How I Simplified My Inventory and Payment System

 

Craft Market Prep

If I have a typical pattern of behavior, it’s this: I make things far more complicated than they need to be.

And when it comes to preparing for my very first market booth… I think that’s exactly what I was doing.

I had started going down the rabbit hole of spreadsheets, inventory tracking systems, receipt books, and all sorts of complicated ideas about how I was going to run my booth. I knew I wanted to be able to accept credit cards and digital payments, and I also knew I didn’t want to just guess at what sold.

Since this is my first market, I really want to learn from it. I want to know what people are drawn to, what sells quickly, and what maybe doesn’t sell at all.

But the question was: how do I keep track of everything without making the whole process overwhelming?

Eventually, I realized the answer was simple.

Deciding on a Point-of-Sale System

I spent quite a bit of time researching options for taking payments. These days, most shoppers expect to be able to use a credit or debit card. Some people prefer payment apps like Venmo as well.

So I knew I needed some type of digital system.

After watching several videos and doing a little digging, I decided to try Square for my market booth. They offer a free plan that works really well for small businesses and pop-up shops, which is exactly what I need right now.

One of the biggest benefits is that there are no monthly fees on the basic plan. The only time you pay is when you actually process a transaction, which comes with the standard credit card processing fee. That felt like a low-risk way to get started.

Square also provides a free card reader, which made the decision even easier. Since this is my first market, I wanted something affordable and simple to use.

The Inventory Tracking Problem

Taking payments was only half the issue.

The other thing that was stressing me out was inventory tracking.

I didn’t want to leave the market wondering what sold and what didn’t. If I’m going to keep doing markets in the future, I want real information about what people are buying.

But the idea of building complicated spreadsheets or writing everything down manually just felt like one more thing to manage.

Then I discovered Square could solve that problem too.

A Simple SKU System

Instead of creating a complicated tracking system, I decided to use SKU numbers.

A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is basically just a code that helps identify a product. It’s how stores track inventory behind the scenes.

In Square, I can upload photos of each product and assign it a SKU number. When someone buys something, the person ringing up the sale just enters that number.

That’s it.

The system tracks what sold automatically.

This also solves another issue for me. I’ll have my daughter and my niece helping at the booth, and neither of them crochet. By having each item tagged with a simple number, they can easily ring up purchases without needing to know anything about the product itself.

Watch the video by Camryns Cute Creations that helped me decide what system to use HERE. In the video I repeatedly said it was Noeli Creates which is a totally different channel that I also love!

My Tagging System

To keep things organized, every item in my booth will have a small tag attached to it.

On the tag I’ll include:

• The price

• The SKU number

• Any relevant details like size (if needed)

The tags attach using simple plastic fasteners, the kind you often see on clothing at thrift stores. They’re inexpensive and easy to use, which fits perfectly with my goal of keeping everything simple.

Some items will also have additional tags for things like washing instructions or my brand label.

My Four Product Categories

To organize everything in my inventory sheet, I created four main categories:

Created
These are items I make myself, like crochet pieces or handmade jewelry.

Branded
These are items that feature my brand but may not be handmade, like mugs, keychains, or other merchandise.

Vintage
Since my brand has a strong boho, hippie, cowgirl vibe, I’ll also be bringing a few vintage pieces that fit the aesthetic.

Resale
These are curated items sourced from suppliers that still align with my brand style.

Even though my booth focuses primarily on crochet and handmade goods, having these categories gives me room to experiment with the overall vibe of the booth.

Building SKU Numbers

Once I had my categories figured out, I started creating simple SKU codes.

For example:

• C-J could represent Created Jewelry

• V-J-N could represent Vintage Jewelry Necklace

From there, I can add numbers to identify individual pieces.

It sounds complicated at first, but once you set up a structure, it becomes pretty straightforward.

I’m keeping my master list in a Google Sheet, which will also allow me to print a small cheat sheet for the market just in case a tag falls off something.

Keeping It Simple

At the end of the day, this whole process reminded me of something important.

Sometimes we make things harder than they need to be.

What started out feeling overwhelming turned into a system that is actually pretty manageable. With Square tracking the sales and a simple SKU system labeling the products, I’ll be able to see exactly what sells at my first market.

And that information is going to be incredibly helpful as I plan future markets.

Watch the video here! 

Click to watch

What’s Next

Once I’ve tested this system at the market, I plan to share my Google Sheets template so other makers can adapt it for their own booths.

And in the next post, I’ll be diving into something I’m much more excited about…

Branding.

Because if you know me at all, you know I love talking about the aesthetic side of things.

Until next time,
thanks for talking yarn with me.