Running Out of Stock

In a few hours, I’ll stand behind a table and try to sell Pokémon cards for the first time. Going into the event, one worry that kept coming up was running out of stock.

8,000 attendees are expected. Two full days. Countless opportunities to make deals. Would I stand there empty-handed four hours in?

Most of what I’m selling are sealed items. Various collection boxes and such. I’ve already been doing so for a few months online. It’s been surprising how well it has worked, how many items have already left my house.

Three days ago, someone messaged me: “Hey, I want to buy all of your sleeved booster cases.” Sleeved boosters are individual booster packs wrapped in a special cardboard protector. They look cool and come in boxes of 24.

At first, I was apprehensive: “If I sell all of these, that’s a big dent in my inventory.” But it was a big deal, and I was unsure how well these factory-sealed packages—no fancy exterior box—would sell during the event. Eventually, we agreed, and I shipped nearly eight kilograms of cardboard to Sweden.

Yesterday, my buddy and I did early setup at the card show. As it turns out, the space to put up shelves is quite limited. The less stock I have, the better! More importantly, however, he agreed with me in the car: “Whoever buys it, buys it!” He was right, of course.

Inventory is meant to be sold! Why would I pass on a deal in hopes of someone else buying the same product? Sure, discounts and prices must be weighed. But when there’s demand for what you sell, why would you not meet it if you can?

When a good bakery runs out early, they’re not ashamed. They just close up shop and say, “Sorry, more croissants again tomorrow!”

I don’t run a shop. I don’t need to move product to make pay. So if I’m out of cards at 12 PM, I’ll just start circling the event and look for deals on the other side of the fence.

Never worry about running out of stock. It’s a good problem to have.