# How do I keep track of my inventory



## LuckyDuck

I currently use quickbooks pro and am looking for a way to track my printed inventory (retail sales) as well as my blank garments. 

Here is my general plan of attack
for printed materials (seems like a no brainer) create "Items" for each design with the description of the garment and the price. But then we get into each design comes in a different size. And some come in longsleeve and short sleeve, or hoodies. Do I need to create an item for each size?

Then I have blank inventory and that just makes my head spin. I use blank inventory for both retail sales and customer orders. So if I put them into the blank inventory, how do I move them over to retail inventory once they are printed? And again I run into the issues of sizes and different styles. 

I have seen a few suggestions for T-quoter and fast manager but am hesitant to try them if they are not compatible with quickbooks OR do not offer the features that I need to accurately keep inventory. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated


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## pssent

We use QB as well. All blanks are basic inventory. When you create a print for sale, remove the blank from inventory into your work in progress. When you use a blank for retail (is it not printed on??) then only invoice for the item, it pulls the blank item from inventory automatically. When you are finished with the shirt that is in WIP, and then invoice for it, your print charge should be a different line item charge than the blank shirt, therefore you can better track your inks (we weigh ours for amount used per job) and blanks for retail vs production. The best way that I have found to keep track of all the different types of blanks is to create a spreadsheet in excel. You can change or tweak as you need to but we use this format. For a Blank White T-Shirt, Size Adult Large we have a class code bWTAL- this is how it is entered in QB and we keep a running spreadsheet of all the inventory we have by that class. So when my employees count inventory at the end of the month, they use those codes per item to save me a headache of converting them myself. We even created bin labels to help keep them in order. Hope that helps...


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## LuckyDuck

They are printed on when they are moved to retail. But how in quickbooks do I distinguish between selling the blank and printing on the blank to move it to retail? I 'm not sure if this makes sense, I dont know how else to word it though


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## Can-Am

You need to create part numbers for each item in inventory, and then create a new number for a finished designed) Item. When you print your design on ai inventory item you pull the blank item and the design into to the finished item to create the new part .


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## LuckyDuck

Let me see if I am understanding this. 
I've already got "apparel" as an item. So I can create 29m as a sub item, then royal, then Adult small. Each as a sub item of the last.

I dont understand how to pull from this inventory to create a new item at the same time??


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## tfalk

Here's what I do, not sure if it will work for you... It was a lot of work to set it up initially... 

Adult sweatshirt = ASW, adult T-shirt = ATS, etc. I assign a 2 character color code, ie BK = Black, and use a 2 character for size. I created items for each in variations of color and size, for example, ATSBKXL = Adult T-Shirt Black XL. I created these as inventory items and use these when I enter supplier purchase orders in quickbooks.

As I create new designs, I create a 3 character code for them. As I make finished shirts, I create a new inventory assembly XYZATSBKXL and under the assembly I list the inventory item (ATSBKXL). When I use the build-assemblies option, it removes the inventory item from blank stock and adds it to the finished item as an assembly.

When I create a customer sales order, I use the inventory assembly. When you then create an invoice, it removes the inventory assembly from the finished stock.


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## LuckyDuck

ok I think I understand that. Thank you all so much!


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## minorcreations

Ok. I am going to add what I do also. It took me forever to figure out what I was going to do. I have blanks also, then I have my HTV and any of my "raw goods" as a separate item. When I get an order I make a "group", I do have groups that I reuse, once you bill and finalize you can reuse the groups and it will not affect your once that are already on an invoice. When you click to add an item in the drop down is the option for a group. Then you add items to the group towards the bottom. When you set up the invoice you choose that group and enter the quantity. When you do this YOU will see each individual items, but when you print the invoice only the group name will print.


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## LuckyDuck

minorcreations said:


> Ok. I am going to add what I do also. It took me forever to figure out what I was going to do. I have blanks also, then I have my HTV and any of my "raw goods" as a separate item. When I get an order I make a "group", I do have groups that I reuse, once you bill and finalize you can reuse the groups and it will not affect your once that are already on an invoice. When you click to add an item in the drop down is the option for a group. Then you add items to the group towards the bottom. When you set up the invoice you choose that group and enter the quantity. When you do this YOU will see each individual items, but when you print the invoice only the group name will print.


I think I understand this a little better now. Thank you!


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## minorcreations

You welcome. This way you don't have to 'move' inventory either. It automatically takes it out of your raw goods.


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## angle

I dont know how else to word it though.


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## laxstar722

Hi, new to the chat!!!! 

I have a shirts that I sell online, but recently i started wholesaling. I check my inventory once a month and then send them the new inventory list. (with the things sole) Then I add inventory and resend again, but that seems like so much. 

Anyone have any other suggestions?


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