How can I track Inventory on Pre-Customized Items?

[jmhunsaker]

The title of this thread has been edited by a Square Moderator from the original: "Inventory of Pre-Customized Items"

Hello! 

I have a woodworking business and do a lot of customization. I'd like to be able to track inventory of un-customized/base items that go into a variety of final products. I first tried variations but because each customization is held by a variation, and variations can't share inventory, the stock has to be allocated per variation. (i.e. 10 blank coasters with 10 possible engravings is not 10 per variation). I also tried modifiers, but this doesn't apply on a per item quantity basis so if multiple are ordered, the price doesn't scale. Am I missing a feature that would allow me to track this common inventory or handle customizations of the same inventory item?

Thank you!

Josh
Northwest Craftsman

[Goldneye · Accepted solution]

HI, you can have both Variations and Modifiers on an item.  Breakdown your items into different available features to determine what is needed.

example

https://name-gift-box.square.site/product/Little-Bunnies-Easter-Children-Grandchildren-Personsonaliz...

Size (Variation-Option Set, determines price), Color (Variation-Option Set), Text Boxes (Modifiers)

In this example, the size of the shirt (Variation) determines price.  Color and Text Boxes do not add price.  They are stand alone Options.  An Option Set can be used by many items.  The Option Set T-Shirt Sizes is currently being used by 9 listings.

[jmhunsaker]

Thank you for your quick response! I didn’t realize that the price on a modifier was in fact added for each quantity of the item, this was my missing link. I ended up having the coaster as the item with a modifier that had two options:

1) No engraving (+$0)

2) Engraving (+$10)

And then other modifiers that were no charge for specifics on the engraving and inventory is tracked on the item correctly. 

Thank you tons! 

Josh

Northwest Craftsman

[Candlestore]

@jmhunsaker ;

So are you trying to track the Coaster or the Custom item you are putting on the Coasters?

If you are just trying to track the Coasters, have the coaster as the item and then the design as the Modifier if you do not need to track the Modifier.

If you are trying to track both in inventory that I am not sure how to do with just Square.

If you use QuickBooks for accounting you could track both and have your Coaster as an Assembly Item to the Design as an Item.  The Assembly Item feature is on the higher priced QuickBooks programs.  This is how I track the inventory of my glass jars and wicks for my candles.  Every 28oz candle we make gets 1 jar and 2 wicks, but not every finished item is the same scent.  When I buy more jars I put it into inventory and same with wicks.  QuickBooks says I can make 2000, 28oz Jar assemblies (1 Jar and 2 Wicks), so I enter into QuickBooks to make 150 jar assemblies today, and then I enter how many of each scent were made.  We do batches of about 50 of 1 scent at a time, 3 scents a day.   This keeps count of my Jars and wicks, then of the finished item.

[jmhunsaker]

I was trying to track the blank coaster. What I didn’t realize when I was testing is that the modifiers are applied to every set, which is what I needed. So the item is the blank coaster, and the modifiers includes charged and uncharged parts of the customization. 

Thanks for the reply!

Josh

Northwest Craftsman