Doodla Farms Inventory Tracking Crisis — November 2025
Overview
During the November 3, 2025 weekly sync, a critical flaw was identified in Doodla's Amazon inventory management process: Gilbert's tracking spreadsheet was not pulling in inbound shipments, causing stock levels to appear far lower than they actually were — and, more dangerously, making it impossible to accurately forecast replenishment needs.
This issue surfaced in the same week that Doodla hit a record $115k in October Amazon sales ($40k net profit), meaning the risk of a stockout on high-velocity items was at its highest point to date.
Source: [1]
The Problem
Gilbert's inventory spreadsheet tracks stock levels but does not reflect inbound shipments that have been sent but not yet received at Amazon FBA. When Karly flagged a specific order number, Gilbert confirmed the discrepancy: the inbound units were simply not appearing.
Consequences:
- Stock levels appear critically low when units are actually in transit
- Replenishment decisions cannot be made with confidence
- Risk of double-ordering (wasting cash) or under-ordering (causing stockouts)
- High-velocity items — the ones most likely to stock out — are the most exposed
At-Risk Products
The following products were identified as having low or unverifiable stock levels at the time of the call:
| Product | Issue |
|---|---|
| Yellow Cornmeal (1.5 lb) | 13 boxes inbound, not reflected; ~1 month stock shown |
| Yellow Cornmeal (5 lb) | ~1 month stock; 578 + 85 inbound, still tight at ~500/mo velocity |
| 3 lb Yellow Popcorn | ~1.42 months shown; inbound shipment status unclear |
| 3 lb White Popcorn | ~1.71 months shown; inbound shipment status unclear |
| 5 lb Black Beans | ~1 month shown; 24 boxes shipped in last shipment, not yet reflected |
| 5 lb Kidney Beans | ~1 month shown; 24 boxes inbound, not yet reflected |
| 5 lb Great Northern Beans | New velocity (~20 units/mo); no recent shipment sent |
| 5 lb Whole Wheat | Only 7 units shown; 18 inbound, but still low |
Not at risk (for now):
- Old World Popcorn — solid at 3+ months of inventory, but production planning needs to begin soon given long lead times
Immediate Actions Taken
- Karly followed up with Gilbert directly, providing the specific order number that was not pulling through, and asked him to investigate and fix the tracking logic
- Karly committed to placing an urgent FBA shipment for the highest-risk products: 5 lb Great Northern Beans, 5 lb Whole Wheat, and 3 lb Popcorn (pending confirmation of what was in the prior shipment)
- Karly emailed Lucy (Old World Popcorn supplier) to begin planning the next production run, noting that new bags are required to address ongoing customer complaints about packaging
Broader Context: Why This Matters Now
October was Doodla's strongest Amazon month on record:
- $115k gross sales
- $40k net profit
- $20k ad spend (ROAS ~5.75x)
Top sellers driving this velocity — Yellow Cornmeal, White Popcorn, Black Beans — are exactly the products most exposed to the inventory tracking gap. A stockout on any of these during a high-traffic period would directly erode the momentum being built.
See [2] for full October product-level performance breakdown.
Lessons & Generalizable Insight
Inventory tracking systems must account for in-transit stock, not just on-hand stock. A spreadsheet that only reflects units currently at the fulfillment center will systematically understate available inventory and distort replenishment decisions — especially dangerous when sales velocity is high and lead times are long.
For any FBA operation with regular replenishment cycles, the tracking system should include:
1. Units currently at FBA (on-hand)
2. Units in transit / inbound shipments (with expected arrival dates)
3. Projected days of supply based on rolling velocity
Without all three, forecasting is guesswork.
Related
- [1]
- [3]
- [4] (if exists)