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Posted by ourgangof7 on 16-Feb-2012 12:57 Report
How/Where do you store your stock????
Okay this may seem like a silly question but it is one that I am struggling with at the moment lol.  I am hence, asking this question in order to get some new ideas for storage for my Quicksales stock.

I have boxes and boxes of stuff waiting to be listed (none of it has been bought, this is just stuff that I have decluttered from my home lol).  We are a blended family with 6 kids between us and with a blended family comes a lot of STUFF.  As the kids have grown older, the stuff that has been boxed up has grown to gigantic proportions.  I have given a lot to charity but the really good stuff I have kept in order to try and sell.  Now my carport and toolshed is full of boxes.  My house has several boxes and I have all my listed stuff sitting in a few of those fantastic plastic crate things.  My problem is that my plastic crates are now full and all I can do is repack my boxes from outside with my newly listed stock and hope I can find the stuff when/if it sells.

What does everyone else do with their stock?  So far I have been able to keep track of it, but this year I have decided to take my online selling more seriously and really get stuck into listing stuff, so of course the more I list the more i have to remember where it is all stored.

I would love some ideas (I know this is probably a dumb question but my brain is kinda fried today and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the enormity of my "job" lol).

Thanks everyone
Colleen
 
Replied by marian-48 on 16-Feb-2012 13:13 (Ref 2332667) Report
Hello Colleen, mine are all stored in the large crates in catagories of boys, babies, girls etc. These are kept in a spare bedroom in the house, all tidily stacked up. Marian
Replied by ellencol on 16-Feb-2012 13:13 (Ref 2332668) Report
 Clothes I hang in a spare wardrobe, everything else is in plastic tubs with lids, each tub is numbered and the number noted on my stock control spreadsheet, all my items have individual numbers so when I make a sale, I just look up the ref no of the item and see where it is stored.

Hope that helps

Ellen
Replied by take-your-fancy on 16-Feb-2012 13:14 (Ref 2332669) Report
Hi Colleen - I commiserate with you ! I was becoming inundated with untold amounts of 'stuff ' also - I have about 30 of those large plastic crates and about 30 of those really big plastic zip bags that needed storing somewhere ( do to downsizing my house ) plus many cardboard boxes !!.......since moving I have had a 3m x 3m steel shed put up which houses the vast majority....plus I've just had another 3m x 3m treated pine shed put up ( complete with large window and glass door ) for my 'craft' room, which stores only jewellery items and collectables plus what is presently listed. The 'craft room' will eventually have loads of shelves and 3 pantry type cupboards in there for added storage area. 

I also bought a few of those large plastic crates (with small wheels) that slide under the bed, where I can stash a few more things !

I know how frustrating it is to have so much 'clutter' about, so if you can afford a small backyard shed I'd recommend it !

I've yet to be able to find the time to do more listings as I work long hours but at least there is a great sense of order here, finally.

All the best with it
Tracey

Edit - Yes, as Crystal tuner has suggested, labelling the crates is an absolute must. Put the code somewhere in your listing and it works just  fine
Replied by crystaltuner on 16-Feb-2012 13:21 (Ref 2332671) Report
Hi Colleen
I would give each of those boxes a number (1,2,3 etc) and stack them in order.
Then include the number in the listed item ie as a subtitle or in the listing itself somewhere. eg at the end of the description put reference:1

If the box is too big / full, then maybe put the items into several separate plastic bags (inside the box) and call them a, b, c etc.

So if an item sells, you can look in the listing and see its location ie ref: 1a . You would then know its in box 1 and in the plastic bag marked a.
Maybe this will help or give you something to start with

kind regards
Crystal
Replied by echo333 on 16-Feb-2012 13:22 (Ref 2332672) Report
I also have been pondering this question for quite some time.
I have items in 3 rooms, depending on size and type of item.
But I find that packaging takes up 4 times as much space as the actual items.
Plus an area is needed to take photographs of the items.
Then there is the sticky tape, address labels etc and weighing scales.

Except for AP satchels, all my packaging (boxes, bubblewrap, foam sheets, foam peanuts, shredded paper, cardboard etc)
is kept in 2 of the rooms as well.

Sometimes there is a mad panic to find a particular 'sold' item because it is not where I thought it was stored.

I started out selling my excess stuff and now find I am selling for family, friends etc too.
Plus they source packaging for me as well, for which I am grateful.
So the stock + packaging is now out of control almost.

Sorry, Colleen, but I am unable to offer any tips but will be interested to read other replies.
Replied by boo512 on 16-Feb-2012 13:49 (Ref 2332674) Report
 I have a large sideboard type unit with rows of deep drawers.  I use this for my kids clothing items.  After listing, I place each item in a ziplock bag and squeeze the air out of it.  I use a unique stock number for each item, and use that as the file name for the picture, and also in the title of the listing.  I label the zip lock bags with the item number and "file" the items in the drawers in numerical order so they are easy to find.

