Vintro Pro Knowledge Base · Inventory management

What is dead stock?

Items that don't move tie up capital — often without you realising it. Calculate below how much yourself.

Dead stock refers to items that remain unsold for a long period of time.

They take up storage space, tie up capital, and make no direct contribution to your revenue.

🪑 A cabinet that's been in the showroom for 2 years 💡 A vintage lamp nobody buys 🖼️ A painting that's hung in the same spot for years

Why does dead stock happen?

💸 Incorrect pricing 📉 Changing trends ❤️ Emotional purchases 🕵️ No tracking

The owner knows the value of the piece — but the market isn't always willing to pay it.

When does stock become "dormant"?

There's no legal definition — these are the guidelines many businesses use.

0-90 daysActive stock
90-180 daysMonitor
180-365 daysRisk zone
> 365 daysDead stock

Why is this a problem?

"It's still in the shop, so it still has value." — partly true, but an item that doesn't sell also generates costs.

🔒 Capital is tied up 📦 Storage space costs money 🌫️ Less overview

A practical example

A vintage shop with 200 items in stock:

120less than 6 months
456 to 12 months
35more than 12 months

35 items × an average of €200 = €7,000 in capital that barely moves.

🧮 How much money is tied up in YOUR dead stock?

Note down your 10 longest-sitting items and their purchase price — we'll calculate the rest for you.

Total capital tied up: €0

How does Vintro Pro help?

Per item, the system automatically tracks how long it has been in stock — no more manual searching needed.

✅ Every piece unsold for more than 6 months ✅ Avg. time to sale ✅ Total stock value (cost price) ✅ Slowest-selling category

Where to find this in the app: the 📈 Dashboard tab, block 💤 Dormant stock (unsold for over 6 months). Not a percentage but a list of your own pieces — item number, description, purchase date and purchase price, longest-standing first. If nothing has been sitting for over six months, the screen says so too.

What can you do with dead stock?

🏷️

Reprice

A modest price cut can already make a big difference.

📍

Move the display

Better placement often means more visibility.

🎁

Create bundles

Combine hard-to-sell items with popular pieces.

🔍

Analyse your purchases

Would you buy this item again today? If not, that's a valuable lesson for later.

The Vintro Pro vision

Dead stock only becomes a problem when you can't see it.

With structural tracking, stock becomes a tool for growth again, instead of a hidden cost.

Frequently asked questions

Is dead stock always bad?

No. Some rare pieces simply have a long selling time.

Should I immediately mark down dead stock?

Not necessarily. First analyse why the item isn't selling.

How much dead stock is normal?

This varies greatly by sector and type of goods.

Why do secondhand businesses suffer from this more often?

Because almost every item is unique and demand is harder to predict.

Dead stock automatically visible, without spreadsheets?

Vintro Pro tracks how long each item has been in stock — and shows this automatically in your Dashboard.