Methods for tracking supplies, pen inventory & sales?

[jrista]

I've been buying a lot of kits and blanks over the last few months, so that as winter sets in I can just hunker down and make product. I've accumulated quite a lot of supply now, and am developing a growing inventory of product to sell. I'm curious how most of you who sell your pens track and correlate your supplies vs. your inventory. I'm mostly thinking from a tax standpoint, I know I'll need to be able to track all the supplies and stock I buy to deduct the tax from them. I'm not sure if there is any need to correlate which specific kits (and their cost, since the cost is changing on a very frequent basis these days) were used for each product? Or do you simply track inventoried product and supply/stock separately?

What is the best way to account for reduction of available supplies and stock when making pens? And finally, what is the best way to track sales, and any sales tax, for tax purposes?

 

[keithbyrd]

I use Penventory for the last 10 years (Penventory.com) for tracking all my pen supplies and made pens. I do not use it for financial tracking.

 

[jrista]

I use Penventory for the last 10 years (Penventory.com) for tracking all my pen supplies and made pens. I do not use it for financial tracking.

Thanks, I'll take a look!

 

[goldendj]

I've been buying a lot of kits and blanks over the last few months, so that as winter sets in I can just hunker down and make product. I've accumulated quite a lot of supply now, and am developing a growing inventory of product to sell. I'm curious how most of you who sell your pens track and correlate your supplies vs. your inventory. I'm mostly thinking from a tax standpoint, I know I'll need to be able to track all the supplies and stock I buy to deduct the tax from them. I'm not sure if there is any need to correlate which specific kits (and their cost, since the cost is changing on a very frequent basis these days) were used for each product? Or do you simply track inventoried product and supply/stock separately?

What is the best way to account for reduction of available supplies and stock when making pens? And finally, what is the best way to track sales, and any sales tax, for tax purposes?

I've got a multitab abomination of a spreadsheet masquerading as a hacky database that keeps track of what I bought when, from where, actual cost after taxes, etc., which project each item was used in and how much thr project cost, inventory,....

 

[sorcerertd]

I've got a multitab abomination of a spreadsheet masquerading as a hacky database that keeps track of what I bought when, from where, actual cost after taxes, etc., which project each item was used in and how much thr project cost, inventory,....

Haha, this sounds like my spreadsheet, but slighly more organized

 

[jrista]

I've got a multitab abomination of a spreadsheet masquerading as a hacky database that keeps track of what I bought when, from where, actual cost after taxes, etc., which project each item was used in and how much thr project cost, inventory,....

Haha, this sounds like my spreadsheet, but slighly more organized

That's where I was starting... I'm a software engineer and architect...I may have to just write something! I was even thinking of having phone access via a PWA, so I could look up what I have in my inventory when I'm out buying, so i don't over-buy (i.e. bushings, bits, etc.)

 

[sorcerertd]

so i don't over-buy

LOL, good luck with that even if you do have access. You know you need a couple extra of.... Well, maybe you have more restraint than I.

 

[jrista]

LOL, good luck with that even if you do have access. You know you need a couple extra of.... Well, maybe you have more restraint than I.

Oh, I suffer from extensive buytoomuchitise. Its a fully metastasized cancer!

 

[howsitwork]

You could always let SWMBO monitor your supplies……..

Personally it's the " goodness I didn't know I had one of …." that adds to the excitement.

 

[goldendj]

That's where I was starting... I'm a software engineer and architect...I may have to just write something! I was even thinking of having phone access via a PWA, so I could look up what I have in my inventory when I'm out buying, so i don't over-buy (i.e. bushings, bits, etc.)

It was supposed to be a quick & dirty temp fix, with the intent of dumping it into a real database later, so I structured it accordingly. Decomposed into multiple tables with primary keys linking them together, no duplicated data, ... But I've been too busy (lazy) and it's getting kind of unwieldy...

 

[RGVPens]

I use Penventory for the last 10 years (Penventory.com) for tracking all my pen supplies and made pens. I do not use it for financial tracking.

Thanks for the idea! I checked it out and am trying it. A pain getting everything into it the first time...but I think it'll work fine from here on out.

 

[jrista]

It was supposed to be a quick & dirty temp fix, with the intent of dumping it into a real database later, so I structured it accordingly. Decomposed into multiple tables with primary keys linking them together, no duplicated data, ... But I've been too busy (lazy) and it's getting kind of unwieldy...

Yeah, thats what always happens to me. I get started, then can never finish little projects like that...

 

[penicillin]

Mine are all gifts, so I don't have sales tax or tracking like that. I use slips that go with each pen's work-in-progress. When the pen is finished or failed, I make an entry in a spreadsheet for tracking what I've made. You can see the documents I use here:
https://www.penturners.org/threads/documents-for-tracking-pen-making-for-gifts-etc.159678/

Not shown or listed above:
I also keep a spreadsheet of pen kits on hand. When my spouse and I are going to make a gift pen, we refer to the spreadsheet to choose which pen kit to use for the recipient and update the spreadsheet. I have too many blanks to track, so once the kit is chosen we go out to the garage and look at the blanks to find an appropriate match.

 

[goldendj]

Yeah, thats what always happens to me. I get started, then can never finish little projects like

Yeah, thats what always happens to me. I get started, then can never finish little projects like that...

It's likely gonna be that way until it becomes completely unwieldy. Adding entries is already getting tedious.

A side benefit is I've put it on my office.com account so I can check what I've got anywhere on my phone

 

[dogcatcher]

Clear plastic shoe boxes, if the box looks empty it is probably time to order, if the box looks full either need to make soe of that style or get some of them sold. The kits instructions and the finished product go in the same box. I mostly turn wood, the blanks set on shelves, one glance lets me know what I need,