In this guide
Short answer: Plan festive inventory in three phases: buy and store ahead about six to eight weeks before the sale, keep a working batch at home or in your shop and restock from storage during the sale, then handle returns and clear-out after it. Storage priced by volume lets you scale up for the peak without a godown lease.
For many online sellers, the September–October festive sales bring a large share of the year’s orders. They also bring a familiar problem: where do you put three months of stock when your spare room holds one?
Phase 1: Buying ahead (6–8 weeks before)
- Forecast by product, not by total. Look at last year’s sale-period orders for each product and adjust for growth.
- Order packaging with the stock. Cartons, mailers and tape run out at the worst moment.
- Label as it arrives. Each carton gets a number, the product, the size or variant and the quantity.
- Keep a stock sheet with carton numbers, contents and where they are: home, shop or storage.
Phase 2: During the sale
Do not keep everything where you pack orders. It slows you down and makes counting harder.
- Keep a working batch, a few days of your fastest sellers, where you pack.
- Hold the rest in storage and restock in lots once or twice a week, or more often during peak days.
- Track what comes out of storage on your stock sheet so you always know what is left.
Phase 3: After the sale
- Returns: keep return cartons separate and labelled until each item is inspected.
- Slow movers: decide whether to discount, bundle or hold them for the next season.
- Scale down storage: with volume-based storage, your bill drops as stock goes out.
Godown, 3PL or storage?
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Godown on rent | Large, steady volumes; working on-site | Deposit, 11-month lease, running costs all year |
| Fulfilment centre / 3PL | Order-by-order pick, pack and ship | Per-order fees; minimum volumes; less control |
| Volume-based storage | Overflow stock, packaging, seasonal peaks | Not for packing orders inside the warehouse |
Many sellers use more than one: marketplace fulfilment for fast movers, and overflow storage for everything else.
Keeping stock in good condition
- Store nothing damp, and nothing that leaks or smells.
- Use strong cartons and do not overload them; heavy cartons collapse stacks.
- Food, liquids that can leak, anything flammable and temperature-sensitive products are not suitable for general storage.
How sellers use CratoSpace
Sellers can keep overflow stock and packaging with us and call back cartons as they need them. You pay monthly for the volume you store, with a GST invoice and no lease. See inventory storage in Gurgaon.
More questions about festive stock planning
When should sellers start stocking up for festive sales?
Many sellers buy six to eight weeks before the big sale events in September and October, to allow for supplier delays and listing and photography time.
Should I rent a godown for the festive season?
For a two- or three-month peak, a godown's deposit, lease and running costs are hard to justify. Storage priced by volume lets you scale up for the season and back down after it.
Can I store returns separately from fresh stock?
Yes. Label return cartons clearly and keep them as a separate group, so you can inspect and restock them without mixing them with new inventory.
