---
title: Doodla Farms Inventory Tracking Crisis — November 2025
type: article
created: '2025-11-03'
updated: '2025-11-03'
source_docs:
- raw/2025-11-03-weekly-call-w-karly-98686647.md
tags:
- inventory
- amazon
- doodla
- ecommerce-operations
- stockout-prevention
- forecasting
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# 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: [[meetings/2025-11-03-weekly-call-w-karly|Weekly Call w/ Karly — 2025-11-03]]

---

## 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 [[meetings/2025-11-03-weekly-call-w-karly|the source meeting]] 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

- [[meetings/2025-11-03-weekly-call-w-karly|Weekly Call w/ Karly — 2025-11-03]]
- [[clients/doodla/_index|Doodla — Client Overview]]
- [[knowledge/ecommerce-strategy/amazon-fba-replenishment|Amazon FBA Replenishment Best Practices]] *(if exists)*