Manage inventory for a craft seller

Use a simple spreadsheet or notebook system with three inventories: materials, work in progress, and finished goods. The goal is not perfect accounting; it is knowing what you can make, what is ready to sell, and what must be reordered before it blocks sales.

What to track

Create one row per item or material and track:

• Item name or SKU: use short, consistent names.
• Category: material, packaging, finished item, or display supply.
• Quantity on hand: current count.
• Reorder point: the lowest safe quantity before buying more.
• Supplier and cost: where you buy it and approximate unit cost.
• Lead time: how long it takes to restock.
• Best sellers: mark designs or colors that sell regularly.
• Location: bin, shelf, tote, market box, or online-order area.

Set reorder points

A practical reorder point is:

average weekly use x restock weeks + small safety buffer

For example, if you use 10 clasps per week and restocking takes 2 weeks, reorder before you drop below 25 or 30. Use a higher buffer for best sellers, seasonal items, or materials with unreliable suppliers.

Simple workflow

1. Count materials and finished goods once to create the starting inventory.
2. Give each finished product a basic SKU or naming pattern.
3. After each making session, subtract materials used and add finished items.
4. After each sale, subtract finished items immediately or at the end of the day.
5. Review low-stock materials once per week.
6. Review best sellers monthly and make those before experimenting with slower designs.

Market day or online order setup

• Pack a dedicated market inventory list so you know what left the studio.
• After the event, count what came back and record sales or missing items.
• Keep packaging supplies on the same checklist as products.
• For online orders, use one clearly labeled area for sold items waiting to ship.

Keep it maintainable

Start with only the fields you will actually update. A simple system used every week is better than a detailed system abandoned after two busy weekends.

You can get 80% of the benefit with a single spreadsheet (or notebook) + a repeatable routine. The key is separating *materials*, *work-in-progress*, and *ready-to-sell*—and having one place where numbers get updated the same way every time.

1) Track these 4 categories (minimum viable inventory)

Use one tab per category in a spreadsheet, or four pages in a notebook:

1. Raw materials (fabric, beads, yarn, hardware, blanks, resin, etc.)
2. Packaging & shipping (mailers, boxes, labels, tape, thank-you cards)
3. Work in progress (WIP) (items started but not sellable yet)
4. Finished goods (sellable items by design/variant)

Optional (only if it matters for you): Event/display supplies (tent weights, hooks, tablecloths). These don’t sell, but they can derail a market day if missing.

2) Give everything a simple SKU/naming rule

Keep it human-friendly; consistency matters more than perfection.

Example pattern:

• Finished item: BRACELET-DAISY-BLU-S (type–design–color–size)
• Material: CLASP-SILVER-12MM

This prevents “blue daisy bracelet” vs “daisy bracelet (blue)” becoming separate lines.

3) Spreadsheet columns that actually work

Raw materials

• Name/SKU
• Unit (each, yard, gram, spool)
• Qty on hand
• Reorder point (ROP)
• Reorder qty (the typical amount you buy)
• Supplier + link
• Lead time (days)
• Notes (used in best sellers, substitutes)

Finished goods

• Item/SKU
• Variant (size/color)
• Qty ready
• Par level (target “ready” quantity)
• Location (bin/tote/market box)
• Price
• Notes (best seller, seasonal)

WIP (simple)

• Item/SKU
• Stage (cut/sewn/assembled/curing)
• Qty in WIP
• Next step

4) Set reorder points (simple formula)

A practical reorder point:

ROP = (average use per week × lead time in weeks) + safety buffer

Safety buffer rules of thumb:

• Best sellers: + 1–2 weeks of use
• Long/uncertain supplier lead times: bigger buffer
• Cheap-but-critical items (e.g., clasps, thread): buffer higher than you think

If you don’t know “average use,” estimate from the last 4 market/online weeks and refine later.

5) Use “par levels” for finished goods (instead of complex forecasting)

For each top design/variant, set a par level: how many you want ready at any time.

Example:

• Daisy bracelet blue (best seller): par = 12
• Daisy bracelet pink: par = 6
• Slow mover: par = 2

Then your weekly making list becomes: Make (par − qty ready).

6) Basic workflow (so numbers stay accurate)

Weekly routine (15–30 minutes)

1. Restock check: Filter materials where Qty on hand ≤ ROP → create shopping list.
2. Build list: For finished goods, calculate Need to make = par − qty ready for top sellers.
3. Quick spot-count: Only count “A items” (best sellers + critical materials). Don’t try to count everything every week.

After each making session (2–5 minutes)

• Subtract materials used (or subtract using a standard “recipe,” below)
• Move items from WIP → Finished when they become sellable

After each selling day/order batch

• Subtract finished goods sold
• Update packaging used (mailers/labels) if it’s a common stockout

7) Speed trick: “recipes” (bill of materials) for your popular designs

For each best seller, write a tiny recipe card in your sheet:

• 1 clasp
• 20 beads
• 1 charm
• 0.5m elastic

Then when you make 10 units, you can subtract materials in one go (10 clasps, 200 beads, etc.) instead of guessing.

8) Market day workflow (pre / during / post)

Pre-market pack

• Create a Market Pack List (tote-by-tote)
• “Transfer out” quantities from Finished Goods to a Market Box location (even if it’s just a note)

During market

• Track sales with a simple tally by SKU (paper sheet works)
• If using Square/Stripe, make sure item names match your SKU rules

Post-market reset (same day if possible)

1. Count what’s left in each tote
2. Update finished goods quantities (sold = taken − returned)
3. Note requests you heard repeatedly (sizes/colors) → adjust par levels

9) Online order workflow (simple and reliable)

• Keep a “Sold / to ship” bin separate from general inventory
• When an order comes in:

1. Pick item → move to Sold bin
2. Mark 1 unit deducted (or deduct at shipment time—just be consistent)
3. Ship

• Do a quick packaging check weekly (mailers/labels/tape)

10) Keep it from becoming a chore

• Start with top 20% of items that cause 80% of stockouts/sales.
• Do one full count per quarter, not constantly.
• If you skip updates for a week, don’t abandon the system—just do a quick recount of best sellers and critical materials and continue.

If you share what you sell (jewelry, soap, candles, sewn goods, etc.) and where you sell most (markets vs online), I can suggest a starter template (columns + example par levels + recipe structure) tailored to that product type.