How to look up external IDs on part number?

Pretty_Pieces

Hello Forum Friendlies,
I'm having a struggle filling my first few orders. My store is organized and labelled by the bricklink category and ID (a little short sighted perhaps, but with this many parts sorted, I'm not changing it any time soon)

I *know* there is a way to look up the BLID link/relationship on a given part, but I'm not finding it. Unfortunately, I had not set up my bricksync to retain lots (now fixed) so I can't backtrack by bl lot number.

So where is the link I'm missing, please?

Thanks for your help,
Dawn
Pretty_Pieces

Stragus

You could consider running the BrickSync command "setallremarksfromblid", the private notes of all your items will be set to their BLID, a field visible in your BrickOwl picking lists.

Edit: This is assuming you don't use lot remarks to store other information, because that command would clear it all.

Pretty_Pieces

That is a good feature. It won't work for me, since my remarks have notes about location. It's too bad we couldn't make it concatenate. Most of the time I can find the items pretty easily. It's when the item has several variations or a radically different naming scheme that I like to have a double-check.

Stellar

Then you can open the bsx file of the order that BS created to see the BLID of that order

robernat

> @Pretty_Pieces said:
>My store is organized and labelled by the BL category and ID

Hi Dawn, if so, why not quickly add a label on your boxes and add that label number in your remarks field. If stored by category, you can simply select the category, and 'edit' the parts under it by adding the boxnumber in the remarks field, you only have to type it once, then a simple copy/paste in each remarkfield (front of the text for example) from that category... Sure it would take a bit of time, maybe half a day to a day, but in the long run you'll recoup the lost time on your order picking.

>(a little short sighted perhaps, but with this many parts sorted, I'm not changing it any time soon)

I've used several ways to store my parts in the past (by color, by itemtype), I believe the system I have now is not only the best I've figured out myself, it is also very flexible and is in no way related to a category, an item type or a color and it saves a lot of storage space.
I have 4 types of items (excluding sets):
Minifigs
Minifigparts
Technics + miscellaneous (parts that sell slower, or are bigger)
Any other part.

My remarks are easy:
MFS for minfigs + boxnumber
M +minfigpart type (torsos, heads, legs, headgear, hair, bodywear, subparts) + box number for each type
Technics+miscellaneous (N01-N13 for technics, N14-N24 for miscellaneous)
Any other part (Boxes labeled I-01 to I-18)

Minifigs are labeled with BLID
Minifig parts are labeled with a bagnumber (01 to xx in each box) and itemnumber(s) on the label

All other parts go in consecutive labeled bags that started with bag 001 and is currently in the 600
Any bag can go in any box (remark= Box number + bagnumber), if a bag gets empty, I reuse the number (as it is unique) and it goes into the first box with empty space.
One bag is always 1 part, in multiple colors, if the mix is too high colorwise, I simply put smaller bags into a larger bag, or I create a second (or third) bag. Now in the long run, I might 'pass' on storing identical colors in an existing bag (new partouts) and simply store in the next available free bag.
If a box gets to filled (partouts), I take out a few big bags, and move those to another box, change the box number for the entire bag in my remarks, done...
Along the way I will need to create more boxes, and maybe a new row of drawers (=other letters), but as nothing is related a an item type, the system is endlessly extendable, all boxes remain 'filled' all the time and I'm never ever limited to an 'over growth' of a color or an itemtype.

Orders
I simply sort my orders remarks wise> I, N, M, MFS are picked in that order and are actually located from left to right.
I've put this in place end of 2016, early 2017, took quite some time to get it sorted (30000 existing parts and about 40000 added in the same time frame) and stocked, but since then I've saved many many hours in 'picking' (probably reduced to half or even better in most cases), so worthwhile the time.

Now switching from one storage method to another doesn't need to be done in a short time, I choosed to as I needed to stock in new drawers anyway (when I went professional), as I had to part out so many.
You can also simply start a new system for new partouts and when you have some time move over things from the old method to the new one.
I do so with my used stock for example (family store), we sort and store and list new batches, along the way we pick out identical parts in our old storage system and store them with the newly listed lot's (or upgraded quantity's), slowly the new storage system grows and gets bigger and filled, the old one gets empty along the way, untill nothing will be left (does mean we sometimes need to pick in 2 locations, but that's managable as it also means we no longer need to move things we sell out on).

Anyway, I hope the tips help to figure out a more conveniant storage method in the long run. But do keep in mind that a 'short pain' is more easely forgotten then a pain that lasts for weeks and months ;-)

Pretty_Pieces

The only challenge I see with your system is having several batches of the same part. So a customer wants 5 1x1 plates, and they may be in 5 different lots. Do you have an automated way that you consolidate?

robernat

> @Pretty_Pieces said:
> The only challenge I see with your system is having several batches of the same part. So a customer wants 5 1x1 plates, and they may be in 5 different lots. Do you have an automated way that you consolidate?

There are 2 options when you list new stuff and wanna switch a storagesystem over.
A) you consolidate and have 2 storagelocations in your remarks. Indeed this would imply you might need to pick in 2 locations, but what's the difference between picking 2 half lot's or 2 different lot's?
Secondly, if you give priority to your old location and you pick those first, either the buyer bought less, then you can move the remaining to your new storage (as you have both in the remarks and you have the lot in your hand) and 'kill' the old remark, or the buyer bought more, then you can clear out your old location(= delete it from your remarks) and pick a few extra in your new location. Both situations imply you need to handle both locations (you can decide to skip the merge if you're running short on time), but the impact is low while processing orders. Overtime the old location dries out...

B) You don't consolidate the old with new location (but DO consolidate all new partouts, see the 'important' remark below), a buyer might buy from both lot's, but if you lower the price of the old lot, buyers will rather buy the old lot first, so they help you to clear out the old location. The downside is you'll have 2 lot's with a smaller quantity, not reaching buyers who have a higher quantity on their wishlist. But that's just a temporary situation.
Important thing: You do need to make sure nothing consolidates with items in your old location, this can be done by putting 'text' in your 'public' notes/description field (something most don't even know: if the text in a public description field (on BL) differs, a new lot won't be consolidated with an old one, even when you use the 'consolidate' function). This method allows to only consolidate lot's from newer partouts and skipping out the consolidate with lot's in your old location (so you'll never have more then 2 lot's, not 4,5,10 of the same lot's). So the first step here would be to 'edit' all of your existing lot's and copy/paste something in the public field, something that doesn't disturbe your buyers when they see the lot's offcourse... An option you could use is to 'bulk' your old lot's to full quantity and write 'bulkoffer' > buyers needs to buy full bulk (or rounded quantities), so you're old lot's get bought out entirely (or in larger quantity batches), but buyers still have the option to buy lower quantities in your new stock (or buy from both stocks)
Then, when you have the time, you can browse you're own inventory and search for duplicate lot's and 'merge' them manually after putting them together in the new locatation.

Bottomline is, whatever you do to improve or switch over your locationsystem, during a certain amount of time you'll spend some extra time on it, so it's a matter of finding a workable balance and keeping the impact for yourself as low as possible by 'spreading' the required time over several weeks/months.

Cheers, Eric

Pretty_Pieces

Thanks, Eric. As the stock expands, I'm seriously thinking of moving to location/remarks based, just to save storage space. Your ideas make it seem do-able.