wiki/clients/current/doudlah-farms/2026-04-05-fba-inventory-tracking-overhaul.md · 647 words · 2026-04-05
FBA Inventory Tracking Overhaul — 2026-04-05
Overview
Weekly call between Mark Hope and Gilbert Barrongo focused on resolving critical FBA inventory management failures that have caused stockouts and depressed sales for the Solarize brand on Amazon. Mark directed Gilbert to rebuild the inventory tracker from scratch in collaboration with Carly, implementing a four-stage pipeline with shipment ID reconciliation and a velocity-based coverage metric.
Attendees: Mark Hope, Gilbert Barrongo
Client: [1] (Solarize brand)
Key Decisions
- Scrap the current multi-sheet system. The existing tracker cannot account for inventory in transit from the farm, creating blind spots where shipments can go undetected. A single, consolidated spreadsheet will replace it.
- Adopt a four-stage inventory pipeline as the canonical model for all FBA tracking (see below).
- Shipment ID tracking is mandatory. Every shipment must be tracked by ID from the moment it leaves the farm until it is confirmed in sellable FBA stock. Unresolved IDs must trigger proactive Amazon cases.
- Zero FBA stockouts is the non-negotiable standard. A stockout is a team failure (Gilbert, Carly, Mark). The new system must make stockouts structurally impossible through early warning.
The Four-Stage Inventory Pipeline
Mark outlined the complete lifecycle of inventory from farm to FBA. The new tracker must represent all four stages simultaneously in one view:
| Stage |
Description |
| 1. Planned to Ship |
Shipments Carly is actively preparing; not yet on a truck. |
| 2. Shipped — Not Received |
Inventory that has left the farm but is not yet acknowledged by Amazon. Known via Carly's shipping records. |
| 3. Receiving |
Amazon has acknowledged the shipment but has not yet moved it to sellable stock. |
| 4. In-Stock (FBA) |
Sellable inventory available at FBA. |
Inventory moves sequentially through these stages. A shipment ID is created at Stage 1 and retired only when the correct quantity appears confirmed in Stage 4.
Key Metric: Months of Inventory
The tracker must calculate a Months of Inventory figure for each SKU:
Months of Inventory = FBA In-Stock Units ÷ Monthly Velocity
- If Months of Inventory falls below 3, it must trigger immediate replenishment planning (Stage 1 activity).
- A Planned Months of Inventory figure should also be calculated, incorporating all in-pipeline units across Stages 1–3, to give a forward-looking coverage view.
Shipment ID Reconciliation
Each shipment must be logged with its Amazon Shipment ID and tracked until it clears Stage 4. If a Shipment ID does not progress to "Receiving" within an expected window, the team must:
- Flag the shipment as potentially lost or delayed.
- Open a case with Amazon proactively.
- Not remove the units from the pipeline until confirmed received.
"It's like money going to your bank. You know that somebody sent you money, and you're waiting for it to arrive… you don't forget about it." — Mark Hope
Current State (as of call)
- Yellow popcorn: AWD stock depleted; 960 units currently in "Receiving" at FBA (transferred from AWD). A separate 1,900-unit / ~$5,000 shipment from the farm is planned but not yet shipped.
- Multiple SKUs are in "Receiving" status but not reflected in the existing worksheet.
- Farm shipments sent in recent weeks are not tracked anywhere in the current system — their status is unknown.
Action Items
- [ ] Gilbert + Carly: Rebuild the Solarize FBA inventory tracker as a single spreadsheet covering all five data layers: Farm Bulk Inventory, Farm Packaged Inventory, Planned to Ship, Shipped-Not-Received, Receiving, and In-Stock. Include Shipment ID column and Months of Inventory velocity metric. (@Gilbert Barrongo)
- [ ] Gilbert: Present the completed, working tracker to Mark on the next call and walk through where every unit currently is. (@Gilbert Barrongo)