Best way to store your dies

I use the Avery Elle 5 X 5 pockets, stood up in a drawer, with dividers by category. I have a couple of sets that don’t fit into those pockets, I had some small plastic bags that were longer so that they fit.

I have a reference binder with all the dies cut out, sorted by the same categories.

I pretty much use this system for my stamp, dies and stencil organization.

For my standalone dues I keep them in large wire baskets on magnetic sheets inside 8 1/2 x 11 pockets that snap closed. I label them too if the picket with the name and manufacturer of the die. So for instance, I keep all my rectangle dies in storage envelopes behind each other, then circle dies, etc. I have a separate basket for interactive dues all on magnet sheets inside pockets. I can easily flip through this grab what I need and bring it to my desk.

I use the lawn fawn or stamp n storage 8 12x 11 magnet cards. They are really sturdy and strong. I wait til they are on sale to buy them. Stamp n storage recently had 15% off everything and free shipping over $100 not sure if they still do.

I did this, but put that magnet sheet on the back of a cheap door. I got one of those scrapbook armoire things (scrap box?) and have the magnet sheets on the inner doors. I don’t have a ridiculous number of dues, so it works well for me. I also need to see them to remember what I have.

I, too, used Jennifer McGuire’s system for a number of years. Unfortunately, while it was and is a really nice organizing system, it ultimately didn’t work out for me in the long term. This is mainly because of the physical constraints of my craft room layout. The bins needed to be stored out of reach of my work table, necessitating the need to get up and walk around the work table, pull out the bins and flip through them. I don’t have room to place the bins on my work surface, so the process of looking for a die increasingly became more cumbersome and I found myself not using my dies.

In addition, I think I made the tactical error of buying bins that were too big. I have a decent amount of dies and the number, and weight of the dies, plus the magnetic sheets I stored them on inside the Avery Elle folders are surprisingly very heavy! I watched countless videos and the bin system seems to be the industry standard. It took me a while, but I finally came up with a system on my own that works for *me* and will probably make die cutting storage purists cringe. Ha.

My “system” really started with my hot foil die collection. Those dies are so thick and heavy I knew that putting them in a bin was just not going to work. Instead, I choose to put them in small mini, 1.5”, 8.5” x 5.5”, 3-ring Binders. I use mini clear heavyweight 5.5” x 8.5” sheet protectors (all my sheet protectors are labeled with the die brand and the die name)plus I use cut-up, sized to fit magnetic floor vents for magnetic backing to hold the dies in place. I sorted them and put them in the clearly labeled binders by theme: General shapes, birthday, Christmas, etc. I now just need to pull any relevant small binders off the shelf to flip through and search for an appropriate die. The binders are smaller and lighter weight and I can take them to my work table, plus it’s easier to find where to properly return the die to the proper place.

This system worked out so well, that I changed over all of my metal dies to mini notebook storage. My rubber stamps are still in Avery Elle top load folders in plastic bins sorted by brand. Because I always label my dies and stamps (brand, set names ) it’s easy to find the matching rubber stamps sets.

I know this might seem odd, but it works for me. I think that the key - find the system that works for you!


ETA:   
Not all of my dies are on magnetic sheets.  Mainly the sets that have super small dies.  It helps me see them and keeps them from getting lost.

And those magnetic parts bowls CardBoxer mentioned - those are the best, handiest things ever!  I have several and find them indispensable as a card maker.  

I agree with this.  The dies got way too heavy for the large bins.  I purchased some bins from Amazon that were smaller so I could manage the weight better.  I store them in my Kallax unit.  I can get 4 bins per cube.  The two on top are for dies in CD envelopes only.  The bins on the bottom are for my Avery pockets.  I made my own dividers so I'm able to utilize the entire cube.

These are the bins I ordered because they are not tapered not he bottom but they were much cheaper when I got them:

 smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PYZH26C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I store all my basic dies vertically on magnets attached to the side of my Kallax. I sit right next to it so they are within arms reach. Dies that coordinate with a stamp are stored in Avery Elle pouches with the stamp. Those are in a drawer or fridge bin.

I have gone from the 12 x 12 magnetic sheet stored in plastic sleeves, to the Avery Elle clear pocket system to the cheap Target mirrors storage system. (Thought up the last one by myself, so pretty sure it isn't a thing!)
flic.kr/p/2njPiGK Here they are spread out.

flic.kr/p/2njLTTj Here they are stacked up. Super easy to toss in the closet.

Me too - big bins when filled are too heavy. I happened to have several smaller bins that The Container Store used to sell very inexpensively called Pure boxes. They’re no longer sold in the U.S. 

i use sizzix envelopes and magnetic sheets. i "file" them by theme and store them in a drawer near my desk.

I also use the Jennifer McGuire method. If the dies match a stamp set I store them in the same stamp pocket. If they are standalone, they go in their own pocket. I only use magnet sheets if their are lots of little pieces. I don’t want the extra expense or weight from the magnets.

These are the ones I use too.

Ditto on most of what everyone else has said.
Not every die set needs a magnet sheet but I find it easier to find what I need if sets are all laid out flat in a pocket. My stand alone dies - shapes, words, fancy dies - live in a few inches of space in my crafty cart. The envelopes/packaging stand up neatly and I can flip through them. Dies that go with stamps are in the back of the stamp pocket.
I don't have much organization because I keep my stash small enough to flip through.
I couldn't do the wall mounted thing because my workspace is in the middle of my house and the visual clutter would drive me crazy. It makes a lot of sense for some people though.
I've seen some people store nested shapes on binder rings hung on hooks. I have my 2 most used rectangle dies hung on a hook where I can grab them.