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Regarding the Lane Bryant shirt/vero block… it was probably just a glitch or a vero alert keyword not having anything to do with the brand… I have had that kind of thing happen a couple times and it might have something to do with a current vero keyword … that’s what I was told by a rep… my particular problem was that I had some keyword that activated a vero alert… and I believe it was in my description, not even in the title, but it might have been… it had something to do with a keyword related to some new apple product release (or some such tech item being newly released on the market and the company was on their toes at the time)… the word was used correctly in context for my listing and there was nothing to indicate the item was an apple product or whatever, so I changed my listing.
If this happens to anyone, either clean up your listing to be as simple as possible, mark as used or new other perhaps… and it will probably go through.
But, who knows, maybe Lane Bryant is trying to put pressure on the secondary market.
Good to know, thanks… this makes it uber important to ensure the correct data is entered in the spreadsheet.
I like that you can retrieve the location data in both the “sold awaiting shipment” screen and on your spreadsheet. I currently keep a similar spreadsheet and would definitely use that… but, I am glad to know that you could use the NOTE to keep the data… I will experiment with that, thanks for sharing!
Yep, solid black clothing items are the worst. You can’t tell them apart from one another. That’s one of the reasons I started to mark their bags with the brand name and size and type of item (top, skirt etc.). So when I go to the solid black bin, I just look at the label. And if I decide to make a box just for black skirts, it would be efficient to pull the skirts and place them in their box.
And shoes, I keep them on a shoe rack so it is easy to see what they are, but I don’t have a lot of those at this time… only about 20 and my rack is only half full. I tend to shy away from purchasing them, so I have not really come up with or thought too much about how to organize those if I were to increase my inventory in that category. I just don’t like the bin system for shoes as they get smooshed… but I do see how if one has a lot of them, shoe racks might not be the most efficient either.
So how do you organize the shoes in a bin so you don’t have to dump them all out even with a numbering system? are you utilizing smaller bins?
But, yeah, I am thinking that it might be a good idea to switch to a numbering system as I do intend to increase my clothing inventory this year.
Thanks for the feedback!!!!
Michael D… I have much appreciation for you taking the time to review my entry and offering an objective critique. I always believe two minds are better than one and very often others will point out things I have not considered and a glad to have this wisdom. I work alone, so being able to get feedback is another reason for my appreciation… my ego is MORE attached to what works or will work, not what I already have that might not work out for the best later. Thank you!
And good for you! 3K is a huge space. I hope it holds you for a while too! You must be doing very well. I am planning on spending the next two years working out of the home office, but after that, I intend to move into a commercial warehouse or some kind of office… I recently had an office for a year and it was great. But, I’m back at home now… I was so much more productive there though, but the moving home, while I had some huge financial murphy emergencies & a few other considerations that prompted the move, it was ultimately a gut and Mom-driven choice.
It sounds like you might be experienced with clothing as you zeroed right in on the biggest problem with the “color” system… the colors are not always obvious. I recognized this early on. Even working alone, I question which color box I put something in quite often. The solution to this is in the title itself… the item would go in the first color mentioned in the title… so if something is equally green and blue, then whoever does the listing simply chooses one or the other. Upon the need for retrieval, one would know to look in the box with the first color listed in the title.
I TOTALLY see what you are saying about how the number system is actually a better use of space… I will experiment with ways to transition over without having to “go back in” to label everything somehow/so to speak.
If you had to do it all again, what would you have done to avoid having to revamp your inventory system for each move?
Thanks again! ~Crystal
RE: CLOTHING ONLY
It may seem a tad quicker to pull an item with a traditional numbering system of some sort, however, I feel like it’s a wash in the end. Maybe it depends on a person’s personality type… if you are like that character from the film Stranger Than Fiction, Harold… a numbering system would be most efficient. But, my system still works for people like that too.
I like to think it will be workable and efficient for others, but until I try it, I can’t really say how teachable it is… I “designed” it with the intention of teaching others… but, it might not work well if I quadruple my inventory… although, I think even if I had 3000 items or more, it would still work. I have really given this a lot of thought and have actually been using it consistently, with success and there is room for growth, it is a good use of space and is probably a lot easier to understand once you do it or see it in action.
The problems solved by this, just to be clear, are
1. space efficiency issues (# 1 reason to use this)
2. expansion issues
3. mislabeled inventory/misplaced inventory
4. time efficiency (no time spent data logging or having to check for dis-associative data)
5. larger inventories that don’t already have a numbering system in place (situational)Ironically, I actually just made a video about this if anyone wants to see it… hopefully it is up by now… on OfftoShambala on YouTube and should be titled something about an inventory system for the eBay clothing reseller.
