# Backstock Overview Backstock is BuyerKiosk's inventory management system for tracking physical storage bins across your store and off-site locations. Whether you have a back room, a storage unit, or both, Backstock helps your team know exactly what inventory is where and how long it has been sitting. ![Backstock Management Dashboard](/images/support/articles/backstock_overview.png) *The Backstock dashboard showing your inventory stats, action toolbar, and bin table* --- ## What Is Backstock? In secondhand retail, purchased inventory often needs to be stored before it reaches the sales floor. **Backstock** is the system that tracks these storage containers -- called **bins** -- from the moment they are created through every add, remove, and move action your team performs. Each bin represents a physical container (a tote, shelf section, or box) and carries: - A **name** (e.g., "Bin #101" or "Holiday Shoes") - A **location** (which storage area it lives in) - A **main POS category** (the primary product type, pulled from your point-of-sale subcategories) - **Additional tags** (extra categories for cross-referencing) - An **age date** (how long inventory has been sitting) - A full **action history** (who did what, and when) --- ## How to Access Backstock 1. Log in to BuyerKiosk with an **Admin** account 2. Click **Backstock** in the left sidebar navigation 3. The Backstock home page loads with your full inventory dashboard > **Tip:** Backstock requires the `uri_backstock` permission. If you do not see it in the sidebar, ask your store administrator to grant access. --- ## Dashboard Layout The Backstock home page has four main areas: | Area | Location | Purpose | |------|----------|---------| | **Stats Grid** | Top of page | At-a-glance inventory metrics | | **Action Toolbar** | Below stats | Buttons for common actions | | **Bin Table** | Center | Searchable, sortable list of all bins | | **Tips & Shortcuts** | Bottom | Keyboard shortcuts and power-user tips | --- ## Stats Grid Four stat cards display real-time inventory metrics: | Stat | What It Shows | |------|---------------| | **Total Bins** | The total number of active bins in your store | | **On-Site** | Bins stored at your physical store location (back room, etc.) | | **Off-Site** | Bins stored at external locations (storage units, warehouses) | | **Avg Age (Days)** | The average number of days across all bins since their age date was set | These numbers update automatically when the page loads and give you an instant health check on your inventory. --- ## Action Toolbar Five buttons provide quick access to common tasks: | Button | What It Does | |--------|-------------| | `Add Bin` | Opens a form to create a single new bin with a name, POS category, tags, location, and creation date | | `Bulk Create` | Opens a form to create many bins at once with a naming prefix and starting number | | `Locations` | Opens the location manager to add, edit, or delete storage locations | | `Categories` | Opens the custom category manager to create tags for organizing bins | | `Activity Log` | Opens a log of recent actions performed across all bins | --- ## The Bin Table The main data table lists every active bin in your store. Each row displays: | Column | Description | |--------|-------------| | **Notes** | Indicates whether the bin has notes attached | | **Edit** | Action buttons: `Manage` (gear icon), `Reprint Labels` (print icon), `Delete` (X icon) | | **Name** | The bin's display name | | **Location** | Which storage location the bin is assigned to | | **On-Site** | A green checkmark for on-site bins or a building icon for off-site bins | | **Main Category** | The primary POS subcategory, shown with its assigned color | | **Other Categories** | Additional tags displayed as colored badges -- click any tag to filter the table | | **Age Date** | The date the bin was created or its age was last reset | | **Last Action** | Who performed the most recent action, what they did, and when | | **Age** | A color-coded progress bar and day count showing how old the bin's inventory is | ### Sorting and Searching - **Quick Search**: Use the search bar at the top-right to filter bins instantly by name, category, location, or any visible text - **Column Sorting**: Click any column header to sort ascending or descending - **Category Filtering**: Click a colored tag in the **Other Categories** column to show only bins with that tag. A filter bar appears at the top confirming which category is active -- click the X to clear it - **Search Tip**: Wrap exact phrases in quotation marks. Searching `"Bin #9"` finds that specific bin, while searching `Bin #9` without quotes also matches "Bin #90", "Bin #91", etc. --- ## Hidden Bins and Barcode Scanning When a bin is emptied, you can **hide** it to keep the table clean. Hidden bins do not appear in the list but are never deleted. If you scan a hidden bin's barcode (or type its exact name in the search bar), the system detects it and asks: > "The bin 'Bin #42' exists but is hidden. Would you like to reactivate it?" Click `Yes, reactivate it` to bring the bin back into the active table, or `No, keep it hidden` to leave it hidden. > **Tip:** This is especially useful for stores that reuse physical bin containers. Hide the bin when it is empty, and it automatically comes back when scanned. --- ## Tips and Shortcuts The collapsible **Tips & Shortcuts** card at the bottom of the page contains power-user techniques: - **Multi-select rows**: Hold `Shift` and click two rows to select everything in between. Use `Ctrl` (or `Cmd` on Mac) to deselect individual rows. - **Print selected rows**: After selecting rows with `Shift`, use the print button to print only those selected bins. - **Search for on-site/off-site**: Type `onsite` or `offsite` in the search bar to filter by location type. - **Column Visibility**: Use the Column Visibility button to show or hide columns. This also affects what appears in printed output and exports. - **Category click-filter**: Click any tag in the **Other Categories** column to narrow the table to only bins with that category. - **Hide emptied bins**: Use the `Hide Bin` button in the Manage Bin modal to remove emptied bins from the table without deleting them. --- ## Understanding Bin Age The **Age** column shows a color-coded progress bar that shifts from green to red as inventory ages: | Age Range | Color | Meaning | |-----------|-------|---------| | 0-90 days | Green | Fresh inventory -- recently acquired | | 91-180 days | Yellow | Aging -- consider moving to the sales floor | | 181-365 days | Orange | Stale -- prioritize for replenishment or clearance | | 366+ days | Red | Critical -- inventory has been sitting over a year | When actions are performed on a bin (adding or removing items), you can optionally **reset the age date** to today, which restarts the aging clock. --- ## Troubleshooting ### I cannot see Backstock in the sidebar Your account may not have the `uri_backstock` permission. Ask your store administrator to enable Backstock access for your role. ### My search returns no results but I know the bin exists The bin may be **hidden**. Type the exact bin name or scan its barcode -- if it exists as a hidden bin, the system will prompt you to reactivate it. ### The age seems wrong on a bin The age is calculated from the **Age Date** field, not the creation date. If someone reset the age date during an action, the age counter starts from that reset date. Open the bin's Manage modal and check the **Age Date** field on the Edit Bin tab. --- ## Related Articles - [Managing Bins](/support/articles/backstock-managing-bins) -- How to add, edit, move, and manage individual bins - [Bulk Bin Creation](/support/articles/backstock-bulk-create) -- How to create many bins at once - [Categories & Locations](/support/articles/backstock-categories-locations) -- Setting up storage locations and custom categories - [Events & Aging](/support/articles/backstock-events-aging) -- Seasonal events and aging reports