Start a reorder review with evidence, not a buy-again button
A reorder is a new buying decision. The fact that a boutique purchased an item before does not establish how much it should purchase now. Review the exact variant against a dated sales window, the quantity currently available to sell, confirmed incoming units, and current supplier timing. Keep price, margin, trend, and future demand outside the conclusion unless separate evidence supports them.
This task is narrower than maintaining a general jewelry inventory worksheet. The inventory sheet records what exists. A reorder review asks whether the documented evidence supports a quantity proposal today. Marketplace reorder tools can retrieve prior items and enforce current minimums or case packs, but convenience is not analysis.
Create one dated evidence card per variant
Do not combine colors, sizes, or fastening options just because they share a product title. Use one row for each stockable variant and preserve the source and cutoff for every number.
| Evidence field | Required entry | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Variant identity | Product, exact option, SKU or stable internal key | Never substitute a sibling color or closure |
| Sales window | Units sold, start date, end date, report generated date | Returns and adjustments may require separate review |
| Available now | Sellable units at the named location and cutoff | Do not use total on hand if some units are committed or unavailable |
| Incoming | Quantity, purchase order or transfer reference, expected date, confidence | Incoming is not available until received |
| Supplier timing | Current lead-time range, date observed, and any confirmed ship date | Lead time is not the same as delivery date |
| Buying constraints | Current minimum, case pack, variant availability, unresolved questions | Record the supplier's terms; do not invent Rustic Jewel Co terms |
Shopify's current inventory-state definitions describe Available as inventory that can be sold, excluding committed, unavailable, and incoming units. Its current inventory-report documentation also distinguishes quantity sold, quantity sold per day, and ending quantity, with stated report delays for some measures. Use the report's displayed dates instead of assuming it includes today's activity.
Calculate a historical-rate quantity candidate
The following exercise is entirely hypothetical. It is not Rustic Jewel Co sales, stock, supplier, or purchasing data, and it is not a forecast.
- Exact variant: Blue stud earring pair
- Observed sales: 8 units during the last 28 complete calendar days
- Available at the cutoff: 3 units
- Confirmed incoming: 2 units with a documented expected receipt inside the 21-day review horizon
- Chosen review horizon: 21 calendar days
- Supplier lead-time evidence: currently stated as 10–12 business days to fulfill, with no confirmed delivery date
First calculate the historical daily rate with full precision: 8 ÷ 28 = 0.285714… units per day. It can be displayed as 0.286 for readability, but do not use that rounded label in the next operation. Apply the full fraction as a planning reference: (8 ÷ 28) × 21 = 6 units. Round up only after the horizon calculation; here the exact result is already a whole unit, so the requirement remains 6.
Next subtract only stock supported within the horizon: 6 − 3 available − 2 confirmed incoming = 1 unit. The result is a one-unit quantity candidate, not an approved reorder. If the two incoming units lack a credible receipt date, do not subtract them. If the sales export omitted a return or used a different date range, rerun the calculation. A different chosen horizon will also produce a different candidate. If you also need to set the period’s inventory commitment limit, see the separate open-to-buy worked example.
Apply a timing gate before turning quantity into an order
A quantity candidate answers “how many units would fill this chosen historical-rate horizon?” It does not answer “will a new order arrive when needed?” Faire's current lead-time guidance defines supplier lead time as the business days normally required to fulfill an order after receipt and distinguishes it from a single expected ship date. Neither value alone proves a delivery date because transit, order acceptance, weekends, holidays, and receiving time may remain unresolved.
Use three timing outcomes:
- Supported: the supplier confirms the exact variant, accepted quantity, and a timing record that fits the boutique's documented need date.
- Quantity only: the calculation is complete, but ship or receipt timing remains unresolved.
- Hold: variant availability, minimums, case packs, incoming stock, or source dates conflict.
In the hypothetical exercise, the proper outcome is quantity only. The 10–12-business-day fulfillment range and missing delivery date do not prove that the new units will be available inside the 21-calendar-day horizon. Ask the supplier for current confirmation rather than converting business days into a guessed receipt date.
Keep the review at variant level
The current Rustic Jewel Co product record below names four variants—Gray, Fuchsia, Blue, and Light Green—and lists each as a stud earring option. The image is useful because it shows why “reorder the teardrop earrings” is too broad. Each color needs its own sales, available, incoming, and supplier evidence. The product's current public availability is not evidence of historical sales or a wholesale lead time.
Use the current earring collection for assortment context, but do not use a collection page as a substitute for variant-level quantities. A product can remain represented in an assortment even when one option should be held.
Finish with a reorder decision record
Record the result in a form that preserves both the math and its limits:
- Variant and location
- Sales source, window, units, and generated date
- Available quantity and cutoff
- Incoming quantity, reference, and expected receipt evidence
- Supplier lead-time source and observation date
- Chosen horizon and historical-rate calculation
- Quantity candidate before minimum or case-pack adjustment
- Current supplier constraint and adjusted quantity, if confirmed
- Outcome: supported, quantity only, or hold
- Reviewer and next review date
When confirmed units arrive, use an incoming jewelry inspection before treating them as sellable. For a real wholesale conversation, route exact variant questions through the wholesale and private client inquiry page. The review supports a documented decision; it does not promise demand, sales, margin, profit, supplier acceptance, or on-time delivery.