For larger clothing items, I hag them in the wardrobe in my stock room, in number order, with the item number attached to the item so that I can flip through and find them easily.

Books and other items get stored in boxes, there weren't many of those in the past, but as I have been diversifying of late, they are starting to get harder to locate, so I am about to create a box numbering system so that I can go quickly to the box the item is in.
Replied by sonja-76 on 16-Feb-2012 15:24 (Ref 2332680) Report
Most of mine are small items and are all packed in solid boxes in sizes, and Winter & Summer. Some sizes have several boxes, but this does help.
Small badges I sell are in clip seal bags, marked to correspond with the little pic within my listings for them.
Saves lots of looking as items are sold. sonja
Replied by marian-48 on 16-Feb-2012 16:12 (Ref 2332682) Report
Colleen, you would need to know whether dampness can get in the shed from condensation. Marian
Replied by richbartim on 16-Feb-2012 16:25 (Ref 2332683) Report
stored in boxes with a list sticky taped to the box to advise me what is in it..several boxes...several draws.
clean up about twice a year and off they go to the op shop.
though today I sold 14 New Ladies Tops at the local RSL.
Replied by chloecat on 16-Feb-2012 16:47 (Ref 2332688) Report
 I have a huge big room that is under the main house roof but outside IYKWIM - use to be the pool room I think - and in there I have my stuff in crates, boxes some hanging and some thrown over the futon (oops) I usually have them in groups of summer/winter and top/pants/skirts etc
Replied by pashmina on 16-Feb-2012 17:00 (Ref 2332691) Report
I have an office - so everything goes there

I make sure every item is wrapped in tissue and/or in a zip lock bag (jewellery).  I have these amazing skinny tallboys - I find it easier to have drawers dedicated to each style, earrings, necklaces, brooches etc

All my scarves, saris & pashminas already come wrapped and sealed from my supplier, so that's a bonus.  Those items are stacked according to style & colour coded as well in a built in full of shelves.

Since I don't have full range of movement on some days - I need to be super organised, as I am no longer able to bend or climb ladders ... so everything needs to be easily reached
Replied by memyandi on 16-Feb-2012 19:58 (Ref 2332706) Report
My stock all has a number, which I put in the sub-title of the listing.  However, I don't store them by numbers - that's just a double-check to make sure I've got the right item when it sells and to keep my inventory list up to date, and so I can check what I paid for things.

I use all my spare cupboards for stock - and every available table top and bookshelf.  :o))

Everything is stored by category so that I only need to look through one cupboard for most things, maybe three cupboards at most, but this is rare because my categories are split into sub-categories in those cases where a category takes up more than one cupboard.  My sub-categories are organised according to price - cheap stuff in one cupboard, expensive (top class) in another, and all the in-between stuff in another cupboard.  Instead of cheap, expensive and in-between you could have boring, love it, and 'okay'.

None of this helps if you don't have available storage space, or if you don't want to be always breathing in to get to one end of the room from the other.  :o)))

I would NOT recommend building a shed to store things - you'll only end up acquiring even more 'stuff' so it defeats the purpose of the whole exercise!

If you're only selling your own stuff that you no longer have a need for, and space is a problem, it might pay you to have a market stall a couple of times and see if you can get rid of a bit of stuff that way.  They can be quite fun.
Replied by ejholden on 16-Feb-2012 21:32 (Ref 2332716) Report

Here, there, everywhere .....
Replied by ourgangof7 on 16-Feb-2012 21:37 (Ref 2332719) Report
Thanks for all your great replies everyone.

Yes I think I will have to introduce a numbering system like a few of you suggested.  That is a great idea.  Yes space is a problem as I have no spare rooms available for a few more years yet lol.

Some of you sound so organised!!  It kinda makes me want to be a fly on your wall and watch you at work and actually see your spaces,,,,,,geez that sounds a little creepy when I type it out lol but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Okay off to ponder my storage system......
Replied by magnolia134 on 16-Feb-2012 23:44 (Ref 2332731) Report
I have a 4 bedroomed house only one of which is now used as a bedroom (mine). Another has been converted to my office, and my stuff is stored in the two spare bedrooms, the office or the 'front room' (which I used to call the lounge until that became old-fashioned). Since I live on my own, I just use the family room for my 'living' and the lounge for storage. 

I sell a wide range of stuff, and it is fairly well-organised, but not as well as some others who have replied. No stock numbers or anything like that. All clothes (one third of all my stock) are stored in the spare bedrooms - dresses, long skirts and jackets are on clothes racks; shirts and pants are stored accordingly to colour in plastic boxes with lids and labels. Knitwear, short skirts, lingerie, jeans, tops, t-shirts and other casual clothing is stored in more labelled plastic boxes according to type.

