Practical guides for merchants
How-tos and honest comparisons from the Advira apps: barcode labels, replenishment, and maker cost tracking.
Barcode labels
Stocky is shutting down: how to keep printing barcode labels
Stocky shuts down on August 31, 2026. Here's what that means for barcode label printing in Shopify, and how to keep printing labels for incoming stock.
Read → GuideShopify Retail Barcode Labels alternatives (2026)
An honest 2026 comparison of Shopify Retail Barcode Labels alternatives, Yanet, Magestore, 506 EasyScan, CTS, and LabelFast, with real ratings and prices.
Read → GuidePrint DYMO 30334 labels from Shopify: exact setup
Exact setup for printing DYMO 30334 (2.25 x 1.25 inch) barcode labels from Shopify, label size, print dialog settings, 100% scale, and driver notes.
Read → GuideAvery 5160 labels from Shopify products
How to print Shopify product barcode labels on Avery 5160 sheets, the 30-per-sheet layout, exact margin math, and print settings that keep rows aligned.
Read → GuideRound product labels from Shopify (3-inch circles)
How to print round product labels from Shopify, including 3-inch circles, why most barcode apps can't do it, and how safe-area centering keeps content off the curve.
Read →Replenishment and the Stocky shutdown
Inventory Planner and Katana alternatives for small Shopify stores
An honest look at Inventory Planner and Katana for small Shopify stores, their documented pricing and support problems, and the alternatives worth a trial.
Read → GuideSales velocity forecasting for Shopify, explained with real math
Sales velocity forecasting for Shopify with real math: weighted averages, stockout corrections, and a same-month-last-year seasonal adjustment you can verify.
Read → GuideCreating purchase orders from Shopify inventory data
How to create purchase orders from Shopify inventory data: what native Shopify covers, the suggested quantity math, and CSV versus PDF supplier workflows.
Read → GuideHow to set reorder points for your Shopify store
How to set reorder points for a Shopify store: the velocity times lead time plus safety stock formula, a worked example, and a spreadsheet you can build today.
Read → GuideStocky is shutting down: replacing purchase orders and reorder points
Stocky shuts down on August 31, 2026. What breaks for purchase orders and reorder points, what to export before the deadline, and how to pick a replacement.
Read →Materials, recipes, and costs for makers
Calculating COGS for handmade products, with the actual math
How to calculate cost of goods sold for handmade products, with a full worked example for one candle, the unit conversion math, and what margin really means.
Read → GuideCraftybase moved to $99 a month: options for small makers
Craftybase rebranded to Stocksmith and entry pricing now starts at $99 a month. The verified price history, honest alternatives, and what small makers can do.
Read → GuideLogging production runs: turning materials into sellable stock
What a production run is, why making stock means two inventory updates at once, and how an audit trail keeps material and finished goods counts honest.
Read → GuideHow to track raw materials for a Shopify store
A practical guide to tracking raw materials for a Shopify store: where spreadsheets break, why fake catalog products backfire, and what a real system needs.
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