Storing your stock and your button inventory systems?

[gollywollypodss]

Hey everyone just curious how you all store your button stock and how you organize and maintain your inventories? I use a paper notebook for keeping track of how many and of which buttons I have made and sold (though it is a pain) and individual plastic bags for each button design labeled with their ID. This is working for now since I only have about 20 designs and small amount of stock, however I forsee it becoming a bigger problem once I have more designs to keep track of.
I have been thinking of using a computer based system for inventory, like I do for keeping track of my shop expenses and sales, but I am a little unsure how to set one up.

[Former_Member]

I just made an inventory list on excel. As long as I remember to keep up with it, it works fine. Right now, I also just have my buttons labeled in plastic bags with their number and description written on the label.

[EclecticAims]

I like hardware organizers, those bins you buy to store screw, etc. In. All the little drawers are so handy, & you could put a label on the front.

[gollywollypodss]

Thanks so much for the input guys! Aimee, I never thought of that before, I am going to go looking for one this weekend I think I will like that method a lot more than the bags.

[Former_Member]

I have the hardware organizer.... I got mine off of Amazon for around $35, I think. I have labels on the front for each.

[BayleafButtons]

Great idea! I only have stock during the craft show season, I make a bunch of the favourites and store them in a bead/screw organizer. The rest of the time I just have the printed sheets to cut from and make to order.

Would love to keep a proper inventory but not enough space!

[Former_Member]

Likewise, I make to order.

I do all my printing at an office supply store just down the road, so if it's a small order I'll fill the page with other popular designs and save them for a rainy day.

I like making to order as it means I'm ensuring 100% quality at the time of posting. This obviously isn't practical for folks who also trade in a physical environment (retail, craft shows, markets, etc).

[Former_Member]

I keep my extra printed designs in sheet protector sleeves in a large binder. I have section dividers for types of buttons (I have a lot for marching band and color guard events.)
The designs that are cut I put in the little 3x4 zipper bags. I haven't really come up with a good plan for buttons that are already made. When I was doing the Farmers Markets last summer I just kept the buttons and magnets on their display boards.
When I had many orders coming in over the holidays of one particular design, I just packaged up several ahead of time so it was easy to mail when the orders came in. That was a nice time :)

[PandaLoveShop]

I only have stock on hand for craft shows, and I keep them stored in plastic jewelry/bead compartment organizers that I bought for $1 each at Michaels :) Otherwise I make to order since I have a color laser printer at home.

[Former_Member]

I have a few racks of small plastic bins, like what you can get at a hardware store. I only have one size button right now, so it's fairly empty. But I use one container for each part, the smaller ones for mylars and the little plastic bags I put them in.

Then above my rack stand, I constructed a 2x4 foot peg board where I hang each package of buttons.

I sell 3-packs and I made hang tags for my buttons so they can hang one pack style per peg.