Creating Inventory Prep Work Orders

Inventory Prep Work Orders are specialized work orders used to prepare, modify, or enhance inventory at Cahoot fulfillment centers. These work orders include two main types: Barcoding (for adding or replacing barcodes) and Reboxing/Polybagging (for creating product bundles).

Service Overview: Inventory Prep work orders help ensure your products meet fulfillment requirements and can create value-added services like product bundling and proper labeling.

🚀 Getting Started - Creating Any Inventory Prep Work Order

All Inventory Prep Work Orders follow the same initial setup process:

1Go to Work Orders → All Work Orders → Assigned to Partner tab.

2Click the Add New dropdown and select Inventory Prep.

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3You'll see the Type dropdown with two options:

Inventory Prep - Barcoding: For adding, replacing, or fixing product barcodes
Inventory Prep - Reboxing/Polybagging: For creating product bundles or gift sets

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4Select your Job Location - the fulfillment center where your inventory is stored.

Important: Separate Work Orders must be created for each Job Location. You cannot combine inventory from multiple fulfillment centers in a single Work Order.

🏷️ Option A: Creating Barcoding Work Orders

Barcoding Work Orders are used to print and affix scannable barcodes to products when items are missing barcodes, have defective barcodes, or when barcodes need to be changed.

Note: Inventory sent to Cahoot with missing barcodes is classified as non-compliant and will delay inbound receiving & incur additional charges.

Setting Up Your Barcoding Work Order

1After selecting Inventory Prep - Barcoding as your Type:

Create a unique Job Name (e.g., "Fix-Missing-Barcodes-Dec2025")
Select the appropriate Job Location

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Adding Items for Barcoding

2Add SKUs to your Work Order using one of these methods:

Enter the SKU or Barcode (not both) and click Add Item
Leave both fields blank and click Add Item to open the Search and Add Items window for bulk selection

3If using the Search window:

Use the top filters to find specific items in your Product Catalog
Use checkboxes on the left to multi-select SKUs
Click Select and Add to add SKUs in bulk
Close the window when done

Important: Make sure the proper Barcode value is already configured in the Product Editor for the items you are adding. Go to Products to search for the SKU and configure your barcode(s).

4Enter the unit Qty for each SKU to specify how many units need barcoding.

Quantity Limitation: You cannot enter quantities greater than Qty Available, which accounts for units already allocated to live orders or other Work Orders.

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Note: If you add a SKU by mistake, remove it using the trash icon in the Action column.

Special Instructions for Barcoding

5Enter any Special Instructions such as:

Specific barcode value to use
Placement instructions for barcode labels (if any)
Any quality control specifications
Special handling requirements

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📦 Option B: Creating Reboxing/Polybagging Work Orders

Reboxing/Polybagging Work Orders are used to combine multiple items into a single packaged unit. This service is ideal for creating product bundles, gift sets, or multi-item packages that need to ship together as one unit.

Example Types of Reboxing/Polybagging:

Bundle Creation: Combine individual SKUs into bundled products (e.g., creating gift sets)
Pack Breaking: Break down larger multi-packs into smaller pack sizes (e.g., splitting 24-packs into eight 3-packs)

Both services follow the same work order process with different component configurations.

Before You Start - Required Information

To successfully submit a Reboxing/Polybagging Work Order, gather this information first:

1Component SKUs and Quantities

All individual SKUs that will be combined into the bundle
Exact quantities of each component needed per bundle
Verify sufficient inventory is available at your selected Job Location

2Finalized Bundle SKU Name

Exact name as it should appear for the new bundled product
This will become the new SKU in your inventory system
Choose a clear, descriptive name for easy identification

3Bundle Barcode

The specific barcode that will be assigned to the completed bundle SKU
Must be unique and not used by any existing SKUs
This barcode will be applied to each finished bundle in a separate Barcoding Work Order

Critical: Enter the Bundle SKU Name and Barcode in the Special Instructions section. This information is essential for creating and mapping the new bundle SKU once assembly is complete.

Understanding Quantities and Bundle Instructions

Important Distinction: Enter total component units needed for your desired production run, NOT quantities per bundle. The fulfillment team will use the total quantities you specify to create as many bundles as possible.

