Add a Shipping Box as an Inventory Item

Overview

• Boxes can be designated as “products” or “boxes” within SEOM.
• When defining inventory records for boxes, be sure to include accurate dimensions.
• The QOH of each “box” inventory record can be decremented each time an order containing an assigned product is shipped, depending on the state of the IgnoreQOH field on the inventory record of the box and system parameter CheckInventory.
• The Purchase Order system can be used to manage the purchase of boxes which are products and shipping containers.
• To keep shipping costs to a minimum when major shipping carriers UPS and FedEx change their method of calculating shipping rates for ground shipments at the end of 2014, it is best to pack all items in the smallest, and fewest containers physically possible.
• Shipping boxes can be assigned to specific products by selecting one from Default Box on the Miscellaneous tab of the product Inventory record. If you use this setting be sure the box selection matches the minimum dimensions of the product to avoid an unnecessary increase in shipping costs. The Default Box setting takes precedence over the dimensions on the Miscellaneous tab when there is only one item in an order. If more than one item is present, the program suggests a box that can hold the total capacity of both items.
• If a Default Box is not assigned to products, the program suggests which box to use if Length, Width, and Height dimensions are provided on the Miscellaneous tab of the product Inventory record, assuming you have boxes with sufficient capacity defined as inventory items. This method is preferred over using the Default Box setting in order to avoid being charged for incorrect package measurements after the package is shipped if the Default Box setting is not accurate.
• For single item orders, the program uses the dimensions of the item’s Default Box, or the dimensions in the Miscellaneous tab of the product record, when rate shopping or printing shipping labels.
• For multiple-item orders, the program looks for a box large enough to hold all the items in the order and displays that Box and its dimensions in the Pack & Ship and QuickShip screens. If all items do not physically fit into the suggested box, manually override the selected Box via the user interface.
• You can manually override the box selection or dimensions when printing a shipping label, but you cannot override the dimensions when Rate Shopping.

Best Practices

• Due to impending changes in the method by which UPS and FedEx calculate shipping rates for ground shipments, it is imperative that inventory records contain accurate Length, Width, and Height information, regardless of whether the item is a shipping container or a regular product.
• Having an assortment of box sizes that align with your products and most common order sizes is just as important in order to keep shipping costs down since size is now a factor as well as weight.
• Minimize the use of the Pack Separately field as it forces the order to be shipped in more than one container.
• If you don’t need to track the QOH of shipping boxes, select IgnoreQOH on the Items tab to avoid any negative impact on operations if your supply is exhausted. If you do need to track the QOH of shipping containers, be sure to set your reorder point high enough so you do not run out of stock.

How to Add a Box as an Inventory Item

The method to add a shipping box as an Inventory item is similar to adding a product.

1. Go to Main Menu>Manage My Inventory>View & Manage My Inventory
2. Select Add in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Enter values in the Local SKU, Item Name, and # On Hand fields.
4. Select Add Primary Supplier to provide purchasing information about the box.  (Supplier, Supplier’s SKU, and Unit Cost fields are required)
5. Select the Miscellaneous tab.
6. Select  “This is a Box, not a product“.
7. Enter the box’s Length, Width, and Height dimensions.
8. Select Save.