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You have to develop a system, have off-site storage, use Excel to keep track of all the supplies, and properly organize your inventory
If you are a seller on eBay or Etsy, you will often find yourself having products at hand that are to be sold and shipped. But sometimes, the quantity of these products can be huge and may become difficult to store properly.
Without proper organizing, some important items might be stored in the far back corner while the least important items will be at the front. That is why it is necessary to have proper planning while organizing your inventory.
With that being said, let us take a look at a few steps that can help to organize your inventory.
1. Create A System
Creating a system does not necessarily mean that you need to have computer-operated software to keep track of your inventory. It also does not require a crew to help with the inventory. You can develop a system by yourself.
You can get some colorful bins and some tag numbers. Put similar types of items in these bins, and have a number allocated to each of the items.
This way, when you get an order for a product, you will be able to find the product with that number Then look for the bin with the same number.
This will help you find the product easily, everything will be sorted and even save some space.
However, if your business is growing faster, in that case, you can use inventory management systems to manage inventory.
2. Organizing Shipping Supply Storage
Shipping supply storage includes supplying boxes, tapes, scissors, fillings, cushions, and measurement tapes necessary for shipping and packaging.
If these items are scattered around the house, you will have a hard time packing and shipping your products for your client. Time is very essential for resellers as delays can result in a negative review on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and other e-commerce sites, and they may not supply you with their products.
The best way to organize these shipping tools is to have separate storage for them.
Separate storage will allow you to find these items easily and prepare your package in time as well. You can put them in a drawer of any table in your house or your storage unit. You can also get a cheap cabinet to store them.
3. Off-Site Storage
Another good method of properly organizing your storage space is to have an off-site storage unit. Choose a storage unit that is near to your house, and you have quick access to the unit.
This will allow you to have some breathing space in your house, and you can also keep the items safe in the storage.
While storing products in the off-site storing unit, be sure to keep them in order, so you do not have to go randomly through all the items to find a specific one.
This is somewhat of a last effort to organize your inventory. It is always best to store the inventory at home as it saves time, and you do not have to move between places.
4. Use Excel
Excel will help you in various ways and make your shipping work much easier.
An Excel file will allow you to name and store products accordingly, let you know which products are stored where, when they are going to be shipped, who the customers are, and even list the delivery cost. All of this information can be stored in just one place.
Microsoft Excel is an excellent choice. However, if you do not have the latest version of Microsoft Excel, you can always use Google sheets, which has more features and is user-friendly. These are traditional software but if you run a complex business then you should opt for advanced tools.
5. Use Shelves And Small Wardrobes
Another clever trick for storing products is to have small shelves and wardrobes to store inventory. The method of storing is also a little different. Use this method if there is enough space in your house.
First, get shelves or wardrobes for each of your rooms. Place one in each room of your house.
Then, organize the units and products related to that room, like bedroom products in shelves kept in the bedroom and so on.
Now, this will open up space in the storage room, and allow you to use the storage room to store more products. This will also aid you to have quick access to almost all the products.
6. No Heavy Or Fragile Furniture In The Storage Unit
You cannot have large and heavy furniture in the place where you are storing your products. Heavy furniture can be a hindrance.
They will hamper your movement, and you may bump to some product with this heavy furniture. There is a possibility of damaging these products.
Also, you must not keep any fragile furniture as well. Furniture that has glass is an absolute no. If by any chance this furniture breaks, it may result in a health hazard so keep the storage unit as furniture free as possible.
What Not To Do While Organizing Your Storage
The first thing you should not do is randomly place the products and make a mess. All the products must be sorted out accordingly for easy access.
Another mistake that most people make is not labeling the products. Without proper labeling, you will not know which box holds what product. So put a label on all the containers.
Final Thoughts
Being a reseller can sometimes be hard work. The products are coming continuously, and you also have to ship products to buyers. That is why your inventory must be well organized to save time and make your work easier. We hope this article has given you some ideas about how you can organize your inventory.