite 14" x11"x3") based on item – earrings, button earrings, regular hair sticks, charm hair sticks, etc. Since I have so many earrings and anklets, I have each bagged item grouped into larger zipper bags – chain anklets, charm anklets, boho anklets, etc. If I have a couple items that are very similar, I put them in the same baggy so I don’t send the wrong item out.

The only items I number are the “naked” hair sticks. Many of them look a lot alike, especially in tiny picts on the computer. Each has a piece of scrap paper in the baggy with a number that correlates with the number in the listing.

Hubby keeps his miniature gardens in big under-the-bed bins. They’re wrapped in bubble wrap with the listing name written on the top. The wire trees and such have a number in the zipper bag and in the listing.

I love reading how others store their items! It has definitely helped me stay organized.