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Hello, hive mind
I need to rethink how I am storing all of my inventory. In the last two years, my inventory (random bric-a-brac goo-gas Ryan and Jay style) has grown from 200 to 2000.
I use the Amazon numbered box system, and that works fine. But I am not happy with the boxes I use or the shelving units.
Currently, I have all my stuff in cardboard bankers boxes on wire adjustable shelves. I need something a little sturdier and airtight. As much as I hate buying things new, I want to make a one-time investment in new shelving and plastic sealable boxes.
Anyone else has a more standardized storage system? I’m curious what other people use.
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I’m not much help…I use wire shelving (on wheels) and a combination of bankers boxes and banana boxes. I get the banana boxes for free at WalMart and local grocery stores. Haven’t had to get any since the Virus struck, so I’m not sure if they are still handing them out or not. I do add cardboard to the bottom of the banana box, and also under the lid. For that I generally use flattened 12pk soda boxes. A bonus is, sometimes they include the heavy brown paper that was in the banana box….this is good for crumbling and using as padding for shipping packages.
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I dont know what kind of space you have, but we love these steel shelves from Lowes:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gladiator-24-in-D-x-77-in-W-x-72-in-H-4-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit-NSF-Safety-Listing/1000003004Not cheap, but super super sturdy. We can store large plastic tubs full of stuff in them. They’re not going anywhere. When we built our 40 x 25 warehouse, we bought fifteen of these (on sale for $150 each). Each shelf unit holds twelve big Rubbermaid tubs.
Each shelf unit has a number. Each shelf has a letter. Each tub has a number. So we just sold an item and its at 16/C/046. Easy to find.
We were only willing to spend money on these shelves because its a permanent solution for us. We spent almost 10 years with storage all over the place. In piles, in boxes, in closets. Had a couple cheap plastic shelving units fall over under the weight of stuff. Nice just having it all solid now. Plus its a tax write-off.
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I second Jay’s recommendation on the Gladiator shelves. I use them in my basement. There’s no way those things are ever falling over, very sturdy. I use the black and yellow plastic tubs that are now being sold at every hardware store. Each shelf will hold two 27-gal tubs and one 17-gal tub. Note that the black tubs (with the yellow lids) are made by several different brands. If you use them, try to stick with the same brand because each brand makes their tub just different enough that it can screw up your fit on the shelves if you mix them. The tubs go on sale once in awhile so keep your eyes peeled.
In the main level of my house I have a smaller shelving system using these: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-18-in-D-x-47-7-in-W-x-72-in-H-5-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/999990408. Each shelf will fit 3 bankers boxes with a little room to spare.
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Bit of an out of left field here with an alternate idea. My husband built shelves for me for my totes
However, I’m gradually moving over to file cabinets. I find them so much easier to work with, they don’t “waste” space around the sides of the totes and I don’t have to lift the totes down to get into them. I use magnetic white board labels to write the numbers on the front of each drawer.
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Sorry, to add to the above: I buy the file cabinets for an average price of $25 used, searching Facebook and Craigslist, and they’re normally in excellent condition at that price.
I neither line nor add sides to the insides of the drawers. I’ve been working with this system for about a year and a half now and will be moving over almost entirely to the file cabinets for storage. I love it.
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There was another scavenger who was really big into filing cabinets. He said he could get them free on craigslist. I think they’re an awesome solution (and cheap!) for certain kinds of inventory.
Since we have tall ceilings, we like shelves that are 6′ so we can stack higher. Plus we have lots of big stuff that wouldnt fit in a filing cabinet. But I could see a mix of storage.
Those shelves your husband built look awesome. He’s a good man!
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He is the best husband in the world!
If you look at the photo of the filing cabinets, you will see there is a shelf mounted above it. All 8ft of wall space is fully utilized with the top of the cabinet being used for items too large for the drawers and homogenous items on the shelf.
This cabin was designed specifically for my business and incorporated “too big” space on purpose. Not too much space, as I don’t buy big items any more – too much of a hassle to ship. Not well reflected, but on the very right of the cabinets is shelving for the storage of various sizes of poly mailers.
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Hey everybody! Just looking for a little company from my fellow scrappy/creative people as I brainstorm about this:
I’m going to be working toward doubling my inventory in the next twelve months (going from 5k to 10k, trying to max out my anchor store subscription and finance a couple of big life goals).
One of the things I’ve been doing to prepare for this is tightening up my inventory storage so I have a clear picture of where there is still space in my current storage setup, consolidating and whatnot, AND part of that process has involved replacing some ratty old bins and cardboard boxes with beautiful clear totes so I can actually see my inventory without pulling out the bins, wrenching off the lids, etc. I am loving that upgrade already!
Currently, all of it is in my 2-car garage on steel shelves and *mostly* in plastic totes. I’m always amazed how much more stuff I can fit in there when I tweak my organization as needed, but I’m certain I’m going to officially outgrow the garage before too long as I’m pushing for this big goal in throughout the next year.
So, two questions for which I’d love some fellow brainstorm power:
1. What other storage considerations would you consider if you were in my shoes (even getting a storage unit or something–there is a decently priced climate controlled option about half a mile from my house)
2. What other considerations/aspects should I be thinking about/planning for while preparing to kick it in to high gear and double my inventory?
Any and all thoughts are welcome! Thanks for playing 🙂
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Are you using the garage for parking cars also?
If your garage has 10 ft ceiling, many do, you can make a hanging shelf over the hood area of the car, still leaving enough space to walk under it. I’ve had to do that in the garage in my last house, not for inventory but just for “stuff”.
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It’s really all about space efficiency. The key is to not just store items along the walls. Fill the space with shelves like a library.
Our storage building is 24′ wide. We were able to fit five shelves across that space. It’s fairly tight to walk around, but this means we have lots of space to put plastic bins. Four shelves on each unit. So 12 large plastic bins per unit.
We invested in solid metal shelves:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gladiator-24-in-D-x-77-in-W-x-72-in-H-4-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit-NSF-Safety-Listing/1000003004The last thing we wanted was to cheap out on shelves that would fall over. I could park a car on the shelves we have now. No creaking, groaning, or wobbling.
And I would maximize the space you have before even considering renting a storage space. It can be a business investment, but its also money lost each month.
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Great video on storage This person is super organized and she did pay up for some equipment, but I especially like her rolling cart idea.
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