I keep clothing in boxes by color as the first category…and some items I do have organized by type (mens t shirts are all together in one box, but not by color for eg.)… but, as inventory grows, and since I rarely remove anything, I will need to, and can easily, open up new boxes with new categories where needed and NOT waste space. ie., black items can break down into black bottoms (pants/skirts/shorts) in one box, while the other black box can be just tops… THEN if my inventory gets so big that there are 3 boxes of black tops and 3 boxes of black bottoms, it could break down further to a box for “black tops sz 12/L & under” and “black tops sz 14/XL & over”, but one box can be just all black pants if they all still fit in one box… but, in the meantime, until I actually NEED those extra boxes, I can fill up the one’s I already have, thus utilizing the shelf space more efficiently.
Eventually, it is likely that I will have to add a numbering system but, I feel like it is a waste of time as of yet, and I think I can easily add a numbering system if absolutely necessary. For example, if I end up with so much inventory that I’m finally down to making a second box for “women black tops size XL/14/16” then all new inventory can have a location number placed in the title, or elsewhere, depending on the best option at the time. Anything without location data, then the first box to pull from will be the unmarked box. This way, I don’t have to go back anywhere and add numbers.
With that said, I put everything in labeled, sealed plastic bags. I make the labels on stickers as I am doing the listing & items go immediately into bags while I am at the computer. This keeps everything tidy & less mistakes… and I mark the bag with the brand, size & if it’s NOT a top, pants/shorts (type)… this way, if I do have to add boxes (move things around) or when I’m looking through the box, I am less likely to mistake one for another (I’ve done this with a sweatshirt, had two that looked a lot alike and sent the wrong one on accident & another time with two similar t shirts). The bag makes it easier to sift through the box, protects the item and it’s even faster when it’s time to ship. And as we all know, EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY SELLS. Most of the bags I use are reusable, so if there comes a time that I do a purge, most should be reusable.
The BIGGEST ADVANTAGE to this, is that IF, somehow the location data is wrong, then I (or an employee) don’t have to scratch my head and spend an hour going through 15 or 100 or ? random boxes of mismatched clothing items. I NEVER want to have to go through my entire inventory to find something misplaced and I NEVER wnat to have to cancel an order… BTW, I’ve only had to cancel orders twice, but not because I misplaced an item, but because I donated it, forgot to remove it and it sold. TWICE… this is a true testament to the list it and forget it – EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY SELLS approach.
Another ADVANTAGE to bagging & labeling the items, is that if one does get put in the wrong box, as you (or anyone) is retrieving things, you (they) are more likely to notice a black top that accidentally got put in the black skirt box and can put it in the correct box… OR if you are going through 4 black boxes for the missing black top, it is easier to see which item it is.
The following are some minor disandvantages to this system…
1. it may take a few practice runs for a newbie to really understand this, but doable (I hope)
2. sometimes it’s hard to tell which color box to store an item
3. different people might have different ideas about categorization
4. title is more important, a cohesive system needs to be adhered to by everyone
5. older inventory is not/or may not be up to parr w the systemHere is how I solve these problems… it happens when listing (and whoever does the listing makes the decision)… With clothing items, sometimes there are multiple colors, it’s almost equally blue & green, but I thihk it has more green, so I decide to put it in green… so the FIRST COLOR LISTED IN THE TITLE (and we always use a color) will be green and so anyone who knows the system will know to look in the green box and not the blue box. The size designation is important for the potential expansion of boxes by size… Sooo, if it’s a top marked size L… easy, it goes in the large box… if it’s marked as size 10/12 but doesn’t say XL or L… then it goes in the box marked L-10/12… SOMETIMES you get wierd sizes, so if something is marked as something like XL-12/14, then where does it go?… in this case, the FIRST SIZE IN THE LISTING is where this goes and would be the first box one would go to pull the item. If the item is black and accidently gets put in any of the other boxes of black items… then there are less boxes to look in. But, also, as a person is going through and pulling other items, and because the misplaced item has a label, someone is likely to notice it and put it in the right box… or there are just less boxes to look through, as I’ve mentioned. And it is actually rather quick to label the items… and I find it makes a big difference in preventing errors if you put the item in the bag and label it as you are listing the item.
Most older items that are not up to parr with the system, should still be relatively easy to locate, but there could be a few pesky one’s that throw someone off. But, this would be true if switching to a numbering type of system.. if one were to try to go to that after not using one. If someone has a relatively large inventory of clothing and is using some sort of category system vs a numbering system with mixed up items (ie., all t shirts in one box, all sweaters in one box etc.) than my system would be easier to switch to or to start utilizing without having to “go back”… I think.
