Getting started guide

Start Here: Add a product in RummageRail

Create a product record with the details you know, a useful photo, its storage location, and its current availability.

If you sell on Whatnot, work through liquidation or storage-lot buys, or sort estate-sale inventory, start with the item in front of you. This guide is for resellers managing roughly 50–250 items and $0–$5,000 in sales who want clean records before the pace picks up.

For Whatnot, liquidation, storage-lot, and estate-sale resellers · roughly 50–250 items · $0–$5,000 in sales

  1. 01

    Add one product record per item or lot

    Open Add Product and capture the item while the details are in front of you. Use a clear name, a photo, current availability, and any facts you know. Unknown details can wait; a real record is more useful than a perfect record that never gets created.

    • Clear product name
    • At least one useful photo
    • Current availability
  2. 02

    Assign a bin or storage location

    Give every physical item a location you will recognize during a busy sale day. A bin, shelf, tote, or room label turns a product record into something you can retrieve instead of something you have to hunt for.

    • Use the same location names every time
    • Label the physical bin or shelf
    • Update the location when the item moves
  3. 03

    Keep physical and digital inventory aligned

    Physical and digital inventory should tell the same story. Keep quantity and availability current, and add the identifying details that help you recognize the item from your workspace before you pick it up.

    • One record maps to the item you can find
    • Quantity reflects what is on hand
    • Availability changes when the item leaves your space
  4. 04

    Record what the item cost you

    Enter the acquisition cost when you can. After a sale, the sale amount minus acquisition cost is the starting point for understanding earnings and profit. Without the cost, you can see revenue but not whether the item actually paid off.

    • Include the item cost when known
    • Use a consistent cost basis for lots
    • Review cost before making decisions from sales
  5. 05

    Treat complete data as the foundation

    Accurate names, photos, locations, availability, and costs compound in value as your inventory grows. Complete foundational data makes inventory easier to find, sales easier to record, and profit easier to understand instead of forcing you to reconstruct the story later.

    • Finish the facts you know now
    • Leave unknowns clear rather than guessing
    • Use the record as the source of truth

Before you finish

  • Every physical item has a digital record.
  • Every record points to a bin, shelf, tote, or other location.
  • Availability and quantity match what is actually on hand.
  • Acquisition cost is recorded before you rely on profit numbers.

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