Owning an online sales business means having storage for your inventory. When you first start the business, you can likely get away with having the storage at home. As the business grows, you may need more than just the storage your home provides. One way to handle this is to use a self storage option for your business storage and inventory. Here are some tips for setting up your self storage for your online business inventory.
Proper Shelving
You may already know that you will need proper shelving units for the inventory. What you may not know is that not all shelving is created equal. For example, traditional shelving or shelving racks are suitable for pre-boxed items or items that can easily stack without damaging the inventory inside. However, this type of shelving is not suitable for smaller jars or for clothing or cloth-related materials. Make sure that the shelving you use matches your inventory needs and structure. This may mean using several types of shelving depending on your inventory.
Air Flow
In most cases, you will look for a climate-controlled self storage option. If you can't get a climate control storage unit initially, you need to ensure there is proper air flow between the items in your inventory. You can do this by avoiding stacking boxes on top of each other. You can also make sure that any inventory you have is spaced out and not pushed against a wall. If you have items that need floor-based storage, consider using open slat pallets to allow air flow underneath and around the inventory. This prevents air from being trapped and mould or mildew forming.
On-Site Packaging
You may not want to pack up the inventory until the items sell. If that is the case, you will want to have items in the storage unit for on-site packaging. For example, keeping boxes and shipping tape is ideal for making the packaging of the sold items easier. You should also have some way to weigh the items for shipping purposes. Keep in mind, taking a picture of the items before you close the box and ship the items can be vital to ensuring you and your customer sees the items as they were when they left your unit.
If you have your supplies and are ready to set up your self storage unit, consider these tips and how they can help you. Keep in mind, no matter what layout you use, you will need to access your inventory easily and quickly in order to ship your items as soon as possible. With that in mind, and the tips listed here, you can set up your storage unit quickly and help create a smooth inventory system for your online business.