Example Scenario: Creating 2-Packs

What the seller wants:

Create 50 units of "Red-Shirt-2-Pack" (2 red shirts per pack)
Create 50 units of "Green-Shirt-2-Pack" (2 green shirts per pack)

How to enter quantities correctly:

Component SKU	Qty to Enter	Why This Quantity
Red-Shirt	100	Need 100 Red-Shirts total (50 bundles × 2 per bundle)
Green-Shirt	100	Need 100 Green-Shirts total (50 bundles × 2 per bundle)

Setting Up Your Reboxing Work Order

1After selecting Inventory Prep - Reboxing/Polybagging as your Type:

Create a unique Job Name (e.g., "Holiday-Gift-Bundle-Dec2025")
Select the Job Location where your component inventory is stored

Adding Component SKUs

2Add component SKUs using the same methods as Barcoding:

Enter the SKU or Barcode and click Add Item
Use the search window for bulk selection

3Enter Total Quantities for each component SKU:

Enter the total units needed for your entire production run
Example: For 50 gift sets with 2 items each, enter 100 total units per component
Not the quantity per bundle - enter the total quantity needed

Bundle Configuration and Special Instructions

4REQUIRED: Enter your bundle information in the Special Instructions field:

Special Instructions Required:

Bundle SKU Name: The exact name for the new bundled product
Bundle Barcode: The barcode that will be used for the finalized bundle SKU
Recipe/Assembly Instructions: Exact components per bundle and assembly process
Production Quantity: How many bundles to create
Packaging Requirements: Special materials or presentation needs

Example Special Instructions Format:

Single Bundle Type:
Bundle SKU Name: Holiday-Gift-Set-2-Pack
Bundle Barcode: 123456789012
Recipe: 1x Mug + 1x Coffee Pack per bundle
Create: 100 bundles total
Assembly: Combine components in clear poly bag
Special Requirements: Include bubble wrap inside assembled box

5Add any additional packaging requirements:

Specific packaging materials needed (Cahoot Standard Packaging or Custom Branded Packaging)
Presentation requirements (bubble wrap, flyers or inserts, etc.)
Quality control specifications
Special handling requirements

Note: If you do not specify packaging materials, we will choose from Cahoot's standard packaging list.

✅ Submitting Your Inventory Prep Work Order

Final Review: Work Orders cannot be edited after approval. Double-check all information before submitting.

1Choose your submission option:

Click Submit Work Order if ready for immediate review and approval
Click Save as Draft from Other Actions dropdown to complete later

What Happens Next

For Barcoding Work Orders:

Cahoot reviews your Work Order for completeness
You'll receive approval notification via Conversations
Fulfillment partner prints and applies barcodes to your inventory
Your SKUs become ready for fulfillment once barcoding is complete

For Reboxing/Polybagging Work Orders:

Cahoot reviews your Work Order for completeness and feasibility
You'll receive approval notification via Conversations
Fulfillment partner begins assembling your bundles
New bundle SKU is created and added to your inventory in Cahoot
Barcoding Work Order is submitted to label the new bundle SKU
Once Barcoding is complete, your bundle SKU is ready to be fulfilled

Tracking Your Work Order

Use the Search Filters at the top of the Work Orders page to locate your orders:

Filter by Type → "Inventory Prep"
Search by Job Name
Adjust Date Filter for older Work Orders (beyond 3 months)

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Note: Once complete, you can import a test order to your location to verify the bundle was assembled properly and meets your expectations.

💡 Best Practices & Additional Resources

Barcoding Best Practices

Prevent Issues: Always include barcodes on inbound shipments to avoid processing delays
Quality Check: Verify barcode scannability before shipping to Cahoot
Clear Instructions: Specify any special barcode placement requirements
Batch Processing: Combine multiple SKUs needing barcoding into single Work Orders when possible

Reboxing/Polybagging Best Practices

Plan Bundle SKUs: Choose clear, descriptive names that distinguish bundles from components
Verify Barcodes: Ensure bundle barcodes are unique and not used elsewhere
Test Small Batches: Start with smaller quantities to verify assembly meets expectations
Document Requirements: Provide detailed packaging and presentation instructions
Calculate Carefully: Double-check your quantity math - total components needed = bundles desired × components per bundle

Pro Tip: For complex bundles with multiple components or special packaging requirements, consider creating a draft first to review all details with your team before submitting for approval. Remember: Total Components = Number of Bundles × Components per Bundle.