Friday, August 3, 2012

Your Etsy Shop: Keeping it Organized

As I'm preparing for Bead Fest, organization weighs heavily on my mind.  The other day I got to wondering how everyone else stores their inventory.  Not for a big show but just for your day to day Etsy/Artfire/Big Cartel shop.

Awhile back I was surfing Nile Corp. when I found this cabinet meant to hold standard size trays.
I knew this would be perfect for keeping track of all my inventory.  Up until then, I was using printer's cabinet trays that I had found while antiquing.  In theory, they should have worked well but since I didn't have an actual printer's cabinet to keep them in they weren't that great.
All my pendants and charms are stored in small plastic bags.  Everything is then sorted by clay type (stoneware, porcelain, raku) and then by color.
When someone places an order it's so easy for me to find and grab the correct pieces.
I will say though, this particular cabinet was a bit pricey and did come slightly damaged.  Nile Corps customer service was somewhat difficult to deal with but they did refund me some money for the damage.  All in all it's a great way to keep my shop inventory organized.

How do you store and organize your shop inventory?

8 comments :

  1. Oh man, I love that cabinet!! So much, that I'm scared to go check out the price! :) But I can bookmark it, right? Thanks for the tip, and have a wonderful time at BeadFest!

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  2. I use the trays, same as you, as well as this drawer organizer from Ikea. It comes in black or white: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241/
    It has optional rolling wheels included with it as well. You can also stack them, two at most (without the wheels on, of course).

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  3. Thanks for sharing how you organize. I'll tell you a secret...I put my beads in a plastic baggie, then put them into a rubbermaid storage tower in a drawer willy nilly. Then when someone buys something, I have to dig. It's like a treasure hunt every single time, which just adds more fun to the day!

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  4. Oh gosh Diana how smart and sophisticated is that! My components are in in cello beags in a sectioned plastic storage box. My jewellery is in individual baggies in another sectioned storage box. I'd love something like a printers cabinet but even if I had the money I don't have the room. Ce la Vie!

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  5. Wow, that great for me! I always strive to keep all my jewlries organized and to amke them easy to find, but end up failing at all. Thus such a product is just what i need and i'm going to buy asap.
    Myroona@jewellry shops

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  6. WOW I love how organized it keeps you! This is awesome!

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  7. You are the queen of organzation. But we knew that already! lol!

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  8. great article! I use plastic sectioned bins - this makes me want to get better organized!

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