00The short answer
Organize reseller inventory in three layers. Put stock in numbered bins on fixed shelves. Give each item a SKU for what it is and a bin code for where it is. Then photograph each shelf and mark the bins, so you can find any item without opening every tote.
01SKU vs location
Your SKU says what. The bin says where.
A SKU names the item. A location code names the place it sits, like shelf B, bin 07. Keep them as two separate things. When an item moves, only the location changes.
Pick one location format and use it everywhere. A simple one is unit, shelf, bin: 1-B-07 is unit 1, shelf B, bin 07. Write the code on the front of the bin, big enough to read from the aisle. Add the same code to the listing’s custom label or notes. Never reuse a bin number for a different place.
Blue Dots adds a picture to the code. Photograph each shelf unit and put a dot on every bin. Name the dot with its bin code and the items inside. Search an item and its bin lights up yellow on your photo. Blue Dots doesn’t create SKUs or print labels. Keep the system you have.
02eBay
Organizing eBay inventory
Most eBay sellers keep one-of-a-kind items in numbered bins and put the bin number in the Custom label (SKU) field. The code then shows on the pick list. You walk to the bin and pull the item.
Fill bins in order and list in order. Items listed on the same day tend to sit in the same bin, so a missing item is often one bin over. Keep a “to list” zone apart from listed stock. Sort your orders by custom label before you pick, so you walk the shelves once.
Codes break when a tool scrambles the field or an item lands in the wrong bin. A photo of the shelf is the backup. In Blue Dots, search the item and its bin lights up. Mark it Sold when it ships. It moves to its own list.
03Clothing
Storing clothing stock
Fold or bag each piece, put it in a numbered tote by type or size, and label the bag. Clothes look alike in a tote, so the label on the bag matters as much as the code on the tote.
Use clear bags inside the totes. Write the SKU on a tag you can read without opening the bag. Sort totes by type first, like tops, denim or shoes, then by size. Hang coats and dresses on a rail, and give each section of the rail its own code.
In Blue Dots, put a dot on each tote and each rail section. Add a close-up photo of what’s inside, so you can tell two grey sweaters apart before you open anything. Point the scanner at a pile and it names up to 20 items from one photo.
04Live shows
Pulling items for a live show
Pull everything for a live show before you go live. Make a run sheet in show order, pick each item into a numbered show tote, and keep the tote within reach of the camera.
Write the run sheet in the order you’ll sell. Give each show its own tote or rack and number the slots. After the show, pack the sold items first. Put the unsold items back in their home bins the same day, or they become the next mystery pile.
Blue Dots helps on both ends. Before the show, search each item and pull it from the bin that lights up. After the show, put the unsold items back. If one changed bins, move its dot.
05Storage unit
Running a storage unit of stock
Treat a storage unit like a small warehouse. Put shelves along the walls, keep a clear aisle, and number every shelf and bin. Keep a map of the unit, so you know where to walk before you unlock the door.
Put the stock that sells most near the door and bulky or slow stock at the back. Leave one shelf empty as a landing zone for new hauls. Process a haul before it spreads: sort it, photograph it, bin it, then list it.
One photo can cover a whole shelf unit. Map each wall in Blue Dots, then search from home. You’ll know which shelf to walk to when you get there.