I’ve been really wanting to explore this topic on both the blog and on Instagram for a while now. For some reason or another, many people seem to have strong opinions when it comes to storing their inventory. FYI: There is no right or wrong way to store your inventory!! (Just thought that we should get that out of the way now). Personally, I decided that what was best for me and my business was to hang all of my tops and dresses on a garment racks and to store all of my bottoms and outerwear in plastic totes. Depending on the size of your storage space, types items that you sell, etc. one option might make more sense over the other or you may be able to incorporate both like I do. Today, I wanted to share the pros and cons of both so that you can make the best decision for you and your business.
Let’s start with Garment Racks….
Pros:
- Items can be easily organized and stored on a single rack
- Items rarely wrinkle as they are hanging on a rack
- Items are easy to find and locate for shipping
- Many items can be stored on a rack
Cons:
- They can be difficult to assemble
- If you don’t buy a commercial grade rack, there is a chance that it will break easily
- Most racks have weight limits and will be break if you are not careful
- They take up a lot of space and can appear bulky
- Can be expensive
Personally, I have 2 commercial grade garment racks that bought from Bed Bath and Beyond (I will link them HERE) and I swear by them. I have had them for 5 years now and they are still in perfect condition. I like to store dresses and shirts on them because (1) I like to organize my items by color and style and that is the easiest way for me to do that, (2) I like to easily see my inventory so I can identify gaps in certain categories or detect if I have too many of a particular item, and (3) I like knowing that my items won’t be wrinkled when I ship them to customers. I truly believe that garment racks are a great option when it comes to storing inventory but…..
Let’s take a look at Plastic Totes….
Pros:
- Cheaper storage option
- No assembly needed
- Can be easily stacked for storage
- Can fit a large number of items in a single container
Cons:
- Depending on the size, can be limiting in the # of items it can hold
- Need many containers to hold the same quantity as a garment rack
- Can get pricey, especially if you are buying a large quantity of bins
- Items are more likely to get wrinkled from storage which may involve additional work for the buyer before shipping items (aka steaming)
- Not visually appealing
- Can take up a lot of space, especially if there are a lot of containers
Personally, I only use plastic containers to store bottoms (such as pants, denim, skirts and shorts) and outerwear. The reason that I store bottoms in containers is that they have seams that makes it easy for me to store them with minimal wrinkling. I store outerwear in bins because it tends to be very bulky and it makes the most sense to store those in totes so they don’t take up large amounts of space elsewhere.
Remember: There is NO right or wrong way to store your inventory!!!
I hope that this makes it easier for you to decide what the best way for you to store your inventory is. Please make the best decision for you and your business and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!!!!
If you are looking to learn more on storing inventory and some tools that I use, visit the following links:
9 Items Every Reseller Should Buy
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Be Classy, Be Confident, Be Strong
Baci,
Bianca Ida
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