Knowledge Base

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Inventory planner

The Inventory Planner helps you forecast stock needs, monitor inventory across fulfillment channels, and plan replenishments before stockouts occur.

It combines sales velocity, current stock, inbound quantities, and lead times to show how long your inventory will last and when you should reorder. From this page, you can also create Shipment Plans and Purchase Orders directly.

Use the Inventory Planner to:

  • Monitor FBA, FBM, prep center, and ordered stock
  • Forecast future inventory needs
  • Identify products at risk of running out of stock
  • Plan supplier orders and FBA shipments
  • Avoid stockouts and overstocking

What the Inventory Planner shows

Each row in the Inventory Planner represents a product and summarizes its current inventory situation.

The table combines:

  • Available stock (FBA and FBM)
  • Prep center inventory
  • Units already ordered from suppliers
  • Units sent to FBA but not yet received
  • Sales velocity and stock coverage
  • Reorder recommendations and alerts

All calculations update automatically as sales, stock levels, or settings change.


Sales velocity and forecasting

How sales velocity is calculated

Sales velocity represents the average number of units sold per day.

You can configure how velocity is calculated under Product Settings → Forecast, using weighted averages across multiple periods:

  • 3 days
  • 7 days
  • 30 days
  • 60 days
  • 180 days

Days when the product was out of stock are excluded, so velocity reflects real demand rather than stock limitations.


What “Days of stock left” means

Days of stock left shows how many days your current inventory is expected to last, based on:

  • Current total stock
  • Your configured sales velocity

If you use weighted velocity, that custom calculation is applied automatically.

This value is the foundation for reorder alerts and recommendations.


Reorder recommendations

Recommended quantity for reordering

The Recommended quantity for reordering column estimates how many units you should reorder to maintain healthy stock levels.

This calculation takes into account:

  • Sales velocity
  • Current and inbound stock
  • Supplier manufacturing time
  • Shipping and receiving lead time
  • FBA buffer
  • Target stock range after replenishment

All of these inputs can be adjusted per product in Product Settings.


What the FBA buffer does

The FBA buffer adds a safety margin (in days) to your forecast.

It is designed to account for:

  • Shipping delays
  • Amazon receiving delays
  • Unexpected demand spikes

The buffer is applied on top of your lead time to reduce the risk of running out of stock.


Reorder alerts

What do the red and yellow alerts mean?

The Days until next order column uses color indicators to signal urgency.

  • Red: You are past the optimal reorder date based on your lead time
  • Yellow: You are approaching the reorder point

These alerts help you prioritize which products need attention first.


Inventory sources explained

The Inventory Planner distinguishes between different inventory states.

  • FBA / FBM stock
    Units currently available for sale
  • Prep stock
    Inventory at a prep center or AWD that has not yet been sent to FBA
  • Ordered
    Units ordered from your supplier but not yet received
  • Sent to FBA
    Units already included in an FBA shipment but not yet checked in

The Sent to FBA value is updated automatically from the Shipments page and cannot be edited manually.


Prep center inventory

Can I include prep center stock?

Yes.

You can define up to four custom-named prep centers and track their inventory directly in the Inventory Planner.

How do I manage prep center columns?

  1. Open the column customization menu.
  2. Enable or hide prep center columns as needed.
  3. Enter prep stock values directly in the table.

Prep stock is included in inventory calculations but treated separately from sellable FBA stock.


Filtering and finding products

The Inventory Planner includes multiple filters to help you focus on relevant products.

You can filter by:

  • Fulfillment type (FBA, FBM, or both)
  • Marketplace
  • Out-of-stock status (show or hide OOS products)
  • Product name, SKU, ASIN, or tag

How do I filter products?

  1. Use the filter controls at the top of the page.
  2. Apply one or more filters.
  3. The table updates instantly.

Creating shipments and purchase orders

One of the main advantages of the Inventory Planner is that it connects forecasting directly to execution.

How do I create a shipment plan?

  1. Select one or more products using the checkboxes.
  2. Click Create shipment plan.
  3. Follow the shipment creation flow.

How do I create a purchase order?

  1. Select one or more products.
  2. Click Create purchase order.
  3. Enter supplier and quantity details.

Both actions use the quantities shown in the Inventory Planner as a reference.


Amazon-provided inventory metrics

Some columns in the Inventory Planner are pulled directly from Amazon.

Recommended ship-in quantity / date by Amazon

These values are provided by Amazon and are designed to help you avoid low-inventory fees.

They are shown for reference and are not calculated by sellerboard.


Historical days of supply

This metric reflects how many days of stock remain based on Amazon’s trailing 28-day sales data.

It is displayed alongside sellerboard’s forecast to give additional context.

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