Stock planning
Crochet market inventory sheet: a free template
A crochet market inventory sheet should tell you what you took, what sold and what came home. Keep it separate from the list of items you hope to finish. A product cannot be starting stock while it is still waiting for its ends to be woven in.
Use the free template below on paper or copy the columns into your own spreadsheet. It is an original event stock-counting worksheet, not accounting software or a demand forecast. No signup is required.
Free crochet market inventory sheet
Market stock count
Event: ____________________ Date: ______________
Stock unit: one item / one fixed set Counted by: ______________
| Product / variant | Open | Added | Sold | Other out | Expected close | Actual close | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ________________ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
Other removals and additions, with product code and reason:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Questions to investigate before the next market:
________________________________________________________________
“Difference” means actual closing stock minus expected closing stock. A negative number means fewer pieces were counted than the worksheet predicts. It is a prompt to investigate, not proof that an item was stolen or a sale was missed.
Give each row a countable unit
A row such as “coasters” becomes confusing if some are singles and others are packaged sets. Decide whether the unit is one piece or one fixed set, then use that unit for every movement in that row.
Short product codes help when names are similar. For example, CO-SG-1 can mean one sage coaster and CO-CR-4 one fixed set of four cream coasters. These are sample codes; the useful rule is consistency, not a particular naming system.
Separate a colour or size when you want to make a decision about it later. Ten small baskets and ten large baskets should not be one row if their making times, prices and refill decisions differ. Avoid recording variations so narrowly that you cannot keep the sheet current during a sale.
Count everything available for the event once
Opening stock includes both the display and backup stock. Moving a piece from a box to the table is not an addition. You have changed its location, not the quantity available for sale.
Do a physical count after packing, then check it against the containers you actually load. Keep unfinished pieces off the opening count. If you finish one during the event and make it available for sale, record an addition at that point.
For the production stage, use the free crochet market-prep planner and its CSV export. That export records a making plan. It does not automatically update this event sheet or record your sales.
A worked inventory reconciliation
Here is an illustrative event for one product row. These numbers demonstrate the worksheet, not a typical sales result.
| Movement | Quantity | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Opening stock | 18 | Six on display and twelve in backup |
| Added | 2 | Two additional finished pieces brought later |
| Sold | 7 | Seven units recorded as sales |
| Other removals | 1 | A damaged piece set aside, unavailable for sale |
| Expected close | 12 | 18 + 2 − 7 − 1 |
| Actual close | 11 | Physical count after pack-down |
| Difference | −1 | 11 actual − 12 expected |
Before changing the record, recount the display, packing boxes and any reserved-item bag. Check whether a bundle sale used a piece from this row. If the difference remains unexplained, preserve it as an unexplained difference rather than inventing a sale to make the totals match.
Record sales and money as different facts
The stock sheet counts units. Your sales or payment record should also show the amount actually received, any discount and any refund. Seven units sold do not imply seven times the normal price if some were discounted.
During a busy period, tally each product immediately after completing the transaction. Use a second mark or note for a bundle so you can reconcile its component units later. Avoid relying on a single total from a card reader to tell you which colours sold.
For returned pieces, add them back only if they are available for sale again, and note why. Record the refund separately in the money record. Gifts, samples and damaged pieces belong in “Other out,” with an explanation.
Handle bundles without counting the same stock twice
If you sell any four individual coasters as a bundle, keep the stock unit as one coaster and record four units sold. The sales record can contain one bundle transaction. Do not also subtract one prepacked set unless that set was a separate stock row to begin with.
If you convert four singles into a fixed set before the event, remove four from the singles row and add one set to the set row. Label that movement as repacking. It is not a sale.
Use the closing count for the next making plan
First check condition and separate stock already promised elsewhere. The remaining saleable pieces become the “already made” input in your next plan. Then use the stock quantity guide to choose a target that fits the next event and your available hours.
You can calculate a simple sell-through figure for a row: units sold divided by opening stock plus additions. In the example, 7 ÷ 20 is 35%. Record the damaged item alongside that figure. With tiny quantities, a high percentage can be just one or two sales, so keep the counts visible.
Do not compare percentages alone across different fairs. Add notes about selling hours, weather if relevant, stockouts and display changes. An item that sold out in the first hour leaves unanswered demand; an item that sold one out of one is not yet a proven bestseller.
Inventory questions
Can I use one sheet for several events?
Use a fresh sheet for each event. Carry forward the checked stock and record any making, online sales or other changes between dates.
Does this replace a sales ledger?
No. It records stock quantities. Keep your transaction, expense and tax records in the system appropriate for your business.
Should I add customer names?
They are unnecessary for this stock count. Keep any details needed for a specific order in a separate, appropriately handled order record.
What if I cannot account for a difference?
Keep the actual count, flag the difference and make the next count more controlled. A two-person closing count or a clearer bundle code may solve the practical problem.