Here are some category expansion examples and how they could expand as needed and how hopefully you can see the pattern and that this can go far before having to resort to the dreaded numbering system…
A Single box with all black clothing items eventually could expand to >
Blk Tops ~ Blk Bottoms >
Blk Tops L-12 & under ~ Blk Tops XL-14 & up ~ Blk Pants ~ Blk Skirts ~ Blk Shorts >
Blk Tops sz XS/S-4/5/6 ~ Blk Tops sz M-7/8/9 ~ Blk Tops sz L-10/12 ~ Blk Tops sz XL-14/16 ~ Blk Pants sz 12 & Under ~ Blk Pants sz 14 & Up ~ Blk Skirts ~ Blk Shorts
I hope someone gleans something useful from this… but, if you think I’m off my rocker, or you see other disadvantages, let me know… maybe I should start working on a different system LOL
LOL… “the ol’ insta”… like it’s been around since our grandparents time… that’s great! I needed that little chuckle right now!
If it’s over 36″, forget it! LOL… the things men do. But, good for him. Yep, I really need to zero in on higher ROI items too, just as long as they don’t require a pallet.
I have been meaning to get something going on Instagram and doing more on FB, so I will definitely go look for you in those forums… I am Crystal Allegra on FB BTW.
Lovely to meet you… and thanks Ryanne!
adnauseam, thanks for subbing to my channel on YT, much appreciation for that!
LOL WWJ&R Do… that’s funny, and I imagine probably true for a lot of SL fans, albeit subconsciously… I find myself saying “Somebody will want this!” quite often and think of J&R when I do.
Congrats on your 2 years! Are you side gigging on eBay/reselling or are you a full timer? Do you have any content I can follow whether it’s on YT or somewhere else? Let me know & I will follow you back for sure or if you start, I will start following you when you do.
Vania, I sent a request to join the group. Interesting angle… I’ve always got some vintage stuff in my eBay shop and have been wanting to get on ETSY… I’m just so busy with the 1 platform… but, I sure do like the idea of having some help with this for sure!!!
I am crystal allegra on facebook by the way
In my state, I only have to pay taxes to my state for sales within the state, but if I sell to anyone else, there is no tax. I am wondering if this is the norm… Are Colorado based businesses that sell to other states required to pay taxes to their state or are they like Arizona, I wonder? I also wonder what it’s like in other states… sounds like something I might look into.
What say you, people from other states?
Yep, I know what you mean about the hunt… that is fun, but what’s more fun is watching the money come in to my account. That’s what keeps me listing. LOL
Hope you have continued success! And I’m looking forward to interacting with you here in the future!
Good for you Ian. Wow, that’s a lotta debt! I totally get where you are coming from, my degree is costing me about 10,000 per year after grants and I’ve got one more year where I can just use my grant money and no loans and one more year where another 10,000 will be borrowed… and I’m biting my nails over that!!!
I am pushing 47 years old… the most important conclusion about life that I’ve come up with is that everyone needs to follow the track THEY CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES, if you see that this track is working for you, it is the right track. No track, now that’s a concern!
I hope your family is supportive enough?!?
That’s so cool! I am hoping to visit Portland sometime in the next two years. I will put your shop on my bucket list for when I finally get to go! What’s the name of your brick n mortar?
I live in Phoenix and my AC went out at my house… and my car… I think I spent every night before bed looking at house rentals in Portland until things cooled off here and I finally was able to get the AC fixed… then finally, when it did cool off, I’m like, “It’s not that bad here.”… I think everyone that lives in Phoenix says that to themselves… all summer they think about moving away, then the Fall hits and they remember why they live here. LOL If I do decide to move to Portland, it won’t be for at least another 3 years and I am also considering Sedona, AZ or maybe I’ll just stay… I don’t know. But, during the summertime, I am sure I will be convinced that Portland is the place to be.
I had a storefront and sold kids resale clothing and stuff way back in the early 2000’s, but stuff happened, I’ll leave it at that. Then I had what could have been a storefront in central Phoenix, AZ for about a year in 2015-2016. It was a really great deal, super cheap… not really the all time best location, but I thought I’d be able to attract people to just sell to me and I had everything set up and warehoused there, and I did that for a short time while I was getting things set up for bringing in an employee to list and all that, when ironically, the same things began to happen as last time. It was a sign that I needed to move my operation back home.
Looking forward to interacting with you in the future!
Joy & Gratitude,
Crystal