Toiletries and household items are stored in more plastic boxes in the bedrooms according to type - bath, body & skin care, perfumes, kitchen, bedding, curtains, electrical, computer related, etc. Makeup is stored in a little drawer unit. Jewellery is in another box, shoes occupy several boxes as do bags. That's about it for the bedrooms.

My office has 9 labeled plastic boxes for craft/paper, office/stationery, books, fabric, storage, hosiery and hair. The front room contains mainly furniture which doesn't sell well here so I am trying some other options for them. Plus half a dozen boxes of tupperware most of which hasn't been listed yet. There are still quite a few plastic boxes of my daughter's stuff out in the garage, which contains mainly office/stationery stuff which I seem to have trouble selling. So I am not inspired to keep listing them.

I estimate I have at least 50-60 plastic boxes in the 3 rooms used for storage. I usually am able to go straight to the right box, especially for clothes. Some of the smaller household items I may take longer to find, as there are 3 or 4 boxes - fortunately all in the same room - in which they are stored. I keep hoping that I will be able to reduce the number of boxes, but I never seem to get there, as my list of selling items keeps growing, not shrinking as I had hoped.
Replied by brerrabbit on 17-Feb-2012 09:38 (Ref 2332748) Report
Colleen, if you don't continually relist things you could mark your containers with the month they were listed, and when something sells you can see the original listing date from your Sold list and know which container to look for.  If you relist every few months you'd need to do them in batches (according to containers) and change the date on the container.

I've spent several hours looking for onesmall item that I'd sold and it's very frustrating when you've forgotten where it is so I really HAD to think of a better way to do things.  I mainly store by category/type.
Replied by annieoakley2000 on 17-Feb-2012 12:14 (Ref 2332766) Report
If you have so much stock (listed and unlisted), it is very important to keep what's listed completely seperate from what's to be listed, otherwise it is going to be a nightmare knowing what's what  in the end (!!)

As I have a Store with categories on Quicksales, I store my stuff the same way - per category - (boxes,  plastic storage bins) and make sure I never mix listed and unlisted things.

Having said that, unlike you, I don't have a car port or toolshed full of boxes to be listed, most of my stuff is already listed other than maybe some larger household/pick up items as I never get around to listing them. I look at them and think "maybe to-morrow", even though I could do with the extra space.

Anyway to make a long story short, I suggest you list and store by category,  that way all your listed items end up together in their relevant boxes, so you don't have to go on a mad search for them once they're sold.......
Replied by i-spy on 17-Feb-2012 17:35 (Ref 2332817) Report
Colleen can I just say what a great question you asked. I have been looking into this since closing my bricks and mortar shop last year. I have so much stuff and find I am constantly searching for little things or end up breaking things accidentally that are listed under my other user id. Will have to try some of the suggestions made by quicksales members.
Thanks, i-spy.
Replied by straybooksoz on 24-Feb-2012 00:41 (Ref 2333520) Report
My books are stored in boxes, Once a box is full it goes in the shed.

My spreadsheet has an annotation of the box each book is in, so when one sells I know where to find it. Unless it has jumped box.
Replied by scoobie93 on 18-Mar-2012 14:47 (Ref 2336388) Report
 Hi

I live in a unit, but luckily I have a massive built in wardbrobe and it is all in boxes down the bottom of the wardbrobe.
If it's something bit it sits in the loung much to my sons disgust - but that is rare.
I only sell smaller items, so it's easy for me

Cheers
Jane :)
Replied by smokinpuss on 26-Mar-2012 09:43 (Ref 2337362) Report
Hi
I have just started on quicksales but my stock is in Hubby;s garage, who I am always telling 'Him" to clean, then I look around and see my huge boxes taking most of 'His' Space :(  I have inflatable dinghys and huge coffee machines and about 36 kettles.... (Thinking of just selling jewelry???)
Then I have my tiny workshop where creations are being created.. huge mirrors. and then I have the study. whereas I
am gradually filling with pens, bublewrap etc.. Oh Dear me.. How can I nag ,when I am worse!
But I AM going to get organised and give every item a sku number and add it to my 'new inventory book" (which I shall probably loose!)
I am going to start TODAY to be organised.
Replied by topsale on 26-Mar-2012 16:14 (Ref 2337427) Report
I on the otherhand, if you look at the number of items I have currently listed you would understand that hey, no way could he both sotre them in a wardrobe and also find a particular item when it sells.

So what do I do, I deal directly through a wholesaler whom handles all the shipping, pictures etc for me, I just list what they have and when I sell the item I then ask them to send it to the buyer.

I sell so much through this wholesaler that I get special prices, that way I can compete with both the wholesaler and other resellers.

Otherwise I would need a gigantic wardrobe.
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